The legacy of Miyoshi Umeki from SF Chronicle

When Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Babel" earlier this year, it was a historic occasion -- she became the second Asian actress to be nominated for an Academy Award, and the first in nearly 50 years. The first? The incomparable Miyoshi Umeki, in the same category, for 1957's "Sayonara."

So it was sad news when it was announced Wednesday that Umeki had died of cancer at age 78 in Missouri on Aug. 28. San Franciscans might remember her for her lovely portrayal of Mei Li, the irrepressibly optimistic Chinese immigrant in The City's Chinatown, singing "A Hundred Million Miracles" in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song," a role the Japanese-born actress and recording artist originated on Broadway.

As with many nonwhite actors, Oscar gold didn't translate into much of a career boost -- not even with a Time magazine cover after she won. "Flower Drum Song" was the high point; she quit acting a decade later after four years as the housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston, on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father."

The question is, why haven't more Asians been nominated, or have won? There have only been seven nominated ever, and only two wins (Haing S. Ngor is the only Asian male to win, for 1984's "The Killing Fields.")The others? Sessue Hayakawa ("The Bridge on the River Kwai") was nominated the same year as Umeki, followed by Mako ("The Sand Pebbles," 1966), Pat Morita ("The Karate Kid," the same year as Ngor's win), Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai," 2003) and Kikuchi. That's it.

There have now been several wins and nominations (though still not enough) by black actors -- 7 wins and 27 nominations in the last 20 years, and Hispanic or Spanish-speaking actors have about a dozen nominations and a win (Benicio Del Toro for 2000's "Traffic"). In addition, there have been several nominations for foreign-language performances in foreign-language films, even the occasional win (Roberto Benigni in "Life Is Beautiful," for example).

Meanwhile, there have been egregious omissions for performances by Asian actors. In 1988, "The Last Emperor" swept the Academy Awards, winning nine Oscars. And yet magnificent performances by John Lone and Joan Chen were not even nominated. And, of course, in 2001, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had the most nominations -- 10 -- but none in the acting category, despite excellent work by Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat and Zhang Ziyi. Gong Li has gone unrecognized after several great foreign-language performances.

Umeki's achievement, it appears, looms larger than ever, a half-century down the pike.

Wiki Bio

Umecki was an Academy Award-winning Japanese actress best known for her roles as Katsumi, the wife of Joe Kelly (Red Buttons), in the 1957 film Sayonara, and as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper in the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

She began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan making several records for RCA Victor Japan and appearing in several musical shorts under the name "Nancy Umeki". After moving to the United States and appearing on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts (she was a series regular for one season), she signed with the Mercury Records label and released several singles and two albums.

In 1958, Umeki won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her first U.S. film role, Sayonara. She was the first Asian performer ever nominated. In 1958, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway premiere production of the musical Flower Drum Song.

She appeared in only four more motion pictures through 1962, including the film version of Flower Drum Song (1961), before turning to television work. From 1969-1972 she appeared in The Courtship of Eddie's Father as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper. She retired from acting following that series' end.

Her first marriage was to television director Wynn Opie in 1958; they adopted one son before their marraige ended in divorce. She later married Randall Hood; the couple ran a theatrical lighting business that was dissolved following Hood's death in 1976.

Umeki had lived for some time in Hawaii, before moving to the small town of Licking, Missouri to be near her only son and his family. She died of cancer complications at a nursing home in Licking, aged 78.

Umeki at Classic Movies The Golden Years
www.thegoldenyears.org/umeki.html

Umeki at IMDB
www.imdb.com/name/nm0880855/

a few more images of Umeki at The Character Actor Appreciation Society Tribe
characteractors.tribe.net/photos

Umeki at TV.COm
www.tv.com/person/38415/summary.html

Umeki at Notable Names
www.nndb.com/people/091/000063899/

Umeki at IMDB
www.ibdb.com/person.asp

NY Times bio
movies.nytimes.com/person/7...biography

Washington Post Obit
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...84.html