Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, best known for his roles as Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” and Arnold in “Happy Days,” died on Nov. 25 in his Las Vegas home. He was 73.
Morita was nominated in 1984 for best supporting actor. He lost the award to Haing S. Ngor, for “The Killing Fields.”
According to a report by Associated Press, Morita was born in northern California on June 28, 1932. The son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.
“One day I was an invalid,” he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. “The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece.”
Morita is survived by his wife and three daughters.
