Who was Pat Morita?

The late Japanese-American actor and comedian Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita was born in Isleton, California USA, under the zodiac sign of Cancer on 28 June 1932. Pat was able to overcome all obstacles and appeared in close to 200 TV series and movies, while he’s probably still remembered best for starring as Miyagi in the evergreen 1984 family action movie “The Karate Kid”, which John G. Avildsen directed, and which also starred Elizabeth Shue and Ralph Macchio. It follows a martial arts master who’s begun coaching a bullied boy, and the movie won three of its seven award nominations, including Pat’s Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

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Family and disability

Pat was raised in Isleton alongside his 12 years senior brother Hideo ‘Harry’, by their Japanese immigrant parents Momoe and Tamaru.

Pat was only two when he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis, and spent the majority of the following eight years i the Weimar Institute, prior to being treated at San Francisco’s Shriners Hospital. He was often wrapped in a full-body cast, and it was believed that Pat would never be able to walk unaided.

He was 11 when he was released from the hospital and started to learn to walk again, however, Pat was then immediately taken to his parents who were interned at the Gila River Camp, a concentration camp built to keep Japanese Americans there during World War II; a year later, Pat was moved to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center.

Following the end of Second World War, Pat and his family moved back to San Francisco where he studied at Armijo High School, matriculating in 1949.

Career before acting

Pat then began helping his parents run their restaurant Ariake Chop Suey, which he described as a place for people who didn’t fit in anywhere. His father was murdered in a hit-and-run in 1956, and Pat and his mother then continued running the restaurant for a couple more years.

In the first half of the ‘60s, Pat began working as a data processor at the Department of Motor Vehicles, while he eventually began working at the rocket and mission propulsion manufacturer Aerojet General, the a few years later, Pat began working at the aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Corporation as a department head.

He eventually became bored with the job, and chose to test his luck in show business; although Pat failed to succeed as a comedian in San Francisco, everything changed when he moved to Los Angeles, California and began winning roles in both movies and TV series.

Roles in movies

Pat made his debut film appearance aged 35, in the popular 1967 romantic musical comedy “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, directed by George Roy Hill, and which starred Julie Andrews, James Fox and Mary Tyler Moore. It follows Millie Dillmount from New York City who’s determined to marry her boss – the movie won six of its 17 award nominations, including an Oscar win for Best Music, Original Music Score.

Some of Pat’s following roles were in the 1968 western comedy “The Shakiest Gun in the West”, and in 1972 the western comedy “Evil Roy Slade” and the mystery comedy “Cancel My Reservation”. What marked the ‘70s for him was perhaps portraying Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the historical action “Midway”, directed by Jack Smight, and which starred Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda and James Coburn. The film covers the major Battle of Midway during World War II, a catastrophic defeat for the Japanese..

Some of Pat’s most notable performances in the ‘80s were in the family sports action “The Karate Kid Part II” and the adventure family fantasy “Babes in Toyland” both in 1986, and the 1989 family action “The Karate Kid Part III”.

In 1992, he played Mahi Mahi in the hit romantic thriller comedy “Honeymoon in Vegas”, written and directed by Andrew Bergman, and which starred James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. It follows Jack who’s lost $65,000 in a poker game in Las Vegas, Nevada while the winner’s promised to return his winnings if he’s allowed to spend the weekend with Jack’s fiancée Betsy; the movie was nominated for four awards. Pat could then have been seen appearing in the 1993 romantic action comedy “American Ninja 5”, the 1996 sports action “Bloodsport 2”, and the 1999 family war drama “I’ll Remember April”.

Most of the movies in which Pat appeared in the first half of the 2000s failed to attract any attention, with the exception of the 2003 biographical drama “High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story”, which starred Michael Imperioli, Andrew N. S. Glazer and Al Bernstein; it follows the life of professional poker player Stuey Ungar, and the movie won three awards.

