Editing Miyoshi Umeki

{{Short description|Japanese-American actress and singer (1929–2007)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Miyoshi Umeki
| image              = Flower Drum Song (1961) Press Photo of Miyoshi Umeki.jpg
| caption            = Umeki in a publicity photo for ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]'' (1961)
| native_name        = 梅木 美代志
| native_name_lang   = ja
| birth_name         = 
| other_names        = Nancy Umeki
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1929|5|8|mf=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Otaru, Hokkaido]], [[Empire of Japan]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2007|8|28|1929|5|8|mf=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Licking, Missouri]], U.S.
| citizenship        = Japan<br>USA
| occupation         = Singer, actress
| years_active       = 1953–1972
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Frederick Winfield "Wynn" Opie<br>|1958|1967|end=div}}<ref name="wynn">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/miyoshi-umeki-401744.html Obituary: Miyoshi Umeki], independent.co.uk. Accessed November 13, 2023.</ref>
* {{marriage|Randall Firevod Hood<br>|1968|1976|end=died}}
}}
| children           = 1
| awards             = [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]
| signature          = Signature of Miyoshi Umeki, November 1959.jpg
| module             = {{Infobox|child=yes
| header1            = Signature (Japanese)
| below              = [[File:English and Japanese signatures of Miyoshi Umeki on a 3" x 5" index card (cropped to Japanese signature).jpg|50px|alt=美代志 梅木, Umeki's signature in Japanese, from an index card. Her signature is written with her given name first and then her family name.]]
}}
}}
[[File:Miyoshi Umeki.jpg|thumb|Miyoshi Umeki]]
{{nihongo|'''Miyoshi Umeki'''|梅木 美代志|''Umeki Miyoshi''|or ミヨシ・ウメキ ''Miyoshi Umeki'', May 8, 1929 – August 28, 2007}} was a [[Japanese Americans|Japanese American]] singer and actress.<ref name="post">Bernstein, Adam. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/05/AR2007090501484.html "Actress Miyoshi Umeki, 78, Dies of Cancer"]. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. 5 September 2007.</ref> Umeki was nominated for the [[Tony Award]] and [[Golden Globe Award]] and was the first East Asia-born woman to win an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for acting.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-09-05-umeki-obit_N.htm| title=Oscar winner Miyoshi Umeki dies at 78| work=[[USA Today]]| date=5 September 2007| agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=May 2023 |title=A Single Heart Can Transform a Nation |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/story/a-single-heart-can-transform-a-nation/5QXxnXZ2aZm8pQ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=Google Arts & Culture |publisher=Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery |language=en}}</ref>

==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}}

==Career==
[[File:Sayonara (1957) Press Photo of Miyoshi Umeki.jpg|thumb|Umeki in a publicity photo for ''[[Sayonara]]'' (1957)]]
She was best known for her [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning role as Katsumi in ''[[Sayonara]]'' (1957), as [[Mei Li]] in both the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical and 1961 film ''[[Flower Drum Song]]'', and as Mrs. Livingston in the television series ''[[The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series)|The Courtship of Eddie's Father]]''. She was a [[Issei|shin Issei]], or post-1945 [[Japanese diaspora|immigrant from Japan]].

She recorded for [[RCA Records|RCA Victor Japan]] from 1950 to 1954 and appeared in the film ''Seishun Jazu Musume''.<ref name="post" /> 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]]", "[[Sentimental Me]]", "[[My Foolish Heart (song)|My Foolish Heart]]", "[[With a Song in My Heart (song)|With A Song In My Heart]]", "[[Again (1949 song)|Again]]", "[[Vaya con Dios (song)|Vaya con Dios]]", "[[(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?]]", and "[[I'll Walk Alone]]". She moved to the United States in 1955.<ref name="post" /><ref name="iht" /> After appearing on the ''[[Arthur Godfrey|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.<ref name="post" /> Her appearances on Godfrey's program brought her to the attention of director [[Joshua Logan]], who cast her in ''[[Sayonara]]'', for which she won an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]. She was the first Asian to win an Academy Award for acting.<ref name="usatoday"/>

