Miyoshi Umeki (梅木 美代志, Umeki Miyoshi^?, or ミヨシ・ウメキ Miyoshi Umeki, (3 April or May 8^[1] 1929 – August 28, 2007^[2]) was a Tony Award and Golden Globe nominated, and Academy Award-winning Japanese-born actress best known for her roles as Katsumi, the wife of Joe Kelly (Red Buttons), in the 1957 film Sayonara, and as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper in the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. She was the first person of East Asian descent to win an Academy Award.^[3] is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Otaru (小樽市; -shi) is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Licking is a city located in Texas County, Missouri. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Sayonara is a 1957 film which tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was a fighter Ace during the Korean War. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ... The year 1957 in film involved some significant events. ... Sayonara is a 1957 film which tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was a fighter Ace during the Korean War. ... The Courtship of Eddies Father is a 1963 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli. ...

Biography

Umeki (her birth name) was born in Otaru, on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō.^[2] The youngest of nine children, her father owned an iron factory.^[2] After World War II, Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name Nancy Umeki,^[4] Her early influences were traditional Kabuki theater and American pop music.^[2] Later, in one of her appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, she treated viewers to her impression of singer Billy Eckstine, one of her American favorites growing up. Otaru (小樽市; -shi) is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan. ...   literally North Sea Circuit, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japans second largest island and the largest of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. ... The Merv Griffin Show was a long-running American television talk show, starring singer Merv Griffin. ... Billy Eckstine (8 July 1914 – 8 March 1993), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as William Clarence Eckstein. ...

Career

She soon made several records for RCA Victor Japan^[2] and appeared in the film Seishun Jazu Musume. She moved to the United States in 1955^[2][4] and after appearing on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts (she was a series regular for one season),^[5] she signed with the Mercury Records label and released several singles and two albums.^[2] In this CBS publicity photo of Arthur Godfrey Time, vocalist Patti Clayton is seen at the far right and Godfrey sits in the foreground. ... Mercury Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. ...

Her appearances on the Godfrey program brought her to the attention of director Joshua Logan, who cast her in Sayonara.^[3] In 1958, Umeki won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. She was the first Asian performer to win an Academy Award.^[3] Joshua Logan (1908-1988), a director and writer, was best known for Broadway and Hollywood shows such as Mister Roberts, Picnic, and South Pacific. ... Sayonara is a 1957 film which tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was a fighter Ace during the Korean War. ... Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Asian people[1] is a demonym for people from Asia. ...

In 1958, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Broadway premiere production of the musical Flower Drum Song^[3], where she played Mei-Li.^[6] The show ran for two years. A Time magazine cover story remarked that "The warmth of her art works a kind of tranquil magic."^[2] Umeki went on to appear in the film adaptation of the musical.^[4] She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Flower Drum Song. The Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is awarded to the actress who was voted as the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Flower Drum Song was originally a novel by Chinese American author C.Y. Lee. ... TIME redirects here. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

Although a guest on many television variety shows, she appeared in only four more motion pictures through 1962, including the film version of Flower Drum Song (1961). The others were Cry for Happy (1961), The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962) and A Girl Named Tamiko (1963). From 1969-1972 she appeared in The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, for which she was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She retired from acting following the end of the series. 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 Courtship of Eddies Father is a 1963 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli. ...

Personal life

Her first marriage, to television director Wynn Opie in 1958, ended in divorce^[2] in 1967. She married director Randall Hood in 1968 and the couple adopted one son, Michael.^[2][7] The couple operated a Los Angeles-based business renting editing equipment to film studios and university film programs.^[2] Hood died in 1976.^[3]

According to her son, Umeki lived in Sherman Oaks for a number of years^[4] before moving to Licking, Missouri to be near her son and his family, which included two grandchildren. She died of complications from cancer at a nursing home in Licking at age 78. Licking is a city located in Texas County, Missouri. ...

Filmography

The year 1953 in film involved some significant events. ... The year 1957 in film involved some significant events. ... Sayonara is a 1957 film which tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was a fighter Ace during the Korean War. ... Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year. ... The year 1961 in film involved some significant events. ... 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 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950. ... // Events Dr. No launches the James Bond film series, the longest-running motion picture franchise of all time, running more than 40 years. ... Arthur Godfrey and His Friends was a television variety show which ran from 1949 until 1959. ... Perry Como (born Pierino Ronald Como, May 18, 1912 - May 12, 2001) was an United States crooner during the last half of the 20th century. ... The Dinah Shore Chevy Show was an American variety television series broadcast by NBC from 1956 to 1963. ... Whats My Line? is a weekly panel game show originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. ... The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television variety show that ran from June 20, 1948, to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by Ed Sullivan. ... The Donna Reed Show was a situation comedy which aired on ABC from 1958 to 1966. ... The Andy Williams Show was a television variety show which ran from 1957 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens), and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976. ... Hallmark Hall of Fame is a long running anthology program on American television. ... Rawhide was a television western series about cattle drives that aired on CBS from 1959-1966, which starred Eric Fleming and launched the career of Clint Eastwood, who played Rowdy Yates. ... Dr. James Kildare was a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show. ... Burkes Law 1963 series intro card Amos Burke Burkes Law was a detective series which ran on ABC from 1963 to 1966 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. ... The Virginian was a Western-themed television series which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971. ... Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy that first aired as a syndicated program on January 5, 1961 to July 2, 1961 and then on CBS from October 1, 1961 to February 6, 1966. ... The Courtship of Eddies Father is a 1963 comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... This Is Your Life was a television documentary series hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards. ... The Merv Griffin Show was a long-running American television talk show, starring singer Merv Griffin. ...

References

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDb) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. ...

External links

• Miyoshi Umeki at the Internet Movie Database
• Miyoshi Umeki at TV.com
• Miyoshi Umeki at the Internet Broadway Database
• New York Times bio
• Miyoshi Umeki at Find A Grave