Desmond Nakano (born in 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter, film score composer, and actor. He is Sansei, or third-generation Japanese American. He directed the feature films, White Man's Burden (1995) and American Pastime (2007). His writing credits include the screenplays for the dramatic feature films Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), American Me (1992), White Man's Burden, and American Pastime.