One of his final roles was voicing The Emperor in the 2004 animated adventure comedy “Mulan II”, having previously voiced the same character in the evergreen 1998 movie “Mulan”. Many films featuring Pat have been released since his death, as a way to pay tribute; some of the most recent amongst these include the 2011 comedy “Act Your Age”, the 2013 romantic comedy “Blunt Movie” and the 2014 adventure family comedy “Rice Girl”.

Please have #fun this weekend, watch #Rice #Girl on #AmazonPrime, #comedy for the whole #family, seriously! https://t.co/AWFzW7vkB0

— Cheryl Ling the Cat, Rice Girl Patriots (@myricegirl) December 1, 2019

Roles in TV series

Pat made his debut TV series appearance in the 1967 episode “The Recruiting Poster” of the war comedy “Gomer Pyle: USMC”, but he only began attracting attention in 1975, when cast to play the supporting character Matsuo ‘Arnold’ Takahashi in the critically acclaimed musical family comedy “Happy Days”. Garry Marshall created the series, which starred Mario Ross, Henry Winkler and Ron Howard, and follows the lives of members of the Cunningham family; the series aired until 1984, and won 19 of its 38 award nominations.

In 1987 and 1988, Pat starred as Lieutenant Ohara in the crime thriller “Ohara”, created by Hal Sitowitz and Ronald M. Cohen, and which also starred Robert Clohessy and Rachel Ticotin. It follows the life of a Los Angeles Police Department officer Ohara, and the series was nominated for two awards.

The ‘90s saw Pat appear in an episode of many series, including the science fiction comedy “The Munsters Today”, the family fantasy comedy “Harry and the Hendersons” and the science fiction action adventure “Space Rangers”. From 1998 through 2000, he starred as Uncle Pat in the family drama “Adventures with Kanga Roddy”, which also starred Alison Miller and Mickey Thomas, and follows Kanga Roddy as he’s teaching children dance, music and martial arts.

Pat’s three final TV series roles were in five episodes of the crime action adventure “Baywatch” (2000-2001), the 2002 episode “Yes Master” of the drama “Body & Soul”, and the 2003 episode “When Jimmy Met Greggy” of the comedy “Yes, Dear”.

Other credits

Pat wrote the 1987 romantic war movie “Captive Hearts” and two episodes of the 1988 crime thriller series “Ohara”.

He received special thanks (posthumously) for the 2005 sports documentary movie “The Way of the Karate Kid”, the 2007 romantic sports film “American Pastime”, and the 2018 episode “Counterbalance” of the hit action comedy series “Cobra Kai”.

Pat was occasionally invited to appear in talk-shows – some of his final appearances were in “An Evening at the Improv”, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Lista Top 40”.

Awards and accolades

Pat received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 4 August 1994.

He was nominated for two Golden Globes in 1985 and 1986, for his performance in “The Karate Kid” and “Amos”, respectively.

Love life and relationships

Pat was married to his third wife, American retired actress Evelyn Guerrero at the time of his passing; the two exchanged vows on 26 March 1994. Evelyn appeared in 39 TV series and movies prior to retiring in 1999. She was 17 years younger than Pat; they had no children together.

Pat’s first wife was non-celebrity American Kathleen Yamachi, and they had a daughter Erin Morita together; the two married on 13 June 1953, and divorced in 1970.

Pat’s second wife was non-celebrity American of Asian descent Yukiye Guerrero, and they had two daughters Aly and Tia together; Pat and Yukiye married on 28 December 1970 and divorced in 1989.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Pat was nicknamed ‘Hip Nip’ by a drummer, and he liked it so much that he used it as his stage name while working as a stand-up comedian.

He revealed that he was never able to do karate, and was only good at acting.

Pat often joked about famous American actor John Wayne becoming a millionaire only thanks to the Japanese.

He wasn’t expecting to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance in “The Karate Kid”, and was uncomfortable when his name was read at the ceremony.

Pat enjoyed playing billiards with his friends.

