Miyoshi Umeki
Encyclopedia
was a naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....

 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress and standards
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...

 singer. She was best known for her roles as Katsumi, the wife of Joe Kelly (Red Buttons), in the 1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...

 film Sayonara
Sayonara
Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

, as Mei Li in the 1958 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 musical and 1961 film
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...

 Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...

, and as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper of Bill Bixby
Bill Bixby
Wilfred Bailey Everett “Bill” Bixby III was an American film and television actor, director, and frequent game show panelist.His career spanned over three decades; he appeared on stage, in motion pictures and TV series...

's and Brandon Cruz
Brandon Cruz
Brandon Edwin Cruz is an American former child actor and currently a punk rock musician, and also works in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. In the late 1960s, the freckled-faced Cruz came to prominence by playing Tom Corbett's charming and conniving son, Eddie Corbett, in the comedy-drama The...

's characters, in the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...

. She was a shin Issei
Issei
Issei is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America, South America and Australia to specify the Japanese people first to immigrate. Their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei , and their grandchildren are Sansei...

 or post-1945 immigrant from Japan
Japanese diaspora
The Japanese diaspora, and its individual members known as , are Japanese emigrants from Japan and their descendants that reside in a foreign country...

. She was a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

- and Golden Globe-nominated actress and was the first and only person of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

n descent to win an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

 for acting.

Life

Born as Umeki Miyoshi (in Japanese, a person's family name is placed before their given name) in Otaru, on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, she was the youngest of nine children. Her father owned an iron factory. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name Nancy Umeki, Her early influences were traditional Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 theater and American pop music. Later, in one of her appearances on The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show
The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to September 26, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in...

, she treated viewers to her impression of singer Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...

, one of her American favorites growing up.

Career

She recorded for RCA Victor Japan from 1950–1954 and appeared in the film Seishun Jazu Musume. 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
It Isn't Fair
"It Isn't Fair" is a popular song written by Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, and Sylvester Sprigato and published in 1933. The song became a pop standard; the best-known version was done by Don Cornell and the Sammy Kaye orchestra. This recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog...

, Sentimental Me
Sentimental Me
"Sentimental Me" is a popular song.It was written by James T. Morehead and James Cassin and published in 1949.The most popular version was recorded by The Ames Brothers. Other versions were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Russ Morgan Orchestra and in England by Jackie Brown and his Quartet.The Ames...

, My Foolish Heart
My Foolish Heart (song)
"My Foolish Heart" is a popular song that was published in 1949.The music was written by Victor Young and the lyrics by Ned Washington. The song was introduced by the singer Martha Mears in the 1949 film of the same name. The song failed to escape critics' general laceration of the film...

, With A Song In My Heart
With a Song in My Heart (song)
"With a Song in My Heart" is a show tune from the 1929 Rodgers and Hart musical Spring is Here.In the original Broadway production it was introduced by John Hundley and Lillian Taiz...

, Again
Again (1949 song)
"Again" is a popular song, recorded by many singers. The music was written by Lionel Newman, the words by Dorcas Cochran. It first appeared in the movie Road House , sung by Ida Lupino An instrumental rendition was used in the movie "Pickup on South Street"...

, Vaya Con Dios
Vaya con Dios (song)
"Vaya con Dios" is a popular song written by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953....

, (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
" That Doggie in the Window?" is a popular novelty song written by Bob Merrill and Ingrid Reuterskiöld in 1952. The best-known version of the song was recorded by Patti Page on December 18, 1952 and released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70070, with the flip side being "My Jealous Eyes". It...

 and I'll Walk Alone
I'll Walk Alone
"I'll Walk Alone" is a 1944 popular song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song, like others that came out during the World War II years such as "Till Then," reflects the enforced separation of couples caused by the war...

. She moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1955 and after appearing on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...

(she was a series regular for one season), she signed with the Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 label and released several singles and two albums.

Her appearances on the Godfrey program brought her to the attention of director Joshua Logan
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...

, who cast her in Sayonara
Sayonara
Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

. In 1958, she appeared twice on the NBC variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

, The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show in an American variety show hosted by Gisele MacKenzie. The series aired live on NBC from September 28, 1957, to March 29, 1958. The Curfew Kids appeared on the program as semi-regulars....

in which she performed "How Deep Is the Ocean". Umeki won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...

 for her role in Sayonara. She was the first Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 performer to win an Academy Award.

