Pat Morita
Pat Morita | |
---|---|
![]() Morita in 1971 | |
Born | Noriyuki Morita June 28, 1932[1] Isleton, California, U.S. |
Died | November 24, 2005 | (aged 73)
Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor, comedian |
Years active | 1949–2005 |
Spouse(s) |
Kathleen Yamachi
(m. 1953; div. 1967)Yukiye Kitahara
(m. 1970; div. 1989) |
Children | 3 |
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005)[1] was an American actor, voice actor, and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days (1975–1983), Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid film series, Mike Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and The Emperor of China in Mulan and Mulan II. Morita was nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid.[2] Morita also portrayed Ah Chew in Sanford and Son (1974–1976). Morita was the series lead actor in the television program Mr. T and Tina (1976) and in Ohara (1987–1988), a police-themed drama. The two shows made history for being among the few TV shows with an Asian American series lead.
Early life
Morita was born in Isleton, California in 1932.[3] Morita's father Tamaru, born in 1897, had immigrated to California from Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1915.[4] Tamaru's wife Momoe, born in 1903, had emigrated to California in 1913.[5] Noriyuki, as Pat was named, had a brother named Hideo (Harry) who was twelve years older.[6][7]
Morita developed spinal tuberculosis (Pott disease) at the age of two and spent the bulk of the next nine years in the Weimar Institute in Weimar, California, and later at the Shriners Hospital in San Francisco. For long periods he was wrapped in a full-body cast and was told that he would never walk.[8] During his time at a sanatorium near Sacramento, Morita befriended a visiting priest who would often joke that, if Morita ever converted to Catholicism, the priest would rename him to "Patrick Aloysius Ignatius Xavier Noriyuki Morita".[9] Released from the hospital at age 11 after undergoing extensive spinal surgery and learning how to walk, Morita was transported from the hospital directly to the Gila River camp in Arizona to join his interned family.[10] After about a year and a half, he was transferred to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center.[11]
For a time after the war, the family operated Ariake Chop Suey, a restaurant in Sacramento, California.[12] Morita would entertain customers with jokes and serve as master of ceremonies for group dinners.[13]
Morita began working as a stand-up comic after graduating from Armijo High School in Fairfield, California. He took the stage name "Pat Morita", in part due to the presence of comedians including Pat Henry and Pat Cooper, and in part due to memories of the priest he had befriended as a boy.[9] Morita struggled for many years in comedy. Sally Marr, Lenny Bruce's mother, acted as his agent and manager in his early days. Morita sometimes worked as the opening act for singers Vic Damone and Connie Stevens and for his mentor,[14] the comedian Redd Foxx. Foxx later gave him a role on his sitcom Sanford and Son in the early 1970s.
Television and movie career
Early work
Morita's first movie roles were as a henchman in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and a similar role in The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968), starring Don Knotts. Later, a recurring role as South Korean Army Captain Sam Pak on the sitcom M*A*S*H (1973, 1974) helped advance the comedian's acting career.[15] He also was cast as Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the war film Midway (1976).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Ron_Howard_and_Pat_Morita_in_Happy_Days_1975_promo.jpg/170px-Ron_Howard_and_Pat_Morita_in_Happy_Days_1975_promo.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Pat_Morita_%28handprints_in_cement%29.jpg/170px-Pat_Morita_%28handprints_in_cement%29.jpg)
He had a recurring role on the show Happy Days as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, owner of the diner Arnold's for the show's third season (1975–1976) and made guest appearances in 1977 and 1979. After the season's end, he left the show to star as inventor Taro Takahashi in his own show Mr. T and Tina, the first Asian-American sitcom on network TV. The sitcom was placed on Saturday nights by ABC and was quickly canceled after a month in the fall of 1976. Morita revived the character of Arnold on Blansky's Beauties in 1977 and eventually returned to Happy Days for the 1982–1983 season. Morita had another notable recurring television role on Sanford and Son (1974–1976) as Ah Chew, a good-natured friend of Lamont Sanford.