He was writing his own autobiography, but never managed to finish and publish it.

Death and wealth

Pat died from kidney failure on 24 November 2005, aged 73; he was an alcoholic from the start of his career, and it’s believed that alcohol contributed to his death. His remains were cremated.

Pat’s net worth was estimated at over $2.5 million at the time of his death.

Who is Ellie Kemper’s husband? Michael Koman Wiki Bio

Michael Koman was born in San Diego, California USA, on 2 February 1977 – his zodiac sign is Aquarius and he holds American nationality. He is a comedian, TV producer, and screenwriter, but perhaps best known for being the husband of Ellie Kemper, a famous American actress and comedian.

Childhood and education

Michael was raised in San Diego an only child by his father who was the owner of a small store, and his mother who was a teacher at a local high school. Michael started watching TV with his father at a very early age, and became interested in comedy after he watched the comedy sketch show “Second City Television “(SCTV). He attended a local high school where he was physically active playing soccer and tennis, but spent his time after school at The Comedy Store where he found a job.

Upon matriculation in 1995, he enrolled at the University of California, San Diego where he listened to the university’s collection of comedy albums – he graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Michael’s career

Michael launched his career in 1999 when he and his friend wrote and produced the sketch comedy show “Todd’s Coma”, which was performed at the HBO Workspace while the tape was sent to the directors of the American sketch series “MADtv”, who promptly hired Michael as their screenwriter.

After Greg Cohen recommended Michael, he started working as a screenwriter for the show “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, alongside some of the show’s other writers such as Brian Stack and Andrew Weinberg.

He is credited with the creation of several popular characters in the series such as “The Interrupter” and “Hannigan the Traveling Salesman”. He was part of the show from 2001 to 2008, and occasionally made appearances in it, including the time in 2004 when he portrayed an accountant who offered a rather strange solution to the debate about gay marriage, which was then talked about in the media all around America.

When the show was supposed to change to “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and move to Los Angeles from New York City, Michael decided to leave, and he then became the head writer of the variety sketch show “Important Things with Demetri Martin”, and also worked as a writer for several months for the late night talk show “The Colbert Report”.

While writing for the former, he became friends with Nathan Fielder who became their writer shortly after Michael, and they went on to create the action comedy series “Eagleheart” together, which starred Chris Elliott and was quite popular as it aired from 2011 to 2014.

Shortly after “Eagleheart” ended, Michael and Nathan created the show “Nathan for You”, when Comedy Central asked Nathan to come up with a pilot episode for a new comedy show. The two men created a show in which Nathan who is a business manager comes to the owners of small companies and offers then strange and funny solutions to their problems. The series was a huge hit, and won Nathan a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Performance by a Male – Television while it was nominated for five others.

While still helping Nathan with his show, Michael worked on the sitcom “The Jack and Triumph Show”, and contributed to the creation of the show “Triumph’s Election Watch 2016”. In 2017, he started writing for “Saturday Night Live” (SNL).

Michael has won one Primetime Emmy Award and six Writers Guild of America Awards, while he’s been nominated for nine other Emmy Awards.

Love life and marriage with Ellie

Michael met Ellie Kemper backstage while they were both working on the show “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, and where Michael was flirting with her. They started dating just days later, and could had been seen appearing together in more than one sketch in the show.

Ellie Kemper and Michael Koman

They became engaged in 2011, and on 7 July 2012 they married in a small ceremony attended by only their closest friends and family. Ellie gave birth to their first son James in July 2016, while their second son Matthew followed in September 2019. Michael is Jewish and Ellie is Roman Catholic, but they’ve decided to raise their sons in Ellie’s faith. The family of four is living together in New York City.

Both Michael and Ellie were in a long-term relationship several years before they met, Michael dating his college sweetheart for two years, while Ellie was dating her college sweetheart for three years before their split.