In 1958, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is the Tony Awards award given to the actress who was voted as the best leading actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival...

 for her performance in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 premiere production of the musical Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...

, where she played Mei-Li. The show ran for two years. A Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

magazine cover story remarked that "[T]he warmth of her art works a kind of tranquil magic". Umeki went on to appear in the film adaptation of the musical. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...

 for Flower Drum Song.

Although a guest on many television variety shows, she appeared in only four more motion pictures through 1962, including the film version of Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...

(1961). The others were Cry for Happy (1961), The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962) and A Girl Named Tamiko (1963). From 1969-1972 she appeared in The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...

as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, for which she was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She retired from acting following the end of the series.

Personal life

Her first marriage, to television director Frederick Winfield "Wynn" Opie in 1958, ended in divorce in 1967. The couple had one son — Michael H. Opie, born in 1964. She married Randall Hood in 1968, and her son's name was changed to Michael Randall Hood. The couple operated a Los Angeles-based business renting editing equipment to film studios and university film programs. Randall Hood died in 1976.

RCA Records Japan (1950-1954)

During her recording career in Japan, Miyoshi recorded the following songs:
  • Sleepy My Love  (1950)
  • Under The Moonlight
    Under the Moonlight
    Under the Moonlight may refer to:* Zir-e noor-e maah, titled Under the Moonlight in American release, the 2001 film by writer-director Seyyed Reza Mir-Karimi...

     (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
    Misery
    Misery is a psychological horror novel by Stephen King. The novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1988, and was later made into a Hollywood film and an off-Broadway play of the same name.-Plot summary:...

     (1951)
  • It Isn't Fair
    It Isn't Fair
    "It Isn't Fair" is a popular song written by Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, and Sylvester Sprigato and published in 1933. The song became a pop standard; the best-known version was done by Don Cornell and the Sammy Kaye orchestra. This recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog...

      (1951)
  • Sentimental Me
    Sentimental Me
    "Sentimental Me" is a popular song.It was written by James T. Morehead and James Cassin and published in 1949.The most popular version was recorded by The Ames Brothers. Other versions were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Russ Morgan Orchestra and in England by Jackie Brown and his Quartet.The Ames...

      (1951)
  • My Foolish Heart
    My Foolish Heart (song)
    "My Foolish Heart" is a popular song that was published in 1949.The music was written by Victor Young and the lyrics by Ned Washington. The song was introduced by the singer Martha Mears in the 1949 film of the same name. The song failed to escape critics' general laceration of the film...

      (1953)
  • Why Won't You Believe Me (live) (1953)
  • Again
    Again (1949 song)
    "Again" is a popular song, recorded by many singers. The music was written by Lionel Newman, the words by Dorcas Cochran. It first appeared in the movie Road House , sung by Ida Lupino An instrumental rendition was used in the movie "Pickup on South Street"...

      (1953)
  • Manhattan Moon  (1953)
  • With A Song In My Heart
    With a Song in My Heart (song)
    "With a Song in My Heart" is a show tune from the 1929 Rodgers and Hart musical Spring is Here.In the original Broadway production it was introduced by John Hundley and Lillian Taiz...

      (1953)
  • I'll Walk Alone
    I'll Walk Alone
    "I'll Walk Alone" is a 1944 popular song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song, like others that came out during the World War II years such as "Till Then," reflects the enforced separation of couples caused by the war...

      (1953)
  • My Baby's Coming Home  (1953)
  • Silent Night
    Silent Night
    "Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...

      (1953)
  • I'm Walking Behind You
    I'm Walking Behind You
    "I'm Walking Behind You" is a popular song written by Billy Reid and published in 1953.Eddie Fisher's rendition of the song became a number-one hit single on both the Cash Box and Billboard record charts in 1953 in the United States, as well as reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart.The...

      (1953)
  • (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
    (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
    " That Doggie in the Window?" is a popular novelty song written by Bob Merrill and Ingrid Reuterskiöld in 1952. The best-known version of the song was recorded by Patti Page on December 18, 1952 and released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70070, with the flip side being "My Jealous Eyes". It...

