Miyoshi Umeki
| Miyoshi Umeki | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Umeki Miyoshi (梅木 美代志?) May 8, 1929 Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Died | August 28, 2007 (aged 78) Licking, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1953–1972 |
| Spouse(s) |
Wynn Opie (m. 1958; div. 1967) Randall Hood (m. 1968–76) |
| Children | 1 |
Miyoshi Umeki (梅木 美代志 Umeki Miyoshi?, or ミヨシ・ウメキ Miyoshi Umeki, May 8, 1929 – August 28, 2007) was a Japanese American actress and standards singer. She was best known for her roles as Katsumi in the film Sayonara (1957), Mei Li in the Broadway musical and 1961 film Flower Drum Song, and Mrs. Livingston in the television series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. She was a shin Issei, or post-1945 immigrant from Japan. She was a Tony Award and Golden Globe nominated actress and the first (and, as of 2016, only) Asian woman to win an Academy Award for acting.
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, she was the youngest of nine children. Her father owned an iron factory. After World War II, Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name Nancy Umeki. Her early influences were traditional Kabuki theater and American pop music. 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.
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