Mario Machado
Encyclopedia
Mario Machado is the Eurasian eight-time Emmy Award-winning television and radio broadcaster who made television history when, in 1970, he became the first Chinese-American on-air television news reporter and anchor in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and perhaps in the nation.

Television

Machado’s television career began in 1967, when he signed on at KHJ-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...

 (now KCAL-TV) as an on-air news reporter, a first for a Chinese American. The following year he began working as a color commentator at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 owned-and-operated KNXT
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...

 (now KCBS-TV) in Los Angeles. In 1969 he became the first Consumer Affairs reporter in the nation at KNXT. He became a regular reporter in 1970 on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 nightly broadcast, The Big News, which was Los Angeles' most popular newscast in the 1960s. He worked there with news icon, Jerry Dunphy
Jerry Dunphy
Jerry Dunphy was an American television news anchor in the Los Angeles/Southern California media market. He was best known for his catchy intro "From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California, a good evening."...

.

In the early and mid-1970s, Machado hosted the daily news and interview show, Noontime, which aired for seven years on KNXT.

As host of the nationally acclaimed medical investigation show, Medix, which ran for 208 episodes over eight seasons, he was nominated three times for "Outstanding Achievement as Host." The show garnered several Emmys and Emmy nominations.

When not hosting his own talk shows or anchoring the news, Machado often played the part of a reporter, news anchor, or himself on many popular television programs.

Film

On the big screen, as well, Machado often portrayed a news anchor or reporter, notably as Casey Wong in the three RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...

films. Among the other notable films in which he plays the reporter are Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...

(1971), Oh, God!
Oh, God!
Oh, God! is a 1977 comedy film starring George Burns and John Denver. Based on a novel by Avery Corman, the film was directed by Carl Reiner from a screenplay written by Larry Gelbart...

(1977), The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979), Rocky III
Rocky III
Rocky III is a 1982 American film that is the third installment in the Rocky film series. It is written and directed by and stars Sylvester Stallone as the title character, with Carl Weathers as former boxing rival Apollo Creed, Burgess Meredith as Rocky's trainer Mickey, and Talia Shire as Rocky's...

(1982), Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...

(1983), and St. Elmo's Fire
St. Elmo's fire
St. Elmo's fire is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a grounded object in an electric field in the atmosphere St. Elmo's fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formiae St. Elmo's fire (also St. Elmo's light) is a weather phenomenon in which luminous...

(1985).

Machado also appeared as himself in Blue Thunder
Blue Thunder
Blue Thunder is a 1983 feature film that features a high-tech helicopter of the same name. The movie was directed by John Badham and stars Roy Scheider...

(1983), Without Warning (1994), and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was made in 1997 and released in 1998. It was regarded as one of the worst films of all time, and scooped five awards at the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. The film had an estimated budget of $10,000,000 and grossed at least $52,850...

(1997).

Machado’s most recent appearance was in a 2010 documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...

, Shanghai Exodus, for which he also acted as consultant.

Machado’s distinctive voice can also be heard on a number of films for Retinitis Pigmentosa International
Retinitis Pigmentosa International
Retinitis Pigmentosa International is an international, 501 non-profit organization that is committed to focusing world attention on eye problems...

's TheatreVision, which provides sightless audiences with a description of what is happening on the screen.

Sports

As a star collegiate athlete and former soccer player, Machado was able to indulge his love for soccer by serving as the English language commentator at four FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 soccer championships: in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 (1970), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 (1974), Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 (1978) and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 (1982) for audiences throughout North America, and also at the 1984 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

.
He was the Voice of Soccer for the CBS Television Network in 1968 and in 1976, covering the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

 (NASL). He hosted the weekly soccer program, “The Best of the World Cup” for the Spanish International Network. Machado hosted “Star Soccer” from England on Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 (PBS) Public television stations for six years.

He served as Commissioner of the American Soccer League in 1986.

Between1976 and 1984 he published Soccer Corner Magazine for fellow enthusiasts of the sport.

He was one of the founding members of AYSO with his friend Hans Stierle, and in 1971 he helped change AYSO policy to allow girls to play. In recognition for his contributions to the sport, Machado was inducted into the AYSO Hall of Fame in 1999.

