fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

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 singer and actress.[1] Umeki was a Tony Award- and Golden Globe-nominated actress and the first East Asian-American woman to win an Academy Award for acting.[2]

Miyoshi Umeki
Umeki in a publicity photo for Sayonara (1957)
Born	Umeki Miyoshi (梅木 美代志) (1929-05-08)May 8, 1929 Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
Died	August 28, 2007(2007-08-28) (aged 78) Licking, Missouri, U.S.
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Singer, actress
Years active	1953–1972
Spouse(s)	Wynn Opie ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1967)​ Randall Hood ​ ​ (m. 1968; died 1976)​
Children	1
Awards	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

Life

Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, she was the youngest of nine children. Her father owned an iron factory.[1]

After World War II, Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name Nancy Umeki.[3] Her early influences were traditional kabuki theater and American pop music.[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Career

She was best known for her Oscar-winning role as Katsumi in the film Sayonara (1957), as well as 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 recorded for RCA Victor Japan from 1950 to 1954 and appeared in the film Seishun Jazu Musume.[1] She recorded mostly American jazz standards, which she sang partially in Japanese and partially in English, or solely in either language. Some of the songs she sang during this period were "It Isn't Fair", "Sentimental Me", "My Foolish Heart", "With A Song In My Heart", "Again", "Vaya con Dios", "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" and "I'll Walk Alone". She moved to the United States in 1955[1][3] and after appearing on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts (she was a series regular for one season),^{[citation needed]} she signed with the Mercury Records label and released several singles and two albums.[1]

Her appearances on the Godfrey program brought her to the attention of director Joshua Logan, who cast her in Sayonara. Umeki won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Sayonara. She was the first Asian performer to win an Academy Award for acting.[2]

In 1958, she appeared twice on the variety show The Gisele MacKenzie Show in which she performed "How Deep Is the Ocean". ^{[citation needed]}

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,[2] where she played Mei-Li.[4] The show ran for two years. A cover story in Time stated "the warmth of her art works a kind of tranquil magic".[1] Umeki appeared in the film adaptation of the musical.[3] She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Flower Drum Song.

Although a guest on many television variety shows, she appeared in only four more movies 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 to 1972, she appeared in The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She retired from acting following the end of the series.[5]

Personal life and death

Her first marriage, to television director Frederick Winfield "Wynn" Opie in 1958, ended in divorce in 1967.[1] The couple had one son—Michael H. Opie, born in 1964.[1] She married Randall Hood in 1968, who adopted her son, changing his name to Michael Randall Hood.[6] The couple operated a Los Angeles–based business renting editing equipment to film studios and university film programs.[1] Randall Hood died in 1976.[2]

According to her son, Umeki lived in Sherman Oaks for a number of years, then moved to Licking, Missouri to be near her son and his family, which included three grandchildren. She died August 28, 2007, at the age of 78, from cancer.[3]

Discography

This section does not cite any sources. (May 2021)

RCA Victor Japan (1950–1954)

During her recording career in Japan, Miyoshi recorded the following songs:

• "Sleepy My Love" (1950)
• "Under the Moonlight" (1950)
• "Don't Say That Person's Name" (1950)
• "Evening Whisper" (1950)
• "I Feel Like Crying" (1950)
• "I'm Waiting for You" (1950)
• "One Night of Sorrow" (1951)
• "Misery" (1951)
• "It Isn't Fair" (1951)
• "Sentimental Me" (1951)
• "My Foolish Heart" (1953)
• "Why Don't You Believe Me?" (live) (1953)
• "Again" (1953)
• "Manhattan Moon" (1953)
• "With A Song In My Heart" (1953)
• "I'll Walk Alone" (1953)
• "My Baby's Coming Home" (1953)
• "Silent Night" (1953)
• "I'm Walking Behind You" (1953)
• "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" (1953)
• "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)" (1953)
• "My Ichiban Tomodachi" (1953)
• "Vaya con Dios" (1954)
• "Kiss Me Again Stranger" (1954)
• "My Ichiban Tomodachi" (live) (1954)
• "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)" (live) (1954)

Two other Japanese language songs were recorded in 1952.

Singles on Mercury Records (1955–1959)

She signed with Mercury Records in 1955 and recorded the following 45 rpm singles:

• "How Deep Is the Ocean/Why Talk" (1955)
• "The Little Lost Dog/The Story You're About to Hear Is True" (1956)
• "The Mountain Beyond the Moon/Oh What Good Company We Could Be" (with Red Buttons) (1957)
• "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)/Be Sweet Tonight" (1957)
• "Sayonara/On and On" (1957)

Miyoshi recorded a version of "Pick Yourself Up" for Mercury Records in 1959, but the song was never released.