Hobbies and other interests

Michael is a huge fan of animated comedy series – some of his favorites are “The Simpsons”, “Rick & Morty”, and “Family Guy”, while he is also keen on watching animated movies such as “Shrek” and “Emperor’s New Groove”.

Some of his favorite actors and actresses are the late Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Julia Roberts, while some of his favorite movies are “Dead Poets Society”, “Meet Dave”, and “Runaway Bride”. Michael likes to attend comic conventions as well as cosplay events (although he doesn’t dress up), and is keen on playing video games, with his favorite being “Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt”. One of Michael’s favorite hobbies is travelling and he has been all around the US and also to Europe on several occasions, visiting places such as London in England and Paris in France.

Michael is not very sporting, but enjoys playing golf with his friends.

Appearance and net worth

Michael is 43 years old. He has short brown hair and brown eyes, is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, and weighs around 163lbs (74kgs).

As of May 2020, his net worth is estimated at over $2 million, while Ellie’s net worth is reputedly over $4 million.

Who is Ellie Kemper? Wiki Bio

Elizabeth Claire Kemper was born in Kansas City, Missouri USA, on 2 May 1980 – her zodiac sign is Taurus and she holds American nationality. She is perhaps best known for starring in the title role in the comedy series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, which aired from 2015 to 2020 and which also starred Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess. It follows a woman who, after being a member of a doomsday cult, decides to change her life and moves to New York City. The series was a huge success, winning 17 awards while it was nominated for 86 others, including 18 Primetime Emmys.

Ellie was raised alongside her three siblings in Kansas City by their mother Dorothy Ann ‘Dotty’ Kemper who was a housewife, and their father David Woods Kemper who served as the CEO and chairman of the bank holding company Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

When she turned five, Ellie and her family moved to St. Louis where she studied at Conway Elementary School, before enrolling at John Burroughs School where she became interested in theatre and doing stand-up comedy. Upon matriculation in 1998, she enrolled at Princeton University from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2002. She also studied at Worcester College, Oxford prior to her graduation.

Ellie made her debut TV series appearance in 2006 when she portrayed Cindy in the drama comedy “Sexual Intercourse: American Style” followed by her roles in “Mister Glasses” in 2007 and “Important Things with Demetri Martin” in 2009.

https://twitter.com/EllieKemperSite/status/1256420825948880898

She gained recognition in 2009 when she was invited to portray the lead character, Kelly Erin Hannon in the comedy series “The Office”, which also starred Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer. It was a huge hit worldwide, as it won 48 awards including a Golden Globe, while it was nominated for 186 other awards. Some of her latest roles in TV series have been in the comedy sketch history series “The Who Was? Show” in 2018, the live TV special “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” in 2019, and she served as a guest judge in the talent show competition “America’s Got Talent” in 2019 as well.

She made her debut film appearance in 2009 when she played Jamie in the comedy movie “Mystery Team”, which starred Donald Glover, D. C. Pierson and Dominic Dierkes, and which follows several child detectives who are trying to solve a mystery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHEqW9AxHx/

Some of her following roles were in the comedy movie “Get Him to the Greek” in 2010, the drama “Somewhere”, and the comedy film “Bridesmaids” both in 2011, while some of her most notable performances have been in the movies “21 Jump Street” in 2012 and the satirical romantic comedy “They Came Together” in 2014. After this she became focused on voice roles, lending her voice to characters in movies such as “The Lego Batman Movie” and “Smurfs: The Lost Village” both in 2017, and “The Secret Life of Pets 2” in 2019.

Ellie has won five awards, including a 2010 Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress – Comedy Series in for “The Office”, and an MTV Movie Award for Best Jaw Dropping Moment for “Bridesmaids”; she’s been nominated for 11 other awards too.

Who is Debbe Dunning?

Debbe Dunning is an American actress, model, TV host, and comedian, who enjoyed fame during the 90s with the role of Heidi Keppert in the TV comedy series “Home Improvement” (1992-1999) and is also known as Hope Lorca in the TV drama series “Wicked Wicked Games” (2006-2007), in addition to other projects in which she has worked in her career.

