Pat Morita

Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American film and television actor who departed this life at the age of 73 due to kidney failure. He was best known for playing the role of Miyagi in the "The Karate Kid" movie series. He was nominated and won an Academy Award for this role. He did not know how to do karate in the film, that was just him acting. Born 1932 in Isleton, California, Morita started his career in 1960 as a stand-up comedian and a member of the improvisational comedy troupe "The Groundlings." In 1967, his first movie role was as a stereotypical henchman in "Thoroughly Modern Millie." In 1974 he played the role of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on the TV series "Happy Days." Two years later, he was the lead actor in the television program "Mr. T and Tina." Morita won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Kesuke Miyagi in the "The Karate Kid" movie series which started in 1984. Then in 1998 he was the voice of The Emperor in the animated Film, "Mulan." He was cremated at Palm Green Vall