In 1958, she appeared twice on the variety show ''[[The Gisele MacKenzie Show|The Gisele MacKenzie]] Show'' in which she performed "[[How Deep Is the Ocean?|How Deep Is the Ocean]]". That same year, she was also nominated for a [[Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical]] for her performance in the Broadway premiere production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''[[Flower Drum Song]]'',<ref name="usatoday"/> where she played Mei Li.<ref>{{IBDB name|id=62909|name=Miyoshi Umeki}}</ref> The show was directed by [[Gene Kelly]] and ran for two years. A cover story in ''Time'' stated "the warmth of her art works a kind of tranquil magic".<ref name="post"/> Umeki appeared in Universal Studios' film adaptation of the musical in 1961.<ref name="iht"/> She was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award]] for ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]''. Although a guest on many television variety shows, she appeared in only three more movies through 1962, including ''[[Cry for Happy]]'' (also 1961), ''[[The Horizontal Lieutenant]]'' (1962), and ''[[A Girl Named Tamiko]]'' (1963). From 1969 to 1972, she appeared in ''[[The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series)|The Courtship of Eddie's Father]]'' as Mrs. Livingston the housekeeper, for which she was nominated for another Golden Globe Award. She retired from acting following the end of the series.<ref name=shirleyli>{{cite magazine| last=Li| first=Shirley| title=Why did Miyoshi Umeki, the only Asian actress to ever win an Oscar, destroy her trophy?| url=http://ew.com/awards/2018/02/22/miyoshi-umeki-sayonara-oscars-profile/| magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]| date=2018-02-22}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Her first marriage, to television director Frederick Winfield "Wynn" Opie in 1958, ended in divorce in 1967.<ref name="wynn"/><ref name="post"/> The couple had one son, Michael H. Opie, born in 1964.<ref name="post"/> She married Randall Firevod Hood in 1968, and he adopted her son, changing the boy’s name to Michael Randall Hood (February 11, 1964 – August 27, 2018).<ref name="afp">{{cite news| url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5go1cOxEboLMN38e03MYjlMjJ9y4A| title=Miyoshi Umeki, first Asian to win an Oscar, dies| website=[[Agence France-Presse]]| date=September 6, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520115542/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5go1cOxEboLMN38e03MYjlMjJ9y4A| archive-date=May 20, 2011}}</ref> The couple operated a Los Angeles–based business renting editing equipment to film studios and university film programs.<ref name="post"/> Randall Hood died in 1976.<ref name="usatoday"/> Her son, Michael Hood, was a police sergeant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foxfh.net/tribute/details/5218/Sgt-Michael-Hood/obituary.html|publisher=Fox Funeral Home|title=Sgt. Michael Randall Hood obituary|access-date=November 12, 2023}}</ref> 

According to Umeki's son (who died 11 years after his mother),<ref>[https://foxfh.net/tribute/details/5218/Sgt-Michael-Hood/obituary.html Obituary: Michael Randall Hood], foxfh.net. Accessed November 13, 2023.</ref> Umeki lived in [[Sherman Oaks, California]] for a number of years, then moved to [[Licking, Missouri]] to be near her son and his family, which included three grandchildren. Known as Miyoshi Hood, she died there on August 28, 2007, aged 78, from cancer.<ref name=iht>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/arts/06umeki.html| title=Miyoshi Umeki, 78, Actress Who Won an Oscar in '57, Dies| last=Lavietes| first=Stuart| date=September 6, 2007| page=B7| work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==Discography==

===RCA Victor Japan (1950–1954)===
During her singing career in Japan, Miyoshi recorded the following songs:
* "[[Sleep, My Love|Sleepy My Love]]" (1950)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Miyoshi Umeki |url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/artist/miyoshi-umeki/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=The Official Masterworks Broadway Site |language=en-US}}</ref>
* "Under the Moonlight" (1950)
* "Don't Say That Person's Name" (1950)
* "Evening Whisper" (1950)
* "I Feel Like Crying" (1950)<ref name=":0" />
* "[[I'm Waiting for You]]" (1950)
* "One Night of Sorrow" (1951)
* "Misery" (1951)
* "[[It Isn't Fair]]" (1951)
* "[[Sentimental Me]]" (1951)<ref name=":0" />
* "[[My Foolish Heart (song)|My Foolish Heart]]" (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "[[Why Don't You Believe Me?]]" (live) (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "[[Again (1949 song)|Again]]" (1953)
* "[[Manhattan Moon]]" (1953)
* "[[With a Song in My Heart (song)|With A Song In My Heart]]" (1953)
* "[[I'll Walk Alone]]" (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "My Baby's Coming Home" (1953)
* "[[Silent Night]]" (1953)
* "[[I'm Walking Behind You]]" (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "[[(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?]]" (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)" (1953)<ref name=":0" />
* "My Ichiban Tomodachi" (1953)
* "[[Vaya con Dios (song)|Vaya con Dios]]" (1954)<ref name=":0" />
* "Kiss Me Again Stranger" (1954)
* "My Ichiban Tomodachi" (live) (1954)
* "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)" (live) (1954)
<small>Two other Japanese language songs were recorded in 1952.</small>

