# Pat "Miyagi" Morita dies, 73 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682 "2005-11-25T14:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/1 "2005-11-25T14:35:28Z")
Actor Pat Morita, Mr Miyagi of the Karate Kid movis, has died at the age of 73. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/2 "2005-11-25T14:36:09Z")
Waxed-off. :ducks: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/3 "2005-11-25T15:06:10Z")
To remember him, let’s have a burger and fries at Arnold’s. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/4 "2005-11-25T16:32:53Z")
I just heard that this morning. I don’t know if he had kids or siblings, but my heart goes out to them. I remember him from the KK movies of course, but also as Arnold on Happy Days and even a stint or two on MASH. Rest in Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/5 "2005-11-25T16:54:09Z")
I’ve always liked him as an actor. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/6 "2005-11-25T17:11:40Z")
He did a great turn in ‘Blansky’s Beauties’ and in ‘Married With Children’ as [Mr. Shimokawa](http://www.bundyology.com/hpg/1020.html), suffering through the D’Arcy’s elaborate faux-Japanese hospitality while thinking to himself that all he wanted was some rum and a look at vintage American cars. He ended up getting drunk at the Nudie Bar and dancing onstage with Marcy. He was great. And I never knew that he was in an internment camp. What a shame. RIP, Pat. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/7 "2005-11-25T17:48:20Z")
[Here’s the AP story about him.](http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/25/obit.morita.ap/index.html) Sounds like he had a very interesting life. And I didn’t know that Hilary Swank was in _The Next Karate Kid_. Does she do any movies WITHOUT fighting? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/8 "2005-11-25T18:00:28Z")
rest in peace! Who didnt grow up in the 80’s just praying they could meet someone like Mr. Myagi? ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/9 "2005-11-25T19:33:56Z")
RIP, Pat. I loved him as Arnold Takahashi. I remember when the gang found out his real, Japanese name and asked him why he didn’t change the name of the restaurant he said something like, “You know how much a new sign costs?” I’m not doing justice to the quote or the context, but at the time I thought it was hilariously funny. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/10 "2005-11-25T19:54:33Z")
I loved him as Achu (sp?) on _Sanford & Son_ before he became big on _Happy Days_ and _Karate Kid_. Am I the only person old and geeky enough to actually remember _Mr. T & Tina_ without even having to consult the imdb, incidentally? I remember an episode in which he was suspended on very visible wires while in a jet pack. George Takei comes out as gay and gets more publicity than he’s had in decades… leaving only one possible Japanese character actor bigger than he is… and now he’s gone… Takei’s plotting something. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/11 "2005-11-25T20:01:09Z")
Sweet Og, how far we’ve come- Morita was a stand-up comic in the 1960s who played the Playboy Clubs and other risque upscale comedy houses. His nickname was… [The Hip Nip](http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/11/25/Arts/obit-morita-pat-051125.html). One feels the pain of the “big” black comic, the “slick” Hispanic or the lesbian “tyke” who shared the same bill. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/12 "2005-11-25T20:09:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > … or the lesbian “tyke” who shared the same bill. Yep, times were hard for young homosexual girls in the 60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/13 "2005-11-26T00:18:17Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Am I the only person old and geeky enough to actually remember _Mr. T & Tina_ without even having to consult the imdb, incidentally? On this board? Are you kidding? Of course I remember the original Mr T! ---
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/14 "2005-11-26T04:51:35Z")
Rest in Peace, Pat Morita, You will be missed. I loved him in the Happy Days sitcom. I used to watch it all the time when I was 10 . And of course, The Karate Kid movies. ---
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/15 "2005-11-27T02:37:00Z")
It feels like a part of my childhood died. ☹ Bye Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, a.k.a. Mr. Miyagi. I’ll make sure to show my kids the Karate Kid movies and show off one of the most prominent Asian Americans that changed the media. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/16 "2005-11-27T14:33:17Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Waxed-off. > > :ducks: As soon as I read the blurb, I rushed here to try to start his eulogy thread with this title! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/17 "2005-11-30T20:50:59Z")
He was one of very few people who had a tremendous influence on the martial arts world without being a martial artist himself, even more than David Carradine IMNSHO. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-miyagi-morita-dies-73/332682/18 "2005-11-30T21:24:41Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > As soon as I read the blurb, I rushed here to try to start his eulogy thread with this title! Good to know I’m not the only one who thinks like that!