Jack Soo (born Goro Suzuki, October 28, 1917 – January 11, 1979) was a Japanese American actor. is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Soo was caught in the Japanese American internment during World War II and sent to Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. Fellow internees recalled him as a "camp favorite" entertainer, singing at dances and numerous events. Oakland redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Residents of Japanese ancestry waiting in line for the bus that will transport them to an internment camp. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Topaz Relocation Center was an internment camp which housed Nikkei -- Americans of Japanese descent and immigrants who had come to the United States from Japan. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

His career as an entertainer began in earnest at the end of the war; first as a stand-up nightclub performer primarily in the Midwestern United States. It was during his years playing the nightclub circuit that he would meet and become friends with future Barney Miller producer, Danny Arnold, who was also a performer at the time. Barney Miller was a comedy television series set in a New York City police station that ran from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold (who also did work on Gilligans Island and The Brady Bunch) and Theodore J. Flicker. ... Danny Arnold (23 January 1925 - 19 August 1995) was a double Emmy Award winning producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing Barney Miller, That Girl and Bewitched. ...

Soo would finally earn his big break in 1958 when he would be cast in the Broadway musical hit, Flower Drum Song, in the role of the show M.C. and comedian Frankie Wing ("Gliding through my memoree"). He was working in San Francisco in the Forbidden City nightclub which was portrayed in the musical and movie. Jack moved up to the Sammie Fong role in 1961, when the film version of the musical was made. During the next decade, he would appear in films such as an ARVN general in The Green Berets, the 1967 musical Thoroughly Modern Millie and made guest appearances on TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O, The Odd Couple and M*A*S*H. In 1964, Soo played an important weekly supporting role as a poker-playing con artist in Valentine's Day, a one-season comedy television series starring Tony Franciosa. In most of his roles in television, movies and on stage, Jack portrayed leaders and/or characters "breaking out" of the Asian stereotypes held at the time. Jan. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Flower Drum Song was originally a novel by Chinese American author C.Y. Lee. ... The Forbidden City was a nightclub and cabaret in San Franciscos Chinatown during the 1940s and 1950s. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical play Flower Drum Song, written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Chinese American author C.Y. Lee. ... The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... The Green Berets is the title of a 1968 film starring John Wayne and featuring George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, and Aldo Ray. ... This article is about the 1967 film. ... Hawaii Five-O is an American television series that starred Jack Lord and James MacArthur as detectives for a fictional Hawaii state police department. ... The Odd Couple was a television situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975 on ABC. It starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the 1961 novel Catch... For other uses, see Valentines Day (disambiguation). ... Anthony Papaleo (born October 25, 1928), better known as Anthony Franciosa, is an American actor. ...

Soo would finally be cast in his most memorable role in 1975 on the ABC sitcom Barney Miller as the laid-back, but very wry, Detective Nick Yemana, who was also responsible for making the dreadful coffee the entire precinct had the misfortune to drink every day. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Barney Miller was a comedy television series set in a New York City police station that ran from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold (who also did work on Gilligans Island and The Brady Bunch) and Theodore J. Flicker. ...

One of his most memorable scenes was when Yemana was accused of "squinting" at a Caucasian. Deadpan, without changing his expression in the slightest, he says words to the effect of "I'm not squinting . . .THIS is squinting!" This line has since become a favorite among Asians, most of whom do not know the origins. After Mr. Sulu of Star Trek (played by George Takei), Nick Yemana was the second character of Japanese descent to be featured in prime-time. Hikaru Sulu is a character who was played by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek films and one episode of Star Trek: Voyager. ... This article is about the entire Star Trek franchise. ... George Hosato Takei (IPA: ) (born April 20, 1937) is an Japanese American actor best known for his role in the TV series Star Trek, in which he played the helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the USS Enterprise. ...

Soo was diagnosed with esophageal cancer during the show's fifth season (1978–79). The cancer spread quickly, and Soo died shortly afterwards in Los Angeles, California at age 61. His last appearance on Barney Miller was in the episode entitled "The Vandal" which aired on November 9, 1978. Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Because his character—and Soo himself—was so beloved, a special retrospective episode was made, showing clips of his best moments; it aired at the end of the season. It also noted that Yemana was the first regular adult character on US prime-time television written for an American of Japanese descent, a role long-sought by Jack. The most poignant moment of the show came at the end, when the cast members raised their coffee cups in a final farewell toast to the late actor. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Soo's last words to his Barney Miller co-star Hal Linden as he was being wheeled into the operating room before his death were "It must have been the coffee". Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz March 20, 1931) is an American actor and television director, best known for his portrayal of the title character in the television series Barney Miller (1975-1982). ...

External links

• Jack Soo at the Internet Movie Database
• Jack Soo's Photo & Gravesite