Quake3World

Actor Pat Morita, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid," has died. He was 73.

Morita died Thursday 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."

Nightshade wrote:RIP Miyagi-san.

Pauly wrote:Yeah well done. He made 2 big films.

Pauly wrote:Yeah well done. He made 2 big films.

One of the most critically acclaimed moments in the film is known as the "drunk scene" (Daniel-san races to Miyagi's house late one night after being bullied at a restaurant.) Morita recalls that the script merely stated that "Daniel finds Miyagi... three sheets into the wind. . .singing. That was it. No dialogue, no reason, no why. . . no nothing! Gimme a break."

Morita went to the director, John Avildsen, to ask about the scene. They were already in production and filming around it.

"I say, 'John, we got a problem. What's this scene all about? Three sheets into the wind, singing. -What?' God bless him forever for being receptive."

Morita suggested the use of a Japanese song he heard as a child in the internment camps. Then he added as a background, "How about every three or four years Miyagi allows himself the luxury of lamenting the son he never had, a son that was to be, a son that he would never see? But, while he was off at war, he learns that mother and child died from complications in childbirth as a result of the deplorable medical conditions present in the internment camp."

Morita also suggested that Miyagi was a 442nd vet and had received a Congressional Medal of Honor for valor in battle, which deeply troubled his psyche. "Why had he survived the horrors of battle while his wife and child died?"

All the answers to these powerful elements were supplied by Morita, but very few people were ever aware of his contribution to the scene, or of the parallels to his own life and images from his childhood.

Canis wrote:Aww thats too bad. I think I'll rent karate kid for old time's sake.

Pauly wrote:Yeah well done. He made 2 big films.

Princess (2006) (filming) .... Guard
American Fusion (2006) (post-production) .... Lao Dong
Angst (2006) (post-production) .... Tom


Down and Derby (2005) .... Ono Yakimoto
Genghis Khan (2005) .... Emperor Wei Wong
The Number One Girl (2005) (V) .... Mr. Sakata
Mulan II (2004) (V) (voice) .... The Emperor
Elvis Has Left the Building (2004) .... Man in Turban
The Karate Dog (2004) .... Chin Li
Miss Cast Away (2004) .... Mr. Yogi
... aka Miss Castaway and the Island Girls (USA: new title)
18 Fingers of Death! (2004) .... Mr. Lee
Spymate (2003) .... Kiro
Rice Girl (2003) .... Peter Ong
Stuey (2003) .... Mr. Leo
... aka High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (USA: new title)
Cats and Mice (2003) .... Unagi
The Biggest Fan (2002) .... Richard Limp
The Stoneman (2002) .... Prof. Stevens
Whasango (2001) .... (MTV English Dub)
... aka Hwasan Highschool (literal English title)
... aka Volcano High (International: English title: Berlin film festival title)
Shadow Fury (2001) .... Dr. Oh
The Center of the World (2001) .... Taxi Driver
The Boys of Sunset Ridge (2001) .... Charlie Watanabe
House of Luk (2001) .... Kwang Luk
Talk to Taka (2000) .... Taka
Brother (2000) (uncredited) .... Guy at the poker table
Hammerlock (2000)


