Miyoshi Umeki ('Sayonara'/TV's 'Eddie's Father'): 17 Years After the Oscar Winner's Tragic Death

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It's been nearly two decades since the groundbreaking actress Miyoshi Umeki, who was the first Asian to win an Academy Award, died at 78 from cancer on August 28 in 2007.

It was in 1957 that Miyoshi Umeki received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katsumi in Sayonara. She played opposite Red Buttons in that big-screen adaptation of the James Michener novel about an American soldier who falls in love amid the turmoil at the end of World War II.

A Closer Look

Born in the northern city of Otaru in 1929, Miyoshi Umeki ignited her career by singing jazz numbers at military camps during the occupation. After appearing on radio and TV in Japan, Umeki relocated to America in 1955, when she swiftly caught the creative eye Sayonara director Joshua Logan.

Three years later, she was cast as Mei Li, the Chinese mail-order bride in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s stage production of Flower Drum Song, which earned her a Tony nomination. She then went on to reprise the part in the 1961 feature film adaptation.

Umeki's other movie credits include A Girl Named Tamiko and The Horizontal Lieutenant, while she found additional fame as Mrs. Livingston on TV's trailblazing dramedy, The Courtship of Eddie's Father (ABC, 1969-1971), based on the 1963 movie of the same name.

Behind the Scenes

From 1958 to 1967, Miyoshi Umeki was married to TV director Frederick Winfield "Wynn." They had one son, Michael H. Opie (born in 1964; died in 2018).

In 1968, Umeki wed Randall Firevod Hood, who adopted her son. The new many in her life also changed the young boy's name to Michael Randall Hood (who later became a police sargent).

Umekei and Randall (who died in 1976) operated a Los Angeles–based business renting editing equipment to movie studios and university film programs.

For several years, Umeki resided in Sherman Oaks, California. To be near her son, she relocated to Licking, Missouri, where she passed away.

Lasting Impression

Whether on the big screen or the small, Miyoshi Umeki's talent and grace will be forever cherished by movie and television audiences.