Pat Noriyuki Morita, the character actor who made famous the character of Mr. Miyagi in the "Karate Kid" movies, has died at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 73.
With over a hundred film credits and over 60 TV credits to his name, Morita appeared in episodes of "M*A*S*H" and "Magnum PI" before capturing the popular imagination as Arnold on the long-running "Happy Days" series. Morita left the show in 1976 to star in a short-lived series of his own, "Mr. T and Tina." He won the breakout role of the humble, wise, and kindhearted Miyagi opposite Ralph Macchio as teenaged Daniel in the first "Karate Kid" movie in 1984, and reprised the role in "The Karate Kid" Parts II and III, also starring Macchio, in 1986 and 1989. In 1994 he recreated the Miyagi character for "The Next Karate Kid" opposite an up-and-coming young actress, Hilary Swank, as Julie. The 1984 movie earned him an Oscar nomination.
The immensely popular "Karate Kid" movies in some ways were overblown and simplistic; the bullied victims, first Daniel and then Julie, were viciously bullied and victimized; the villains were unremittingly evil and violent. But the Miyagi character was pure gold. At once a loving parent figure and strict disciplinarian, he lived and taught a peaceful wisdom which helped both of his young students to a deeper understanding of themselves and a kind of self-control more important than any physical self-defense lessons.
Most of the humor in the films surrounded the character of Miyagi, who also exhibited the most complexity of any character in the series. He was at once wise and flawed; in one scene, he drank himself to sleep in an attempt to
deal with the loss, years earlier, of his wife and newborn child. They had died in Manzanar, a California internment camp which detained thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II as a "security measure". In the movie, it is revealed that Miyagi had received the news of their deaths while he was serving with distinction in the U.S. Army in Europe, service for which he had received the Bronze Star. The scene touches indirectly on Morita's own experiences; he was nine years old when World War II began, and he and his parents spent much of the war in an internment camp in Arizona.
Morita co-wrote and starred in the 1987 film "Captive Hearts," a little-known film about a Japanese town which first captures and then protects two downed American airmen during the last days of World War II. The quiet film exhibits a gentleness which suggests that the equally gentle nature of Miyagi was a reflection of Morita himself rather than a creative choice by the authors or directors of the "Karate Kid" series.
Actors and other celebrities come and go in the attentions of the American public, and many have a flash of fame and then are forgotten. But others remain in our hearts and minds, and come to be seen almost as kin. With the passing of Pat Morita, it seems as if we've lost a much beloved member of our American family.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
Written by: Aldene Fredenburg
