The Karate Kid is an American martial arts drama movie from 1984. It was written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first movie in the Karate Kid series. Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and William Zabka star in it. Mr. Miyagi is played by Pat Morita.
Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was an actor and comedian from the United States. He was known for playing Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi on Happy Days, Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies, Captain Sam Pak on M*A*S*H, Ah Chew in Sanford and Son, Mike Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and the Emperor of China in Mulan and Mulan II. Read the full article to know the Age of Pat Morita in Karate Kid.
How Old Was Pat Morita in Karate Kid?
Pat Morita was 51 years old when he first appeared in Karate Kid. In the 1980s, Morita became famous for playing Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. Toshiro Mifune, who had been in Akira Kurosawa movies like Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), and The Hidden Fortress (1958), was the first choice, but he didn’t speak English.
Morita later tried out for the part, but he was turned down at first because of his close ties to stand-up comedy and the Happy Days character Arnold. Producer Jerry Weintraub didn’t want Morita because he thought he was a funny actor.
Morita tried out for the part five times before Weintraub himself offered it to him. He got the part because he grew a beard and spoke like his uncle.
What is Karate Kid All About?
In 1984, Daniel LaRusso, who is 17 years old, and his mother Lucille move from Newark, New Jersey, to Reseda, which is near Los Angeles. Their apartment’s handyman is an Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Miyagi who is strange, but kind and humble.
At a beach party, Daniel makes friends with Ali Mills, a high school cheerleader. This gets the attention of her cocky ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence, a black belt and the best student at the Cobra Kai dojo, which teaches an aggressive form of karate.
Johnny and his Cobra Kai group are always picking on Daniel. On Halloween, Daniel gets even with Johnny by spraying him with water from a hose. Johnny and his friends then chase Daniel down the street and beat him badly until Mr. Miyagi steps in and easily beats them.
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Was Karate Kid, Pat Morita’s First Movie?
Morita’s first roles in movies were as a bad guy in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “The Shakiest Gun in the West,” both with Don Knotts. Morita also played Ah Chew, a good-natured friend of Lamont Sanford, on the sitcom Sanford and Son. On the sitcom M*A*S*H, he played South Korean Army, Captain Sam Pak.
In the war movie Midway, he played Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka (1976). In the mid-1970s, Morita had a recurring role on Happy Days as Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi. This role began in season three (1975–76).
The story went that Takahashi bought the Milwaukee restaurant from the first Arnold, but used the second Arnold’s first name because it would have been too expensive for him to buy the extra neon sign letters to change the name to “Takahashi’s.”
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How Old Was Pat Morita When he Dies?
Morita died of kidney failure on November 24, 2005, at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was caused by an infection in his urinary tract and gallbladder. He was 73 years old. Morita had been an alcoholic for most of his life. He was burned at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.
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