Perhaps you don't know this lovely lady. You should. She has an accomplishment that no one else in the world can claim. She is the only person of East Asian descent to win an Academy Award for acting. Miyoshi Umeki was born in Japan in 1929 where her father owned an iron factory. She was the youngest of nine children. She started her entertainment career as a nightclub singer in Japan after World War 2. Umeki also had a record deal with RCA Victor Japan in the early 1950s. In 1955 she came to the United States.
She started her American career as a one season regular on "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts" before being case in Sayonara with Marlon Brando. Sayonara was the film that gave her that ground breaking Oscar win. Umeki was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Mei-Li in Flower Drum Song on Broadway. Another performance avenue, another award for Umeki. This time she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Mrs. Livingston in the show "The Courtship of Eddie's Father". Sadly, Miyoshi Umeki passed away in 2007 from complications related to cancer.
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