Coyote Moon (1999) (V) .... Jubal Early
... aka Inferno (UK: TV title) (USA)
... aka Desert Heat (USA)
King Cobra (1999) .... Nick Hashimoto
... aka Anaconda 2 (video box title)
Gone to Maui (1999) (TV) .... Mr Ono
Gringos, Los (1999)
I'll Remember April (1999) .... Abe Tanaka
Reflections on Ice: Michelle Kwan Skates to the Music of Disney's 'Mulan' (1998) (TV) .... Emperor/Narrator
Mulan (1998) (voice) .... The Emperor of China
"Adventures with Kanga Roddy" (1998) TV Series .... Uncle Pat
Mulan Story Studio (1998) (VG) .... The Emperor
Bloodsport III (1997) .... Leung
Reggie's Prayer (1996) .... Principal
Spy Hard (1996) .... Brian, Waiter in Restaurant
"The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo" (1996) TV Series .... Mike 'Grandpa' Woo
Bloodsport 2 (1996) .... David Leung
... aka Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite
Earth Minus Zero (1996) .... Dr. Mobius Jefferson
Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah (1995) (TV) .... Pat
American Ninja V (1995) .... Master Tetsu
... aka American Ninja 5 (USA)
Timemaster (1995) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... Isaiah
Hart to Hart: Secrets of the Hart (1995) (TV) .... Ling Goldberg
Captured Alive (1995) .... Sam Kashawahara
... aka Deliver Us From Evil (USA)
The Misery Brothers (1995) .... Judge
Singapore Sling: Road to Mandalay (1995) (TV) .... Y.C. Kung
... aka Asian Connection: Road to Mandalay (USA)
The Next Karate Kid (1994) (as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) .... Sgt. Kesuke Miyagi
Greyhounds (1994) (TV) .... Akira Mochizuki
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... The Chink
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1993) .... Chief Koal
Extralarge: Ninja Shadow (1993) (TV)
... aka Extralarge: L'ombra del guerriero (Italy)
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (1993) (V) .... Cap
Choose Your Own Adventure: The Case of the Silk King (1992) (TV)
Mastergate (1992) (TV) .... Kevin Naito
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) .... Mahi Mahi
Miracle Beach (1992) .... Gus
Sangokushi (1992) (voice) .... Narrator (English Version)
... aka Great Conquest: The Romance of 3 Kingdoms (USA: video title)
Sutoroberi rodo (1991) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... Old Man's brother
... aka Strawberry Road (USA)
Big Bird in Japan (1991) (TV) .... Narrator (Bamboo Princess story)
Do or Die (1991) .... 'Kane' Kaneshiro
... aka Girls, Games and Guns
Goodbye Paradise (1991) .... Ben
... aka Moon Over Paradise (USA: video title)
Lena's Holiday (1991) .... Fred
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990) (TV) .... Yoodo Toda


The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... Mr. Kesuke Miyagi
Collision Course (1989) .... Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo
"Ohara" (1987) TV Series .... Lt. Ohara (1987-1988)
Captive Hearts (1987) .... Fukushima
... aka Fate of a Hunter
Babes in Toyland (1986) (TV) .... The Toymaster
The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... Mr. Kesuke Miyagi
What Has Four Wheels and Flies (1986) (TV)
Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) .... Horse
... aka Alice Through the Looking Glass (USA: video title (second part title))
Amos (1985) (TV) .... Tommy Tanaka
Blind Alleys (1985) (TV) .... Kenji Sato
The Vegas Strip War (1984) (TV) .... Yip Tak
... aka Las Vegas Strip War
Night Patrol (1984) .... Rape Victim
The Karate Kid (1984) (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) .... Mr. Kesuke Miyagi
Jimmy the Kid (1982) .... Maurice
Savannah Smiles (1982) .... Father Ohara
Slapstick (Of Another Kind) (1982) .... Ah Fong, the Chinese Ambassador
... aka Slapstick
Full Moon High (1981) .... Silversmith
... aka Moon High (Australia: TV title)
For the Love of It (1980) (TV) .... Ishihara
When Time Ran Out... (1980) .... Sam
... aka Earth's Final Fury (USA: TV title)
... aka The Day the World Ended (USA: video title)


Human Feelings (1978) (TV) .... Waiter
... aka Miles the Angel (USA: video box title)
"Blansky's Beauties" (1977) TV Series .... Arnold (1977)
"Mr. T and Tina" (1976) TV Series .... Taro Takahashi (segment "Mr. T")
Midway (1976) .... RAdm. Ryunosuke Kusaka
... aka Battle of Midway (UK)
... aka The Battle of Midway (USA: video title)
Farewell to Manzanar (1976) (TV) .... Zenahiro
"Happy Days" (1974) TV Series .... Matsuo 'Arnold' Takahashi (1975-1976, 1982-1983)
... aka Happy Days Again (USA: syndication title)
I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now (1975)
... aka Kill My Wife Please (USA)
Punch and Jody (1974) (TV) .... Takahasi
Cops (1973) (TV) .... Captain Irving Ho
The Barbara Eden Show (1973) (TV)
Brock's Last Case (1973) (TV) .... Sam Wong
Cancel My Reservation (1972) .... Yamamoto
Columbo: Étude in Black (1972) (TV) .... The House Boy
Where Does It Hurt? (1972) .... Nishimoto
Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972) .... Nonaka
A Very Missing Person (1972) (TV) .... Delmar Faulkenstein
... aka Hildegarde Withers
Evil Roy Slade (1972) (TV) .... Turhan


"The Queen and I" (1969) TV Series .... Barney Cook
The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) .... Wong
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) .... Oriental #2

ctrlnuke wrote:Sorry soap, classics such as The Karate Dog, Mulan II, and Down and Derby don't count as big films. I think you missed the point.