Old China Hands Legacy

As president of MJM Communications, Machado has produced numerous special events including the Beverly Hills St. Patrick’s Day Parades of 1985 and 1986, the Pet Parade, and the Festival of Nations for Los Angeles County’s 150th anniversary, and in 1986, he produced the first official Spanish language coverage of the Rose Parade for Telemundo/KVEA.

An event that has produced results that are still ongoing is the Old China Hands Reunion of 1996. Between September 3 and September 9 of that year 1,100 former residents of China from all corners of the world gathered at MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas for a reunion that has been called by attendees the biggest and best Old China Hands Reunion.

The collection of oral histories of individuals who left China in the 1940s and 1950s gathered by Machado and co-producer, Barbara Egyud, at this event, in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...

 History Department, formed the nucleus of the Old China Hands Archives housed at the Cal State University at Northridge. The University’s geography professor Robert Gohstand, who happens to be a Shanghai classmate of Machado, recognized the importance of saving these stories for posterity, and now heads the oral and video history project at Cal State Northridge where the Old China Hands Archives was inaugurated in 2002

Awards and honors

Machado’s work on television has earned him eight Emmy Awards and ten nominations. His most recent Emmy was for his work on the television special "U.S. Citizenship: A Dream Come True", which was broadcast in over 120 countries.
  • Howard Blakeslee Award
  • San Francisco’s Interceptor Award
  • Mario Machado Day proclaimed by Mayor Benjamin Norton for December 4, 1983 in Beverly Hills, CA.
  • Honorary mayor of Granada Hills for 8 years
  • Los Angeles Commissioner of Cultural Affairs.
  • Was one of the founding members of Nosotros, founded by Ricardo Montalbán
    Ricardo Montalbán
    Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...

     in 1970 to improve the image of Latino actors.
  • President Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

     appointed Machado to the Child Safety Partnership in 1986.
  • 1987 commendation by Los Angeles County for “outstanding work on behalf of women, children and families."
  • Announcer for Pope John Paul II
    Pope John Paul II
    Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

     Mass at Dodger Stadium
  • Rode on the “Icons of Freedom” float in the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade
    Tournament of Roses Parade
    The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...

     celebrating the U.S. Constitution. He rode with Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse
    Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...

    , astronaut Buzz Aldrin
    Buzz Aldrin
    Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...

    , boxing champion Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

    , and others.
  • Honda Motors established the Mario J. Machado Scholarships in 1991
  • Induction in 1999 to the AYSO Hall of Fame :
  • Served as Grand Marshall of numerous Los Angeles Chinatown's Chinese New Year Parades.
  • Honored for his contributions by Chinese Historical Society 1999.
  • John Anson Ford
    John Anson Ford
    John Anson Ford was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.Ford was born September 29, 1883, in Waukegan, Illinois. He attended Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, taught history and economics, then moved to Chicago, where he worked on the Chicago Tribune. He was on the editorial...

     Humanitarian Award in 1994
  • Cited for advancing role of Latinos in media
  • 1996 Humanitarian of the Year Award for more than 2,800 hours of service in 27 years.
  • Carried the Olympic Flame
    Olympic Flame
    The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...

     through downtown Los Angeles prior to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.


Personal life

Machado is a Portuguese-Chinese Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....

. His father, Carlos Jacinto de Lourdes Gouveia Furtado Machado was a vice-chancellor of the Portuguese Consulate in Shanghai, and his mother, Chinese-Portuguese Maria Teresa de Sousa, was a homemaker.
After studying for two years at St. John’s Military Academy in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 at the age of 11, Machado’s education was obtained at the British Thomas Hanbury School, St. Francis Xavier College in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, and a business college in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

.

He emigrated to Seattle in 1956, and became a US citizen in 1965.
He has four children from his marriage to Marie Christine D’Almada Remedios.

Before entering the broadcasting field, Machado worked in management for IBM Corporation
He is currently retired and living in West Hills, California.

External links

  • Mario Machado (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0532478/) at the Internet Movie Database.
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