The Karate Kid
Morita gained particular fame playing wise karate teacher Mr. Miyagi, who taught young "Daniel-san" (Ralph Macchio) the art of Goju-ryu karate in The Karate Kid.[16] He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a corresponding Golden Globe Award, reprising his role in three sequels: The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and The Next Karate Kid (1994), the last of which starred Hilary Swank instead of Macchio. Though he was never a student of karate, he learned all that was required for the films. Although he had been using the name Pat for years, producer Jerry Weintraub suggested that he be billed with his given name to sound "more ethnic."[17] Morita put this advice into practice and was recognized as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita at the 57th Academy Awards ceremony.[18] Weintraub did not want to cast Morita for the part of Mr. Miyagi, wanting a dramatic actor for the part and labeling Morita a comedic actor. Morita eventually tested five times before Weintraub himself offered him the role.[19]
Post-Karate Kid
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Pat_Morita.jpg/170px-Pat_Morita.jpg)
Morita went on to play Tommy Tanaka in the Kirk Douglas-starring television movie Amos, receiving his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination and second Golden Globe Award nomination for the role. He then starred in the ABC detective show Ohara (1987–1988); it was cancelled after two seasons due to poor ratings. He then wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts (1987). Morita hosted the educational home video series Britannica's Tales Around the World (1990–1991). Later in his career Morita starred on the Nickelodeon television series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (1996–1998), and had a recurring role on the sitcom The Hughleys (2000). He also made a guest appearance on a 1996 episode of Married... with Children. He went on to star in the short film Talk To Taka as a sushi chef who doles out advice to anyone who will hear him. Morita voiced the Emperor of China in Disney's 36th animated feature Mulan (1998) and reprised the role in Mulan II (2004), a direct-to-video sequel and Kingdom Hearts II.[20]
Morita had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Alien Ant Farm music video "Movies". Morita's appearance in the video spoofed his role in The Karate Kid. In 2002, he made a guest appearance on an episode of Spy TV. In 2003, he had a cameo on an episode of Yes, Dear, as an unnamed karate teacher, potentially being Miyagi. He would also reprise his role (to an extent) in the stop-motion animated series Robot Chicken in 2005.
One of Morita's last television roles was as Master Udon on the 2006 SpongeBob SquarePants Season 4 episode, "Karate Island". The episode was dedicated to him, airing about 6 months after his death. One of his last film roles was in the independent feature film Only the Brave (2006), about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, where he plays the father of lead actor (and director) Lane Nishikawa. About this time he also starred in a Michael Sajbel movie called Remove All Obstacles (2010) as a cold storage guru. This was a 9-minute industrial short advertising doors used for cold storage warehouses.[21] Pat also took a small role in the independent film Act Your Age, filmed in central Illinois and released in April 2011. His last movie was Royal Kill (2009), starring Eric Roberts, Gail Kim, and Lalaine, directed by Babar Ahmed.
Death
Morita died of kidney failure on November 24, 2005, at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 73.[22] He was survived by Evelyn, his wife for 11 years, and three daughters from his previous marriage.[15][22]
He was cremated at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.[23]
Dedicated TV episodes
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Season 4 episode "Karate Island" (original air date May 12, 2006), for which he voiced Master Udon, was dedicated in his memory at the end of the episode before the end credits.
- The fifth episode of the series Cobra Kai was also dedicated in his memory.[24]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | Jidôsha dorobô | ||
1967 | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Oriental #2 | |
1968 | The Shakiest Gun in the West | Wong | |
1971 | Green Acres | Charlie Lee | Season 6 |
1972 | Evil Roy Slade | Turhan | |
1972 | Columbo | Houseboy | Episode: "Etude in Black" |
1972 | Every Little Crook and Nanny | Nonaka | |
1972 | Where Does It Hurt? | Nishimoto | |
1972 | Cancel My Reservation | Yamamoto | |
1972 | The Odd Couple | Mr. Wing | Episode: "Partner's Investment" |
1973–1974 | M*A*S*H | Captain Sam Pak | |
1974 | Cannon | Chuck Yamagata | Episode: "The Avenger" |
1974 | Punch and Jody | Takahasi | |
1974–1976 | Sanford and Son | Ah Chew | |
