Miyoshi Umeki, born May 8, 1929 in Hokkaido, Japan, is the first Asian American woman to win an Academy Award for acting. She started her career as a nightclub singer before immigrating to the US after WWII.
She appeared for one season on Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts, which helped land her the role as Katsumi in the film Sayonara in 1957. Her performance garnered her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first Asian American woman to win an Oscar. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.
In 1961, she appeared as Mei Li in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She was nominated for a Tony Award for performing on stage.
She continued acting, appearing mainly on television, including 66 episodes of The Courtship of Eddie's Father, for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
She passed away in August 2007 from cancer.
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