===Singles on Mercury Records (1955–1959)===
She signed with Mercury Records in 1955 and recorded the following 45 rpm singles:
* "[[How Deep Is the Ocean]]/Why Talk" (1955)<ref name=":0" />
* "The Little Lost Dog/The Story You're About to Hear Is True" (1956)<ref name=":0" />
* "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/On and On" (1957)
<small>Miyoshi recorded a version of "[[Pick Yourself Up]]" for Mercury Records in 1959, but the song was never released.</small>

===Albums on Mercury Records===
''Miyoshi Sings For [[Arthur Godfrey]]'' (MG-20165) (1956)<ref name=":0" /> <br>
Tracks:
* "[[If I Give My Heart to You]]"
* "China Nights (支那の夜 Shina no yoru)"
* "[[I'm in the Mood for Love]]"
* "My Baby's Coming Home"
* "[[How Deep Is the Ocean?]]"
* "Slowly Go Out of Your Mind"
* "[[Teach Me Tonight]]"
* "Hanna Ko San"
* "[[Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man|Can't Help Loving That Man]]"
* "[['S Wonderful]]"
* "[[Over the Rainbow]]"
* "Sayonara (The Japanese Farewell Song)"

''Miyoshi'' (album) (MG-20568) (1959) <br>
Tracks:
* "[[My Heart Stood Still]]"
* "[[My Ship]]"
* "[[You Make Me Feel So Young]]"
* "[[They Can't Take That Away from Me]]"
* "[[Sometimes I'm Happy]]"
* "[[I'm Old Fashioned]]"
* "[[That Old Feeling (song)|That Old Feeling]]"
* "[[Gone with the Wind (song)|Gone with the Wind]]"
* "[[Jeepers Creepers (song)|Jeepers Creepers]]"
* "Wonder Why"
* "[[I Could Write a Book]]"

''Miyoshi – Singing Star of Rodgers and Hammerstein's [[Flower Drum Song]]'' (MGW-12148) (1958) (reissue of the [[Arthur Godfrey]] album with some tracks replaced) <br>
Tracks:
* "[[Sayonara]]"
* "[[If I Give My Heart to You]]"
* "China Nights (支那 の夜 Shina no yoru)"
* "[[I'm in the Mood for Love]]"
* "My Baby's Coming Home"
* "[[How Deep Is the Ocean?]]"
* "Slowly Go Out of Your Mind"
* "[[Teach Me Tonight]]"
* "Hanna Ko San"
* "[[can't Help Lovin' Dat Man|Can't Help Loving That Man]]"
* "[[Over the Rainbow]]"
* "The Little Lost Dog"

===Film themes===
Miyoshi Umeki recorded two theme songs for films in which she appeared:
* "Sayonara" for ''[[Sayonara (film)|Sayonara]]'' (1957)<ref name=":1" />
* "Cry for Happy" for ''[[Cry for Happy]]'' (1961)

===Cast recordings===
''Flower Drum Song'' (Broadway Original Cast; 1958), Sony Records <br>
''Flower Drum Song'' (Film Soundtrack; 1961), Decca 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"

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1953
| ''Seishun Jazz musume'' (青春ジャズ娘 Seishun jazu musume)
| Kashu (歌手, "singer" in Japanese)
|
|-
| 1956
| ''Around the World Revue''
| Nancy Umeki
| Also known as ''Universal Musical Short 2655: Around the World Revue''
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Sayonara]]''
| Katsumi
| {{unbulleted list|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]]|Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]}}
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Cry for Happy]]''
| Harue
|
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]''
| Mei Li
| Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]]
|-
| 1962
| ''{{sortname|The|Horizontal Lieutenant}}''
| Akiko
|
|-
| 1962
| ''{{sortname|A|Girl Named Tamiko}}''
| Eiko
|
|}

