Richard Divizio
Encyclopedia
Richard Divizio is an American actor best known for his work in the Mortal Kombat
video game series. He holds a degree in computer graphic design from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, of which MK co-creator and former Midway
employee John Tobias
was an alumnus.
Divizio is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Kano in the original Mortal Kombat. He also appeared in Mortal Kombat II
as Baraka, and reprised the role of Kano for both Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3
, the latter in which he also played the masked hook swordsman Kabal. In 1997, he portrayed Quan Chi in both the game and full motion video
sequences in the platform title Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
, and provided motion capture footage for the character as well in Mortal Kombat 4
. Divizio stated that his favourite role that he played in the Mortal Kombat series was Quan Chi.
He was the only actor who appeared in all of the digitized Mortal Kombat games, and the characters he portrayed were concealed under masks or makeup. Kano's infrared implant was attached to his face with spirit gum
for filming in the first and third games.
Divizio and his fellow MK actors became minor celebrities during the height of franchises success with Mortal Kombat II. They appeared in costume on the cover of the January 1994 issue of Video Games
, which featured the group in an extensive profile three months later. Divizio made several appearances at trade shows dressed as Scorpion, despite not having played him in any of the games; this was because Daniel Pesina
, who had played Scorpion during filming for MKII, regularly suited up as Johnny Cage.
He returned to the MK series in 2002, contributing to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
as a motion capture
actor.
In the 2005 martial arts movie The Book of Swords, he portrayed a crime boss named Taz, who was out for a magical tome called The Book of Swords. The movie also starred three other MK actors in Katalin Zamiar
, Ho Sung Pak
, and Daniel Pesina. In a nod to his Mortal Kombat alter ego, Divizio's character was very similar to Kano in looks and storyline, and the other three actors are also seen in similar MK clothing/roles throughout the picture.
Divizio can also be seen as a background thug in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, also with another Mortal Kombat alumni John Turk
.
Mortal Kombat (series)
Mortal Kombat, commonly abbreviated MK, is a science fantasy series of fighting games created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The first four renditions and their updates were developed by Midway Games and initially released on arcade machines. The arcade titles were later picked up by Acclaim...
video game series. He holds a degree in computer graphic design from the American Academy of Art in Chicago, of which MK co-creator and former Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
employee John Tobias
John Tobias
John Tobias is an American comic book artist, graphic designer and video game designer. Along with Ed Boon he is one of the creators of the groundbreaking Mortal Kombat fighting game series....
was an alumnus.
Divizio is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Kano in the original Mortal Kombat. He also appeared in Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a competitive fighting game originally produced by Midway Games for the arcades in . It is the second game in the Mortal Kombat series. Like its predecessor, various home versions were produced...
as Baraka, and reprised the role of Kano for both Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and released in 1995, first as an arcade game. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series...
, the latter in which he also played the masked hook swordsman Kabal. In 1997, he portrayed Quan Chi in both the game and full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
sequences in the platform title Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero is a 1997 action-adventure game spin-off of the fighting game series Mortal Kombat. It is the first Mortal Kombat game to feature side-scrolling gameplay. It was released for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64...
, and provided motion capture footage for the character as well in Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat 4 is the fourth main game in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting video games developed by Midway Games. Released to arcades in 1997, Mortal Kombat 4 is the first title from the series to use 3D computer graphics as well as one of the first games that Midway made in 3D. Eurocom later...
. Divizio stated that his favourite role that he played in the Mortal Kombat series was Quan Chi.
He was the only actor who appeared in all of the digitized Mortal Kombat games, and the characters he portrayed were concealed under masks or makeup. Kano's infrared implant was attached to his face with spirit gum
Spirit gum
Spirit gum is an adhesive, made mostly of SD Alcohol 35-A and resin , used primarily for affixing wigs, merkins, false beards, and other costume prosthetics....
for filming in the first and third games.
Divizio and his fellow MK actors became minor celebrities during the height of franchises success with Mortal Kombat II. They appeared in costume on the cover of the January 1994 issue of Video Games
Video Games & Computer Entertainment
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades...
, which featured the group in an extensive profile three months later. Divizio made several appearances at trade shows dressed as Scorpion, despite not having played him in any of the games; this was because Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina is a martial arts expert and a former employee of Midway. He is most recognized as the actor who played Johnny Cage and ninjas Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Smoke, and Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II.Pesina was fired from Midway in 1994 for wearing Cage's costume in...
, who had played Scorpion during filming for MKII, regularly suited up as Johnny Cage.
He returned to the MK series in 2002, contributing to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance or simply Mortal Kombat 5, is a fighting game developed and published by Midway for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance...
as a motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
actor.
In the 2005 martial arts movie The Book of Swords, he portrayed a crime boss named Taz, who was out for a magical tome called The Book of Swords. The movie also starred three other MK actors in Katalin Zamiar
Katalin Zamiar
Katalin Rodriguez-Ogren is an American martial artist, sportswriter and actress.-Biography:...
, Ho Sung Pak
Ho Sung Pak
Ho-Sung Pak is an American film actor, martial artist, action choreographer, writer, and producer.-Early life and career:Pak, a Korean American, was born in Seoul, South Korea...
, and Daniel Pesina. In a nod to his Mortal Kombat alter ego, Divizio's character was very similar to Kano in looks and storyline, and the other three actors are also seen in similar MK clothing/roles throughout the picture.
Divizio can also be seen as a background thug in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, also with another Mortal Kombat alumni John Turk
John Turk
John Turk is an American model, bodybuilder, personal trainer, former Chicago police officer, and actor.He has three siblings...
.