Editing Miyoshi Umeki (section)

==Life==
Born in [[Otaru, Hokkaido]], she was the youngest of nine children. Her father owned an iron factory.<ref name="post"/> After [[World War II]], Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name '''Nancy Umeki'''.<ref name="iht"/> Her early influences were traditional [[kabuki]] theater and American pop music.<ref name="post"/> Later in one of her appearances on ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]'', she treated viewers to her impression of singer [[Billy Eckstine]], one of her American favorites growing up.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}}