Actor Pat Morita Dies at 73

[joeybee12]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051125/ap_on_en_mo/obit_morita


LOS ANGELES - Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, 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."

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 with The Associated Press 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."

[Pavulon]

1. Interesting Life

Was internned by the US during ww2. Believe he had polio and went on to walk and lead a successful life.

Neat person.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. What a terrible loss.

A warm and funny man, who absolutely nailed the Miyagi character. Some of the older Okinawan Karate style sensei that I know said that he greatly reminded them of the masters they trained under on Okinawa. From them, that was high praise indeed.

[Pavulon]

3. WIKI bio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Morita

[blueknight]

4. wax on,wax off

pat bought joy to a lot of people. he always seen like a likeable,approachable guy. RIP pat

[GrumpyGreg]

5. Sad! He brought smiles to many faces.

[Omaha Steve]

6. dup how to delete?

[Bombero1956]

7. rest in peace

Mr. Miyagi

[EFerrari]

8. I'm sorry to see this. An amazing talent. n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

9. I remember him with Jack Soo in "Thoroughly Modern Millie".

A great actor, a philosopher. Like Soo, I heard that they were caught up in government Japanese internment (prison) camps during WWII.

RIP.

[thingsarelookingup]

11. Mr. Morita was a class act.

My husband worked with him about 12 years ago and said he was a really friendly and soft-spoken guy. My husband's family was interned too so they had something in common.

[no_hypocrisy]

15. I'm so sorry for what our government did to your husband's family and to

all Japanese-Americans. It was inhumane and racist beyond words.

I was shocked to discover not only did the Supreme Court sanction this internment (Koramatsu) but the ruling has not been invalidate/overturned. It CAN happen again.

To witness what opportunities "Pat" Morita undertook after his childhood and imprisonment is inspirational, not to mention the demeaning roles (above cited "Thoroughly Modern Millie") in order to get ahead. Mr. Morita was fortunate to find peace before he passed.

[Straight Shooter]

10. I'm sorry to hear this.

RIP, Mr. Morita.

[bigwillq]

12. How sad.

R.I.P. :cry:

[Aristus]

13. Sayonara, Mr. Miyagi.

I discovered "The Karate Kid" because of my mother, of all people. She went to a get-together with some of her friends where they screened the film. She had been expecting it to be some stupid teen comedy, and was pleasantly surprised by the moving tale of friendship, loyalty and determination. She came home raving about it, so I went out and rented it. I've loved it ever since.

His drunk scene where we learn of his wife's death and his Medal Of Honor was simply incredible.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Morita.

[StaggerLee]

20. That's the scene I think of whenever he is mentioned

Very sad news indeed.

Peace be upon you Mr. Morita.

[ET Awful]

14. What a bummer. Farewell Mr. Morita, you'll be missed. n/t

[Ian David]

16. I saw him once at Mat Dol Korean BBQ on Van Ness Ave, Los Angeles 1989

I liked Pat Morita.

Hey, anyone remember that movie he did with Jay Leno?

[bridgit]

17. Morita is cool...

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=126&article=22318&archive=true

[joeybee12]

18. Vanity kick for Pat!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

19. Sad news.

A very talented guy.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

21. The lights

at the now long-gone Twings, Hi-De-Ho, Stanley's, and of course, Arnold's will be dimmed in remembrance. RIP, Mr Morita.

[Kat45]

22. Oh, no, not Arnold!

Sorry to hear that. I always liked him, whatever role he was in. How old was he?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. 73.