Albums on Mercury Records

Miyoshi Sings For Arthur Godfrey (MG-20165) (1956)
Tracks:

• "If I Give My Heart to You"
• "China Nights (支那 の夜 Shina no yoru)"
• "I'm in the Mood for Love"
• "My Baby's Coming Home"
• "How Deep Is the Ocean?"
• "Slowly Go Out of Your Mind"
• "Teach Me Tonight"
• "Hanna Ko San"
• "Can't Help Loving That Man"
• "'S Wonderful"
• "Over the Rainbow"
• "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)"

Miyoshi (album) (MG-20568) (1959)
Tracks:

• "My Heart Stood Still"
• "My Ship"
• "You Make Me Feel So Young"
• "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
• "Sometimes I'm Happy"
• "I'm Old Fashioned"
• "That Old Feeling"
• "Gone with the Wind"
• "Jeepers Creepers"
• "Wonder Why"
• "I Could Write a Book"

Miyoshi – Singing Star of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song (MGW-12148) (1958) (reissue of the Arthur Godfrey album with some tracks replaced)
Tracks:

• "Sayonara"
• "If I Give My Heart to You"
• "China Nights (支那 の夜 Shina no yoru)"
• "I'm in the Mood for Love"
• "My Baby's Coming Home"
• "How Deep Is the Ocean?"
• "Slowly Go Out of Your Mind"
• "Teach Me Tonight"
• "Hanna Ko San"
• "Can't Help Loving That Man"
• "Over the Rainbow"
• "The Little Lost Dog"

Film themes

Miyoshi Umeki recorded two theme songs for films in which she appeared:

• "Sayonara" for Sayonara (1957)
• "Cry for Happy" for Cry for Happy (1961)

Cast recordings

Flower Drum Song (Broadway Original Cast; 1958), Sony Records
Flower Drum Song (Film Soundtrack; 1961), Decca Records

Tracks by Miyoshi Umeki:

• "A Hundred Million Miracles"
• "I Am Going to Like It Here"
• "Don't Marry Me"
• "Wedding Parade/A Hundred Million Miracles"

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	Seishun Jazz musume (青春ジャズ娘 Seishun jazu musume)	Kashu (歌手, "singer" in Japanese)
1956	Around the World Revue	Nancy Umeki	Also known as Universal Musical Short 2655: Around the World Revue
1957	Sayonara	Katsumi	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1961	Cry for Happy	Harue
1961	Flower Drum Song	Mei Li	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1962	The Horizontal Lieutenant	Akiko
1962	A Girl Named Tamiko	Eiko

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	Arthur Godfrey and His Friends	Herself	Regular performer
1957	The Perry Como Show	Herself	1 episode
1958–1961	The Dinah Shore Chevy Show	Herself	episode #2.32 (1958) episode #4.16 (1960) episode #5.17
1958	What's My Line?	Herself – Mystery Guest	episode #414 (dated 11 May 1958)
1958	The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show	Herself	episode #2.25
1958	Bing Crosby's White Christmas: All-Star Show	Herself	episode: "It Might as Well Be Spring"
1959	The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams	Herself	episode #2.2
1959	Toast of the Town	Singer
1961	Here's Hollywood	Herself	episode dated 27 December 1961
1961–1962	The Donna Reed Show	Kimi	2 episodes: "The Geisha Girl" (1961) and "Aloha, Kimi" (1962)
1962	The Andy Williams Show	Herself	episode dated 11 October 1962 episode dated 13 December 1962
1962	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Lotus-Blossom	episode: "The Teahouse of the August Moon"
1962	Sam Benedict	Sumiko Matsui	episode: "Tears for a Nobody Doll"
1963	Rawhide	Nami	episode: "Incident of the Geisha"
1963	Dr. Kildare	Hana Shigera	episode: "One Clear Bright Thursday Morning"
1964	Burke's Law	Mary 'Lotus Bud' Ling	episode: "Who Killed the Paper Dragon?"
1964	The Virginian	Kim Ho	episode: "Smile of a Dragon"
1964	Mister Ed	Ako Tenaka	episode: "Ed in the Peace Corps"
1964	The Celebrity Game	Herself	episode dated April 19, 1964
1969	The Queen and I	Japanese Bride	episode: "The Trousseau"
1969–1972	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Mrs. Livingston	66 episodes Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1971	This Is Your Life	Herself	For Bill Bixby
1971	The Pet Set	Herself	episode dated June 30, 1971
1971	The Merv Griffin Show	Herself	episode dated March 29, 1971
1972	Salute to Oscar Hammerstein II	Herself

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Film	Result
1958	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Sayonara	Won
1958	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture		Nominated
1962		Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Flower Drum Song	Nominated
1970		Best Supporting Actress – Television	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Nominated
1959	Tony Awards	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Flower Drum Song	Nominated

References

External links

• Miyoshi Umeki at IMDb
• Miyoshi Umeki at the Internet Broadway Database
• New York Times bio
• Miyoshi Umeki at Find a Grave

На других языках

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[de] Miyoshi Umeki

Miyoshi Umeki (jap. 梅木美代志, Umeki Miyoshi; * 3. April 1929 in Otaru, Hokkaidō; † 29. August 2007 in Licking, Missouri) war eine japanische Schauspielerin und Sängerin.

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- [en] Miyoshi Umeki

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[es] Miyoshi Umeki

Miyoshi Umeki (梅木 美代志 Umeki Miyoshi?, or ミヨシ・ウメキ Miyoshi Umeki, 8 de mayo de 1929-28 de agosto de 2007) fue una ganadora del Premio Tony y nominada al Globo de Oro, y ganadora de un Premio Óscar.

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[ru] Умэки, Миёси

Миёси Умэки (яп. 梅木 美代志, англ. Miyoshi Umeki, 3 апреля 1929 — 28 августа 2007) — американская актриса и певица, иммигрировавшая в США из Японии в 1955 году.

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