      (1953)
  • Sayonara (the Japanese Farewell Song)  (1953)
  • My Ichiban Tomodachi  (1953)
  • Vaya Con Dios
    Vaya con Dios (song)
    "Vaya con Dios" is a popular song written by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953....

      (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)

Miyoshi 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
    Sayonara
    Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

    /On And On
    On and On
    On and On is the second studio album by Jack Johnson, who provided the vocals and guitars. It was released in 2003 on Universal Records. Adam Topol played drums and percussion while Merlo Podlewski played bass. The album was recorded at The Mango Tree studios in Hawaii.A different version of the...

     (1957)

Miyoshi recorded a version of Pick Yourself Up
Pick Yourself Up
"Pick Yourself Up" is a popular song composed in 1936 by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. It has a verse and chorus, as well as a third section, though the third section is often omitted in recordings...

 for Mercury Records in 1959, but the song was never released.

Albums on Mercury Records

  • Miyoshi Sings For Arthur Godfrey
    Arthur Godfrey
    Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...

    (MG-20165)(1956)

Tracks:
  • If I Give My Heart To You
    If I Give My Heart to You
    "If I Give My Heart to You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Brewster, Jimmie Crane, and Al Jacobs.The most popular versions of the song were recorded by Doris Day and Denise Lor; both charted in 1954. Anne Shelton recorded a version for the UK market, but it lost out to the Day version, as well...

  • China Nights (支那 の夜 Shina no yoru)
  • I'm In The Mood For Love
    I'm in the Mood for Love
    "I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...

  • My Baby's Coming Home
  • How Deep Is The Ocean
  • Slowly Go Out of Your Mind
  • Teach Me Tonight
    Teach Me Tonight
    "Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A...

  • Hanna Ko San
  • Can't Help Loving That Man
  • S'Wonderful
  • Over The Rainbow
    Over the Rainbow
    "Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...

  • Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)

  • Miyoshi (MG-20568) (1959)

Tracks:
  • My Heart Stood Still
    My Heart Stood Still
    "My Heart Stood Still" is a 1927 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical A Connecticut Yankee , where it was introduced by Constance Carpenter and William Gaxton.-Notable recordings:...

  • My Ship
    My Ship
    "My Ship" is a popular song written for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark, with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.The music is marked "Andante espressivo"; Gershwin describes it as "orchestrated by Kurt to sound sweet and simple at times, mysterious and menacing at other".It...

  • You Make Me Feel So Young
    You Make Me Feel So Young
    "You Make Me Feel So Young" is a 1946 popular song composed by Josef Myrow, with lyrics written by Mack Gordon.-Notable recordings:*Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers *Ella Fitzgerald - Get Happy!...

  • They Can't Take That Away From Me
    They Can't Take That Away from Me
    "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film Shall We Dance....

  • Sometimes I'm Happy
  • I'm Old Fashioned
    I'm Old Fashioned
    "I'm Old Fashioned" is a 1942 song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer.It was written for the film You Were Never Lovelier , where it was introduced by Nan Wynn who dubbed for Rita Hayworth as part of a song and dance routine with Fred Astaire.According to Mueller:...

  • That Old Feeling (song)
    That Old Feeling (song)
    "That Old Feeling" is a popular song.The music was written by Sammy Fain, the lyrics by Lew Brown. The song was published in 1937.The song first appeared in the movie Vogues of 1938, actually released in 1937. It was immediately a hit in a version recorded by Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm...

  • Gone With The Wind (song)
    Gone with the Wind (song)
    "Gone with the Wind" is a popular song. The music was written by Allie Wrubel, the lyrics by Herb Magidson. The song was published in 1937. A version recorded by Horace Heidt was a #1 song in 1937.Diane E...

  • Jeepers Creepers
    Jeepers Creepers (song)
    Jeepers Creepers is a popular 1938 song and jazz standard. The music was written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for the movie Going Places. It was premiered by Louis Armstrong and has since been covered by many other artists.-Overview:...

  • Wonder Why
  • I Could Write A Book
    I Could Write a Book
    "I Could Write a Book" is a show tune from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey , where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst.-Notable recordings:*Betty Carter - The Audience with Betty Carter *Harry Connick, Jr...


  • Miyoshi - Singing Star of Rodgers And Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song
    Flower Drum Song
    Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...

