Pat Morita: Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr Miyagi in The Karate Kid earned him an Oscar nomination, has died aged 73.
Morita died at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on Happy Days, had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy".
In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's Daniel-san, he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills.
Morita said in a 1986 interview he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me".
He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing Ngor, who appeared in The Killing Fields.
For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as Thoroughly Modern Millie and TV series such as The Odd Couple and Green Acres. His first breakthrough came with Happy Days, and he followed with his own brief series, Mr T and Tina.
The Karate Kid led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's The Next Karate Kid, paired him with a young Hilary Swank.
Morita was prolific outside of the Karate Kid series as well, appearing in Honeymoon in Vegas, Spy Hard, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and The Centre of the World. He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie Mulan in 1998.
Born in northern California on June 28th, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis.
He recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during the second World War.
"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 interview. "The next day I was public enemy No 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."
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.
Because prospects for a Japanese-American stand-up comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at the age of 30 he entered show business full time.
"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy and I would have ended in leg irons."
Morita is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.
Pat Morita: born June 28th, 1932; died November 24th, 2005