1975 | I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now? | Heshy Yamamoto | |
1975 | Kung Fu | Chan | Season Three Episode 58 Ambush |
1975–1983 | Happy Days | Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi | |
1976 | Welcome Back, Kotter | Mr. Takahashi | |
1976 | Farewell to Manzanar | Zenahiro | |
1976 | Midway | Rear Admiral Ryūnosuke Kusaka | |
1980 | Hito Hata: Raise the Banner | Yamada | |
1980 | When Time Ran Out | Sam | |
1981 | Full Moon High | The Silversmith | |
1982 | Savannah Smiles | Father OHara | |
1982 | Jimmy the Kid | Maurice | |
1982 | Slapstick of Another Kind | Ah Fong, the Chinese Ambassador | |
1983 | The Daltons on the Loose | Jolly Jumper | English dub |
1984 | The Karate Kid | Mr. Miyagi | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1984 | Night Patrol | Rape Victim | |
1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Horse | |
1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | Mr. Miyagi | |
1986 | Babes In Toyland | The Toymaster | |
1987 | Captive Hearts | Fukushima | |
1987–1988 | Ohara | Lt. Ohara | |
1988 | Big Bird in Japan | "Bamboo Princess" Play Narrator | Voice |
1989 | The Karate Kid Part III | Mr. Miyagi | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor |
1989 | Collision Course | Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo | |
1990 | Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes | Yoodo Toda | |
1991 | Strawberry Road | Old Man's brother | |
1991 | Harry and the Hendersons | Kenji Sahuara | 1 episode |
1991 | Do or Die | Masakana 'Kane' Kaneshiro | |
1991 | Lena's Holiday | Fred | |
1991 | Goodbye Paradise | Ben | |
1992 | Honeymoon in Vegas | Mahi Mahi | |
1992 | Miracle Beach | Gus | |
1992 | Auntie Lee's Meat Pies | Chief Koal | |
1992 | Great Conquest: The Romance of 3 Kingdoms | Narrator | English version |
1992 | Genghis Khan | Emperor Wang | |
1993 | American Ninja V | Master Tetsu | |
1993 | Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | The Chink | |
1993 | Living and Working in Space | Cap | |
1993 | Space Rangers | Nazzer | |
1994 | The Next Karate Kid | Mr. Miyagi | |
1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Mr. Yoshi | Episode: "Love Hurts" |
1995 | Timemaster | Isaiah | |
1995 | The Misery Brothers | Judge | |
1996 | Murder She Wrote | Akira Hitaki | Episode: "Kendo Killing" |
1996 | Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite | David Leung | |
1996 | Boy Meets World | Wise Man | Episode: "I Was a Teenage Spy" |
1996 | Spy Hard | Brian, Waiter in Restaurant | |
1996 | Reggie's Prayer | Principal | |
1996 | Bloodsport III | David Leung | |
1996 | Earth Minus Zero | Dr. Mobius Jefferson | |
1996–1998 | The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo | Michael "Mike" Woo | |
1997 | Captured Alive | Sam Kashawahara | |
1997 | Beyond Barbed Wire | Narrator | Documentary |
1998 | Family Matters | Mr. Tanaka | Episode: "Grill of My Dreams" |
1998 | The Outer Limits | Dr. Michael Chen | Episode: "In the Zone" |
1996 | Married... with Children | Bank Owner | Episode: "Turning Japanese" |
1998 | Diagnosis Murder | Martin Gaylord | Episode: “Food Fight” Season 5 Episode 23 |
1998 | Mulan | The Emperor of China | Voice |
1998–1999 | Kanga Roddy | Various characters | Recurring |
1999 | King Cobra | Nick Hashimoto | |
1999 | Inferno | Jubal Early | |
1999 | Los Gringos | The Samurai | Short film |
2000 | Brother | Guy at the poker table | Uncredited |
2000 | Talk to Taka | Taka | Short film |
2000 | I'll Remember April | Abe Tanaka | |
2000 | Hammerlock | Un Huong Lo | |
2000 | Diamonds in the Rough: The Legacy of Japanese American Baseball |
Narrator | NBRP Documentary |
2001 | Baywatch: Hawaii | Hideki Tanaka | Recurring role as the father of Kekoa Tanaka |
2001 | House of Luk | Kwang Luk | |
2001 | The Boys of Sunset Ridge | Charlie Watanabe | |
2001 | The Center of the World | Taxi Driver | |
2001 | Shadow Fury | Dr. Oh | |
2001 | Hwasango | Vice Principal Jang Hak-Sa | Dubbed version |
2002 | The Stone man | Prof. Stevens | |
2002 | The Biggest Fan | Richard Limp | |
2003 | High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story | Mr. Leo | |
2003 | Yes, Dear | Karate Teacher | Episode: "When Jimmy Met Greggy" |
2004 | Miss Cast Away | Himself | Cameo |
2004 | Elvis Has Left the Building | Man in Turban | |
2004 | Mulan II | The Emperor of China | Voice |
2004 | The Karate Dog | Chin Li | |
2005 | Robot Chicken | Himself | Voice; Episode: "S&M Present" |
2005 | Down and Derby | Ono Yakimoto | |
2005 | American Fusion | Lao Dong |
Posthumous credits
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Spymate | Kiro | |
2006 | Only the Brave | Seigo Takata | |
2006 | The Number One Girl | Mr. Sakata | |
2006 | 18 Fingers of Death! | Freeman Lee | |
2006 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Master Udon | Voice; Episode: "Karate Island" |
