11-26-2005, 03:58 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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| AgEnT oF ChAoS
Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Web
Posts: 10,515
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Source: Associated Press/Comingsoon.net
November 25, 2005 Quote:
Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in the "Karate Kid" films earned him an Oscar nomination, has passed away at age 73.
The Associated Press reports that Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes. Evelyn, his wife of 12 years, 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.
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.
Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in Honeymoon in Vegas, Spy Hard, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and The Center of the World. He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie Mulan in 1998.
| RIP Pat Morita aka Mr. Miyagi
You will be missed.
:( [img]graemlins/sniff.gif[/img] |
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