Mako provided the voice of Splinter in the 2007 computer-animated film TMNT.
Mako, whose full name was Makoto Iwamatsu, was a Japanese-American actor known for film, television, stage work, and voice acting. In TMNT, he voiced Splinter, the turtles’ adoptive father and martial-arts teacher. The role was among his final major performances; he died in 2006 before the film’s release.
The movie was directed by Kevin Munroe and served as a continuation of the earlier live-action film continuity rather than a straightforward remake. Its story centers on the turtles’ fractured teamwork after the defeat of the Shredder and introduces an ancient supernatural threat involving four stone generals.
Mako had previously voiced Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender, another role that made his voice especially recognizable to animation audiences. He was replaced as Iroh after his death, but TMNT retained his recorded performance as Splinter.