== Television ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Arthur Godfrey and His Friends]]''
| Herself
| Regular performer
|-
| 1957
| ''{{sortname|The|Perry Como Show}}''
| Herself
| 1 episode
|-
| 1958–1961
| ''{{sortname|The|Dinah Shore Chevy Show}}''
| Herself
| episode #2.32 (1958)<br>episode #4.16 (1960)<br>episode #5.17
|-
| 1958
| ''[[What's My Line?]]''
| Herself – Mystery Guest
| episode #414 (dated 11 May 1958)
|-
| 1958
| ''{{sortname|The|Tennessee Ernie Ford Show|nolink=1}}''
| Herself
| episode #2.25
|-
| 1958
| ''[[White Christmas (film)|Bing Crosby's White Christmas: All-Star Show]]''
| Herself
| episode: "It Might as Well Be Spring"
|-
| 1959
| ''{{sortname|The|Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams|nolink=1}}''
| Herself
| episode #2.2
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Toast of the Town]]''
| Singer
|
|-
| 1961
| ''Here's Hollywood''
| Herself
| episode dated 27 December 1961
|-
| 1961–1962
| ''{{sortname|The|Donna Reed Show}}''
| Kimi
| 2 episodes: "The Geisha Girl" (1961) and "Aloha, Kimi" (1962)
|-
| 1962
| ''{{sortname|The|Andy Williams Show}}''
| Herself
| episode dated 11 October 1962<br>episode dated 13 December 1962
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''
| Lotus-Blossom
| episode: "The Teahouse of the August Moon"
|-
| 1962
| ''Sam Benedict''
| Sumiko Matsui
| episode: "Tears for a Nobody Doll"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]''
| Nami
| episode: "Incident of the Geisha"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Dr. Kildare (TV series)|Dr. Kildare]]''
| Hana Shigera
| episode: "One Clear Bright Thursday Morning"
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]''
| Mary 'Lotus Bud' Ling
| episode: "Who Killed the Paper Dragon?"
|-
| 1964
| ''{{sortname|The|Virginian|The Virginian (TV series)}}''
| Kim Ho
| episode: "Smile of a Dragon"
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Mister Ed]]''
| Ako Tenaka
| episode: "Ed in the Peace Corps"
|-
| 1964
| ''{{sortname|The|Celebrity Game|nolink=1}}''
| Herself
| episode dated April 19, 1964
|-
| 1969
| ''{{sortname|The|Queen and I|nolink=1}}''
| Japanese Bride
| episode: "The Trousseau"
|-
| 1969–1972
| ''{{Sortname|The|Courtship of Eddie's Father|The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series)}}''
| Mrs. Livingston
| {{unbulleted list|66 episodes|Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film]]}}
|-
| 1971
| ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''
| Herself
| For Bill Bixby
|-
| 1971
| ''{{sortname|The|Pet Set|nolink=1}}''
| Herself
| episode dated June 30, 1971
|-
| 1971
| ''{{sortname|The|Merv Griffin Show}}''
| Herself
| episode dated March 29, 1971
|-
| 1972
| ''Salute to Oscar Hammerstein II''
| Herself
|
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award 
! Category
! Nominated work
! Results
! Ref.
|-
| [[30th Academy Awards|1957]]
| [[Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Sayonara]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1958 |title=The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=August 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706094132/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/30th-winners.html |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[15th Golden Globe Awards|1957]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/miyoshi-umeki/ |title=Miyoshi Umeki |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=December 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[19th Golden Globe Awards|1961]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]]
| ''[[Flower Drum Song (film)|Flower Drum Song]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[28th Golden Globe Awards|1970]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actress – Television]]
| ''[[The Courtship of Eddie's Father (TV series)|The Courtship of Eddie's Father]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[13th Tony Awards|1959]]
| [[Tony Award]]s
| [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Leading Actress in a Musical]]
| ''[[Flower Drum Song]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1959/category/any/show/any/ |title=1959 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=December 11, 2024}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0880855}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=72422&mod=bio ''New York Times'' bio]
* {{Find a Grave|21382379}}

{{AcademyAwardBestSupportingActress 1941-1960}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Umeki, Miyoshi}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Missouri]]
[[Category:American actresses of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:American women musicians of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:American singers of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Japanese women singers]]
[[Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Japanese musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:Musicians from Otaru]]
[[Category:People from Texas County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicians]]
[[Category:Nightclub performers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]