Debbe Dunning Wiki- Age, Childhood, and Education

Born Debra Dunning on the 11th July 1966, in Burbank, California USA, she is the daughter of Bob Dunning and his wife Diane.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2sLkErhA6j/

Debbe went to John Burroughs High School, and was a cheerleader there, and became interested in modeling, waiting for the first opportunity to become a professional model.

Career Beginnings

Before she took up acting as her main profession, Debbe started as a model by signing with the Judith Fontaine Modeling and Talent Agency in Los Angeles. She started by appearing in numerous advertisements for Miller Beer, and made her first TV commercial for Foot Locker.

She was becoming more popular, and more brands and companies wanted her service, so she did a few ads for Ford Motors and made a couple of appearances in Taco Bell commercials.

Her acting career began in 1988, with a minor role in the comedy film “Dangerous Curves” starring Tate Donovan, Grant Heslov and Danielle von Zerneck. Debbe continued with minor roles in such TV series as “Who’s the Boss?” (1990), “Dream On”, and “Married… with Children” (1990-1991).

Rise to Prominence

It was in 1992 that she made her first appearance in the TV series “Home Improvement”, but that was just a minor role.

Debbe Dunning

However, she was brought back in 1993 as a different character, replacing Pamela Anderson, and remained in the show until its end, and thanks to the popularity of which, Debbe became a star. She featured in 136 episodes of the award-winning series, and though she didn’t take home any of the awards, she still made a name for herself. She enjoyed further success during the ‘90s, guest-starring in a number of other TV series, such as “Tales from the Crypt” (1994), “Baywatch” (1995), and “Boy Meets World” (1996), among others, which steadily contributed to both her popularity and wealth.

What is Debbe Dunning Doing Now?

Following the end of “Home Improvement”, Debbe remained active until the mid- 2000s, appearing in the television film “The Spiral Staircase” (2000), and in the romantic comedy film “Now You Know” (2002). Before she became focused on other matters, Debbe portrayed Hope Lorca in the TV series “Wicked Wicked Games” from 2006 to 2007.

After this, Debbe became focused on her family, and ceased her career. Nevertheless, she re-emerged in 2017 as a reality TV star with her own show “Debbe Dunning’s Dude Ranch Roundup” (2017-2018). The show aired for two seasons, showing Debbe as she travels across the US, visiting dude ranches. However, since the end of the second season, Debbe hasn’t appeared on TV, and there is no information about her most recent efforts. Some sources state that Debbe would gladly rejoin the cast of “Home Improvement” if a reboot happened.

For the moment Debbe is living in San Diego, and in her free time enjoys playing golf.

Debbe Dunning Net Worth, Height, Weight, and Appearance

Debbe was a star in the ‘90s and during this time her net worth increased by a large margin. She only continued increasing it, and nowadays her wealth is estimated to be around $4 million, as of early 2020.

Debbe, a model before an actress, has kept her perfect body measurements; she stands at 5ft 9ins (1.73m) tall, while she weighs approximately 128lbs ~ 58kgs, and her vital statistics are 33-24-33, bra size 38C.

She has brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Debbe Dunning Personal Life, Marriage, Children, Husband, Divorce

Debbe married former professional volleyball player Steve Timmons in 1997, but they divorced in 2018, with no official reason made to the public. They have three children together, a daughter, Spencer Schae, and two sons, Stoney, and Sysco. With her third pregnancy, Debbe stepped down from her career in show business and focused on her family.

Her ex-husband was a member of the American national team that won two consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games, in 1984 Los Angeles, and 1988 Seoul, while in 1992 he won the bronze medal. Also, back in 1986, the national team won the gold medal in the World Championships.

Debbe is known for her focus on charities and has supported numerous causes, raising money for children who have experienced life-threatening burn injuries, and also raising awareness of cancer and treatments.