Miyoshi Umeki, 78, Actress Who Won an Oscar in '57, Dies

[Lydia Leftcoast]

Source: New York Times

Miyoshi Umeki, an expressive actress of innocent charm who in 1957 was the first Asian performer to win an Oscar, as best supporting actress in her first Hollywood film, “Sayonara,” died on Aug. 28 in Licking, Mo. She was 78.


Ms. Umeki turned to Broadway in December 1958 to star as a young Chinese immigrant in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Flower Drum Song.” She received a Tony nomination in 1959 for best actress and then reprised the role two years later in the film adaptation of the play. Ms. Umeki’s other films were “Cry for Happy” (1961), “The Horizontal Lieutenant” (1962) and “A Girl Named Tamiko” (1963).

On television, she is best known as Mrs. Livingston on the situation comedy “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” starring Bill Bixby, which ran from 1969 through 1972. She appeared as a guest in numerous other series in the 1960s, including “The Donna Reed Show,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Rawhide” and “Mister Ed.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/arts/06umeki.html

---

Younger DUer's won't remember her unless they're film buffs, but she was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

[eleny]

1. I remember her fondly in the movies

Rest in peace, dear lady.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. I loved her as a little girl!

I thought she was so pretty and loved her speaking voice. :( And of course her work as Mrs. Livingston was the best -- she was my ideal TV "mom".

78 is a good, long life, but still...sad news.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Here's a photo from the Courtship of Eddie's Father era

[niyad]

4. RIP-- you brought much joy always.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Here's her "A Hundred Million Miracles," from "Flower Drum Song" in a video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4687450983500124891&q=Miyoshi+Umeki+A+hundred+million+miracles&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

She was completely rare.

[Hieronymus]

9. A wonderful film. "They call it Grant Ave., San Francisco, California,

USA. I recall her line, "My back is wet".

[bermudat]

17. Thank you for posting that video.

I watched it before leaving for work.

[Judi Lynn]

18. Glad you saw it. The sound suffered in the translation to computer. You'd

find the entire musical just WONDERFUL if you can get it, and that particular song is a complete treasure.

[kskiska]

6. I remember when she was a regular on Arthur Godfrey

I looked her up online a couple years ago and it was reported that she seemed to be missing - that no one knew her whereabouts. Maybe this was when she was in Hawaii. Odd that she ended up in Missouri.

There were several notable Asian actresses from her era - Pat Suzuki, Nancy Kwan, France Nuyen, and Miiko Taka.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Evidently she moved there to be near her son

At least that's what the NYT article says.

[alfredo]

14. I don't remember her. I do remember Holi Loki the dancer on

his show. I used to ride (cycling) with her daughter.

[kskiska]

16. I always wondered what happened to Haleloke

On Wikipedia she's described as a vocalist, but I remember her mostly for the hula as Arthur strummed his ukelele.

[alfredo]

19. She married Lon Bentley a make up artist for Tom Selleck.

She has a daughter named Teina. Teina became state martial arts champ, moved to the main land, became a top amateur cyclist, moved west and I haven't heard from her since. I think she is living in Colorado. Haleoke is still active in Hawaii. I think she is still involved in Dance.

I used to ride with Teina back in the late seventies, early eighties. She played a mean slack string guitar, but had an accident cracking a sternum on a lamb. The lanolin in the lamb fur made the knife handle slick. The knife slipped... and you can guess the rest. Screwed up her fretting hand.

[kskiska]

20. Fascinating. Thanks for the info.

So many of those Godfrey people just disappeared once Godfrey imploded and the show disbanded. Haleloki was one of the most obscure. He had a good thing going for a long time, but was a real bastard to work for, I gather. Haleloki was one of the most obscure.

Good to know she had a life beyond her fame.

[alfredo]

21. I don't even think she was a native Hawaiian. Her daughter said they

were originally from Tahiti.

Yeah, I heard he was a roaring asshole.

[yorkiemommie1]

7. I remember her

R I P and thank you, Ms. Umeki!

[Raine]

10. I remember her, always loved her name

the way it rolls off the tongue...very sad to hear this. :-(

[cmkramer]

11. My mom went to school with her in Japan

She was a popular singer there. She went by the name "Nancy Umeki".

I loved her in "Sayonara" which by today's standards is pretty racist and sexist. But she and Red Buttons are wonderful as the doomed couple.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. Okaasan ga Nihonjin na no?

Shiranakatta. :-)

[cmkramer]

15. Yes, my mother was Japanese n/t

[colorado_ufo]

13. Rest in peace, lovely lady.