Early Life and Education
Kusatsu grew up in Honolulu, where he attended the prestigious ʻIolani School. He went on to study theater at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was the only Asian-American student enrolled at the school at the time. He graduated in 1970.1
Career
After returning from Northwestern, Kusatsu worked in Honolulu summer stock before moving to Los Angeles, where in 1972 he joined the East West Players, the oldest Asian-American theater company in the city.1 The ensemble served as a launching pad for his television career.
He first gained wider recognition through guest appearances on two landmark 1970s series: Kung Fu, where he appeared in five episodes, and M*A*S*H, where he appeared in four episodes playing three different roles.1 Those early credits established the template for much of his career: a reliable, authoritative presence playing doctors, scientists, military officers, government officials, businessmen, and other intelligent professional types.
His film work includes Midway (1976), Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), In the Line of Fire (1993), Paradise Road (1997), American Pie (1999), and The Interpreter (2005).2 On television, recurring roles include Dr. Kenji Fushida on Island Son and appearances in Magnum, P.I., Family Matters, and The Young and the Restless, among many others.1
Kusatsu has also been prolific in animation voice-over work, including the long-running Curious George series and, more recently, the Netflix animated series Blue Eye Samurai.1
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Kusatsu is particularly well regarded among science-fiction fans for his portrayal of Vice Admiral Nakamura in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a recurring authority figure who appeared across multiple episodes of that series.1
Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters
Kusatsu provided guest voices on The Real Ghostbusters in the episode "Ain't NASA-Sarily So", voicing two characters: McTavish and Sato.3
Extreme Ghostbusters
He returned to the Ghostbusters universe as a guest voice actor on Extreme Ghostbusters, appearing in the episode Eyes of a Dragon, where he voiced Mr. Chen, a shopkeeper, and the demon Gu Mo.4
Labor Leadership
Beyond his on-screen career, Kusatsu has been a significant figure in entertainment labor. In 2013, following the merger of SAG and AFTRA, he became the first elected President of the new SAG-AFTRA Local in Los Angeles.1 He subsequently served as National Vice President Los Angeles through 2021 and has continued to serve as Secretary of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.1
Personal Life
Kusatsu has been married to Gayle Shuffler since August 29, 1976.2 They have two sons and two grandsons.1
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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"Clyde Kusatsu," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clyde_Kusatsu
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"Clyde Kusatsu," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476226/bio/
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Spook Central, "The Real Ghostbusters Episode Guide: 'Ain't NASA-Sarily So'," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.spookcentral.us/sclib/the-real-ghostbusters-aint-nasa-sarily-so
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"Extreme Ghostbusters: Eyes of a Dragon (TV Episode 1997), Clyde Kusatsu as Mr. Chen, Gu Mo," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0574522/characters/nm0476226/
