Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was a Japanese-American actor and comedian.
32 Facts About Pat Morita
2.
Pat Morita was the series lead actor in the television program Mr T and Tina and in Ohara, a police-themed drama.
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Morita was nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr Miyagi in The Karate Kid, which would be the first of a media franchise in which Morita was the central player.
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Pat Morita was born on June 28,1932, in Isleton, California to Japanese immigrant parents.
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Pat Morita's father Tamaru, born in 1897, immigrated to California from Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu in 1915.
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Noriyuki, as Pat Morita was named, had a brother named Hideo who was twelve years older.
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Pat Morita would entertain customers with jokes and serve as master of ceremonies for group dinners.
8.
However, Morita suffered from occupational burnout and decided to quit his job and try show business.
9.
Pat Morita began working as a stand-up comedian at small clubs in Sacramento and San Francisco, and 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.
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Pat Morita sometimes worked as the opening act for singers Vic Damone and Connie Stevens and for his mentor, the comedian Redd Foxx.
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Pat Morita was cast as Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the war film Midway.
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Pat Morita had a recurring role in the mid-1970's on Happy Days as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi commencing in season three.
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Pat Morita portrayed "Arnold" as a guest star during seasons four and six before returning as a recurring character for season ten and as a main character in the final eleventh season.
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Pat Morita portrayed the character of Arnold on Blansky's Beauties in 1977.
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Pat Morita gained particular fame during the 1980s for his work as Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid films.
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Pat Morita later auditioned for the role, but was initially rejected for the part due to his close association with stand-up comedy, and with the character Arnold from Happy Days.
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Pat Morita was recognized as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita at the 57th Academy Awards ceremony.
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Pat Morita reprised the role two more times with Macchio in The Karate Kid Part II andThe Karate Kid Part III.
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Pat Morita starred in the ABC detective show Ohara ; it was cancelled after two seasons due to poor ratings.
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Pat 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.
21.
Pat Morita wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts.
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Pat Morita hosted the educational home video series Britannica's Tales Around the World.
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Pat Morita made a guest appearance on a 1996 episode of Married.
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Pat Morita 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.
25.
Pat Morita voiced the Emperor of China in Disney's 36th animated feature Mulan and reprised the role in Mulan II, a direct-to-video sequel and Kingdom Hearts II.
26.
Pat Morita spoofed his role as "Mr Miyagi" in a series of commercials for Colgate toothpaste; he portrayed the white-clad Wisdom Tooth, hailing Colgate as "The Wise Choice".
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Pat Morita had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Alien Ant Farm music video "Movies".
28.
Pat Morita died of kidney failure, following a urinary tract and gallbladder infection, on November 24,2005, at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 73.
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Pat Morita was cremated at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.
30.
Pat Morita voiced Master Udon in the 2006 SpongeBob SquarePants Season 4 episode "Karate Island".
31.
Pat Morita had a role in the independent feature film Only the Brave, about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, where he plays the father of lead actor Lane Nishikawa.
32.
Pat Morita had roles in Act Your Age, Royal Kill, and Remove All Obstacles.