     (MGW-12148)(1958)

(this is a reissue of the Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...

 album with some tracks replaced)
Tracks:
  • Sayonara
    Sayonara
    Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

  • If I Give My Heart To You
    If I Give My Heart to You
    "If I Give My Heart to You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Brewster, Jimmie Crane, and Al Jacobs.The most popular versions of the song were recorded by Doris Day and Denise Lor; both charted in 1954. Anne Shelton recorded a version for the UK market, but it lost out to the Day version, as well...

  • China Nights (支那 の夜 Shina no yoru)
  • I'm In The Mood For Love
    I'm in the Mood for Love
    "I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was published in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year...

  • My Baby's Coming Home
  • How Deep Is The Ocean
  • Slowly Go Out Of Your Mind
  • Teach Me Tonight
    Teach Me Tonight
    "Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A...

  • Hanna Ko San
  • Can't Help Loving That Man
  • Over The Rainbow
    Over the Rainbow
    "Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...

  • The Little Lost Dog

Film theme recordings

Miyoshi Umeki recorded the theme song for the film Sayonara
Sayonara
Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

in 1957. She recorded the title song for the film Cry For Happy
Cry for Happy
Cry for Happy is a 1961 colour movie directed by George Marshall.-Plot:A Navy photographer and his three-man team occupy a Tokyo geisha house during the Korean War. Though off-limits,...

in which she starred in 1961.
  • Flower Drum Song (Broadway Original Cast) (1958) (Sony 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

  • Flower Drum Song (Film Soundtrack) (1961) (Decca Records
    Decca Records
    Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

    )


Miyoshi Umeki sings the same songs on both the film soundtrack and the Broadway show

Death

According to her son, Umeki lived in Sherman Oaks for a number of years before moving to Licking, Missouri
Licking, Missouri
Licking is a city located in Texas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Licking is located at...

, to be near her son and his family, which included two grandchildren. She died there of complications from cancer.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1953 Seishun Jazz musume (青春ジャズ娘 Seishun jazu musume) Kashu
1956 Around the World Revue Nancy Umeki also known as Universal Musical Short 2655: Around the World Revue
1957 Sayonara
Sayonara
Sayonara is a 1957 color American film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force flier who was an "ace" fighter pilot during the Korean War....

Katsumi
1961 Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...

Mei Li Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...

1961 Cry for Happy
Cry for Happy
Cry for Happy is a 1961 colour movie directed by George Marshall.-Plot:A Navy photographer and his three-man team occupy a Tokyo geisha house during the Korean War. Though off-limits,...

Harue
1962 Eiko
1962 Akiko
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1955 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends is an American television variety show hosted by Arthur Godfrey. The hour-long series aired on CBS from January 1949, to June 1957 , then again as a half-hour show from September 1958, to April 1959.Many of Godfrey's musical acts were culled from Arthur Godfrey's...

Herself Regular performer
1957 Herself 1 episode
1958–61 Herself Episode #2.32 (1958), Episode #4.16 (1960), Episode #5.17
1958 What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....

Herself - Mystery Guest Episode #414 dated 11 May 1958
1958 Herself Episode #2.25
1959 Herself Episode #2.2
1959 Toast of the Town Singer
1961 Here's Hollywood Herself Episode dated 27 December 1961
1961–62 Kimi 2 episodes: "The Geisha Girl" (1961), "Aloha, Kimi" (1962)
1962 Herself Episode dated 11 October 1962, Episode dated 13 December 1962
1962 Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...

Lotus-Blossom "The Teahouse of the August Moon"
1962 Sam Benedict Sumiko Matsui "Tears for a Nobody Doll"
1963 Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...

Nami "Incident of the Geisha"
1963 Dr. Kildare
Dr. Kildare
Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...

Hana Shigera "One Clear Bright Thursday Morning"
1964 Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...

Mary 'Lotus Bud' Ling "Who Killed the Paper Dragon?"
1964 Kim Ho "Smile of a Dragon"
1964 Mister Ed
Mister Ed
Originally produced in late 1960, Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966....

Ako Tenaka "Ed in the Peace Corps"
1964 Herself Episode dated 19 April 1964
1969 Japanese Bride "The Trousseau"
1969–72 Mrs. Livingston
1971 This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...

Herself for Bill Bixby
1971 Herself Episode dated 30 June 1971
1971 Herself Episode dated 29 March 1971
1972 Salute to Oscar Hammerstein II Herself

External links


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