2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | The Emperor of China | Voice |
2009 | Royal Kill | Exhibition Manager | Last acting role |
2010 | Remove All Obstacles | The Guru | Short film |
2010 | Interviews of Ninja's Creed | Interviewee | Documentary |
2011 | Act Your Age | Tom | |
2013 | Blunt Movie | Mr. Miyami | |
2014 | Rice Girl | Peter Ong | (final film role) |
2015 | The Real Miyagi | Interviewee | Documentary |
2018 | Cobra Kai | Mr. Miyagi | Archival footage |
2019[25] | Pat Morita: Long Story Short | Manuscript Writer & Interviewee | Documentary |
References
- ^ a b "Pat Morita, 73, Actor Known for 'Karate Kid' and 'Happy Days,' Dies", The New York Times, November 26, 2005
- ^ "Karate Kid actor Pat Morita dies". BBC. 2005-11-25. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ Costantinou, Marianne (2005-11-26). "PAT MORITA: 1932–2005 / S.F. comic became 'Karate Kid' mentor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ^ "Japanese American Internee Data File: Tamaru Morita". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Japanese American Internee Data File: Momoe Morita". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ Herman, Karen (13 October 2000). Pat Morita Interview. Archive of American Television. Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences Foundation. Event occurs at 5:28. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ "Japanese American Internee Data File: Hideo Morita". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Patricia (2005-11-26). "Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, 73; Played 'Karate Kid' Teacher". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ^ a b FoundationINTERVIEWS (2011-08-29), Pat Morita discusses changing his name to Pat - EMMYTVLEGENDS, retrieved 2019-03-22
- ^ Thurber, Jon (November 26, 2005), "Pat Morita, 73; Actor Starred in 'Karate Kid' Movie Series", The Los Angeles Times
- ^ Herman, Karen (13 October 2000). Pat Morita Interview. Archive of American Television. Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences Foundation. Event occurs at 25:00. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ "Featured Memorial – Pat Morita Obituary". Legacy.com. 2005. Retrieved July 20, 2013.*a "After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons." — ¶ 11.
- ^ "Archive of American Television". Emmy Legends. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ FoundationINTERVIEWS (2011-08-29), Pat Morita discusses his mentor Redd Foxx - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG, retrieved 2019-03-22
- ^ a b "'Karate Kid' star Pat Morita dies at 73". Today.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (1986-06-22). "Morita's Long Road To Miyagi". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Schuler, Dave (25 November 2005). "Pat Morita, 1932–2005". Theglitteringeye.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ Haing S. Ngor winning Best Supporting Actor. 13 July 2008 – via YouTube.
- ^ Parker, Ryan (June 22, 2017). "Pat Morita Had to Test 5 Times for Mr. Miyagi in 'The Karate Kid'". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, 73; Played 'Karate Kid' Teacher". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-05-21. [dead link]
- ^ "Order Your Free Copy of HCR's new movie – "Remove All Obstacles"". Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
- ^ a b Lipton, Mike (2005-12-12). "Pat Morita: 1932–2005". People.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ "Pat and Evelyn Morita Marriage Profile – The Marriage of Evelyn and Pat Morita". Marriage.about.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ Rothman, Michael (May 2, 2018). "How 'Cobra Kai' paid tribute to 'Karate Kid' icon Pat Morita aka Mr. Miyagi". ABC News. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ http://kevindereksbcglobaln.wix.com/loveprojectfilms#!patmorita/efk85
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Pat Morita at IMDb
- Pat Morita at the TCM Movie Database
- Pat Morita at AllMovie
- Pat Morita at Find a Grave
- "Pat Morita, 73, Actor Known for 'Karate Kid' and 'Happy Days,' Dies", The New York Times, November 26, 2005
- Pat Morita on People.com
- Pat Morita's hip, but no hippie at the Wayback Machine (archived August 8, 2009)
- Pat Morita at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- 1932 births
- 2005 deaths
- American male actors of Japanese descent
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male voice actors
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American people of Japanese descent
- Deaths from kidney failure
- Japanese-American internees
- Male actors from California
- People from Sacramento County, California
- People from the Las Vegas Valley
- People from Fairfield, California
- Comedians from California
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians