American actress (1925?2023)
Miiko Taka
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Cry_for_Happy_%281961%29_Press_Photo_of_Miiko_Taka_%283%2C_borders_removed%29.jpg/220px-Cry_for_Happy_%281961%29_Press_Photo_of_Miiko_Taka_%283%2C_borders_removed%29.jpg) |
Born
| Miiko Shikata
(
1925-07-24
)
July 24, 1925
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Died
| January 4, 2023
(2023-01-04)
(aged 97)
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Resting place
| Rose Hills Memorial Park
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Other names
| Betty Ishimoto
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Years active
| 1957?1982
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Spouses
|
(
m.
1944;
div.
1958)
Lennie Blondheim
(
m.
1963, death)
Reginald Hsu
(
m.
2003)
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Children
| 2
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![高美以子, Taka's signature in Japanese](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/English_and_Japanese_signatures_of_Miiko_Taka_%28%22To_Roy-san%22%29_%28cropped_to_Japanese_signature%29.jpg/50px-English_and_Japanese_signatures_of_Miiko_Taka_%28%22To_Roy-san%22%29_%28cropped_to_Japanese_signature%29.jpg) |
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/English_signature_of_Miiko_Taka.jpg/150px-English_signature_of_Miiko_Taka.jpg) |
Miiko Taka
(
高美以子
,
Taka Miiko
)
(born
Miiko Shikata
[1]
July 24, 1925 ? January 4, 2023) was an American actress, popular for her film and television roles from the late 1950s until the early 1980s. Her best known role was as an elegant Japanese dancer starring with
Marlon Brando
in the drama
Sayonara
. She also acted in several other films and TV shows with fellow performers such as
Miyoshi Umeki
,
James Garner
,
Bob Hope
,
Cary Grant
, and
Toshir? Mifune
.
[2]
Early years
[
edit
]
Taka was born on July 24, 1925 in Seattle, but raised in Los Angeles
[3]
as a
Nisei
;
[4]
her parents had immigrated from Japan. In 1942, following the signing of
Executive Order 9066
, she was interned with her family at the
Gila River War Relocation Center
in Arizona.
[5]
Career
[
edit
]
After
Audrey Hepburn
, director
Joshua Logan
's first choice for the role of Hana-ogi, turned him down, he looked to cast an unknown actress.
[4]
Taka, who at the time was working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival.
[3]
Although she had no previous acting experience,
[4]
Variety
gave her a positive review in their review of the film.
[6]
Warner Bros.
gave her a term contract as a result of her performance in
Sayonara
.
[7]
After
Sayonara
, she worked in films with James Garner, Bob Hope, Cary Grant,
Glenn Ford
and Toshir? Mifune (alongside whom she also worked in the 1980 television miniseries
Shogun
). She also served as an interpreter for Mifune and
Akira Kurosawa
when they visited Hollywood.
[8]
[9]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Taka married Japanese-American actor
Dale Ishimoto
in Baltimore, Maryland in 1944,
[10]
and they had one son, Greg Shikata, who works in the film industry, and one daughter. They divorced in 1958.
[11]
Taka married Los Angeles television news director Lennie Blondheim in 1963.
[12]
She resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[13]
Following Blondheim's death in 2002, she married Reginald Hsu in 2003.
[14]
Taka died on January 4, 2023, at the age of 97.
[2]
[15]
[16]
She is interred at
Rose Hills Memorial Park
.
[17]
Motion pictures
[
edit
]
Miiko Taka in 1958
[18]
[19]
[20]
[13]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Makino, Jimmy.
"A Japanese-American Nisei in the 20th Century"
. Retrieved
June 20,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Barnes, Mike.
"Miiko Taka, Marlon Brando's Co-Star in 'Sayonara,' Dies at 97"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
January 13,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Scott, John L. (May 5, 1957). "Fortune Bolt puts Miiko in Top Film Spot".
Los Angeles Times
. p. E3.
- ^
a
b
c
Capote, Truman
(November 9, 1957).
"The Duke in His Domain"
.
The New Yorker
. Retrieved
August 9,
2007
.
- ^
"Japanese American Internee Data File: Miiko Shikata"
. National Archives and Records Administration
. Retrieved
August 17,
2019
.
- ^
"Sayonara"
.
Variety
. January 1, 1957
. Retrieved
August 9,
2007
.
- ^
Scheuer, Philip K. (November 17, 1958). "Faulkner Story Lifted Off Shelf, Cycle Looms; Miiko Taka to Stay On".
Los Angeles Times
. p. B7.
- ^
Beyette, Beverly (August 12, 1983). "Toshiro Mifune Takes Up the Samurai Role Again".
Los Angeles Times
. p. G1.
- ^
Thomas, Kevin (November 28, 2002). "WORLD CINEMA; An edgy, epic collaboration; Director Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune made 16 films together; 13 will be screening at the Nuart".
Los Angeles Times
. p. E16.
- ^
"Actress Miiko Taka of Movies Wins Divorce".
Los Angeles Times
. November 18, 1958. p. B1.
- ^
"Miiko Taka Gets Divorce".
New York Times
. November 17, 1958.
- ^
Paddleford, Clementine (November 17, 1963). "Barbecue at the Table".
Los Angeles Times
.
- ^
a
b
Ishino, Maggie (September 23, 2016).
"MAGGIE'S MEOW: MIIKO TAKA OF THE FILM 'SAYONARA'
"
.
Rafu Shimpo
.
- ^
"
'Sayonara' Actress Miiko Taka Dies at 97"
.
Rafu Shimpo
. January 18, 2023.
- ^
"Magazine Fall/Winter 2023"
.
SAG-AFTRA
. p. 63
. Retrieved
December 3,
2023
.
- ^
Reginald Lei Hsu
- ^
Miiko Taka Hsu
- ^
"Miiko Taka Filmography"
.
fandango.com
. Retrieved
August 10,
2007
.
- ^
"Miiko Taka"
.
imdb.com
. Retrieved
August 10,
2007
.
- ^
"Biography for Miiko Taka"
. Turner Classic Movies
. Retrieved
February 20,
2009
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Miiko Taka
.
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