Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita

Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita

Birth name: Noriyuki Morita
DOB: June 28, 1932
Where: Isleton, California
DOD: Nov. 24, 2005(age 73)
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation: actor
Years Active: 1967-2005

-American actor of Japanese ancestry
-Well known for his role as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days, and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid

Early Life
-Developed spinal tuberculosis at age 2 and spent the next 9 years in northern California hospitals, including Shriner's Hospital in San Francisco. He was told he would never walk and spent most of his time in full body casts
-Learned to walk at age 11 after doctors fused 4 of his vertebrae in his spine
-After being released from the hospital, an FBI agent walked him to his American-Japanese family, which had been sent to an internment camp for detention during WWII
-He was sent to the Gila River camp in Arizona to join them after leaving the hospital. While at the camp, a Catholic priest met him and he took the name "Pat".
-After leaving the camp, he worked odd jobs. He worked as a data entry clerk for the State of California and at Aerojet-General.
-Was married 3 times. His first marriage was right out of high school at Armijo High in Fairfield, California. This marriage broke up because he wanted to go into stand up comedy. They had one daughter, Erin Morita, born in 1954. His 2nd marriage was to a woman named Yuki in 1970. They had 2 daughters, Aly and Tia. They had several problems. Their home in Tarzana, California had been destroyed by mudslide and they escaped with just the clothes on their backs and their youngest daughter Tia had been diagnosed with kidney disease. They divorced in 1982. His 3rd marriage was to a woman name Evelyn Louise Guerrero. They remained together until his death.

Career
-In 1976, he played Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the movie Midway. Later on in 1976, he played the recurring role of a South Korean Army Captain named Sam Pak on M*A*S*H

-His best known role was Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days, who was the owner of Arnold's Diner.

-In 1984, he really became famous with his role as the mysterious Keisuke Miyagi in The Karate Kid, and the 2 sequels, The Karate Kid pt. II and The Karate Kid pt. III. He never actually knew karate, but learned enough for the film. For years, he had used his American name, but the film's producer thought it would be more respectful to have Morita use his given birth name to sound more ethnic.

-In 1996, he starred on the children's mystery show The Mystery Files with Shelby Woo.
-In 1998, he lent his voice to the Emperor of China in Mulan
-His last film role was in 2005, a movie called Only the Brave. This told the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He plays the father of lead actor Lane Nishikawa.

Personal Life
-Died on Nov. 24, 2005 at his home in Las Vegas, as a result of kidney failure.

Filmography