Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

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."

He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. 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.

http://www.wsbtv.com/entertainment/5402372/detail.html

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

That's so very sad. I adored him as an actor. :(

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Rip :(

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Bummer. :(

R.I.P.

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Tha's so sad. He was wonderful.

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

This week sucks :(


RIP

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Wax off....

:(

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

This week has indeed been fucking weak.

RIP Mr Morita :(

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Wax on, DrGuile-san.

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

He will be missed.

I just wonder why they keep referencing Karate Kid. I will remember him first of all as Arnold on Happy Days. The series was not the same after he left.

He also worked and worked, according to imdb he was in 103 different movies in his 40 years working and did a bunch of TV appearances starting back in 1964.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001552/

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

Actors frequently get tied with certain beloved roles, even if they have a very large body of work.

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

True, and even though Arnold was such an enjoyable character, he was the first Asian-American nominated for an acting Oscar, so that's where the emphasis is put.

Did you know he worked as a computer programmer but gave up the job to become a stand-up comic, calling himself "the hip Nip." He also owned a Japanese-style restaurant called "Miyagi's" on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood.

Re: Mr. Miyagi has left the building ...
 

I didn't know that, and thank you, Red. :)