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Miiko Taka(1925-2023)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Miiko Taka
Miiko Taka came into the world as Betty Miiko Shikata in Seattle, Washington, a Nisei born of Japanese immigrant parentage. She spent much of her upbringing in Los Angeles. In 1942, Betty and her family were removed from their homes and interned in the Gila River War Relocation Centre in Arizona, a concentration camp which had been set up following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. One of her fellow detainees was the actor Pat Morita. Betty's internee file described her as a semi-skilled dressmaker and seamstress and suggested stenographer or typist as 'potential occupations'. Little is known of Betty's life prior to her debut in Joshua Logan's Sayonara (1957) , except that she had no prior acting experience and was employed as a clerk at a travel agency in L.A..

The role of Hana-Ogi, the celebrated Matsubayashi dancer who defies tradition by having a secret affair with an American pilot (Marlon Brando), had originally been earmarked for Audrey Hepburn. When Hepburn turned it down, Logan cast the unknown Miiko Taka in the part. Sayonara ultimately grossed $ 10.5 million and won four Oscars, including one for co-star Miyoshi Umeki as Best Supporting Actress. Miiko's performance was lauded by Variety and by Bosley Crowther of the New York Times who described her as "a flute-like beauty - a really lovely, serene and soothing impulse".

In the wake of Sayonara, Miiko was cast as a geisha opposite Glenn Ford in Cry for Happy (1961), a predictable comedy about the assorted romantic affairs of four G.I.'s on leave in Japan during the Korean War. She had further high profile roles in Operaatio Pullonkaula (1961) (as a girl guerrilla), Lapsenpiika vastoin tahtoaan (1964) (with Bob Hope), Älkää tappako taiteilijaa (1965) (with James Garner) and Kävele, älä juokse (1966) (with Cary Grant in his last film appearance). On television, she was mostly typecast amid exotic backgrounds in such escapist entertainments as Hawaiian Eye (1959), Adventures in Paradise (1959), Minä vakooja (1965) and Napoleon Solo (1964). Her penultimate screen appearance was as a Japanese noblewoman in James Clavell's miniseries Shogun (1980).

Miiko Taka was thrice married. Her first husband was the actor Dale Ishimoto with whom she had a son and a daughter.
BornJuly 24, 1925
DiedJanuary 4, 2023(97)
BornJuly 24, 1925
DiedJanuary 4, 2023(97)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos38

Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Jeffrey Hunter and Miiko Taka in Helvetistä ikuisuuteen (1960)

Known for:

Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
Sayonara
7.0
  • Hana-Ogi
  • 1957
Kävele, älä juokse (1966)
Kävele, älä juokse
6.6
  • Aiko Kurawa
  • 1966
Shangri-la (1973)
Shangri-la
5.2
  • Nurse
  • 1973
Cry for Happy (1961)
Cry for Happy
5.8
  • Chiyoko
  • 1961

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Scott Glenn in Miekka miekasta (1982)
    Miekka miekasta
    6.2
    • Yoshida's Wife
    • 1982
  • Richard Chamberlain and Yôko Shimada in Shogun (1980)
    Shogun
    8.1
    TV Mini Series
    • Kiri
    • 1980
  • Shogun - voittamaton (1980)
    Shogun - voittamaton
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • Kiri
    • 1980
  • Richard Dreyfuss in Vasten seinää (1978)
    Vasten seinää
    6.4
    • Saleswoman
    • 1978
  • A Family Upside Down (1978)
    A Family Upside Down
    6.9
    TV Movie
    • Mrs. Taka
    • 1978
  • Billy - kujien kasvatti (1977)
    Billy - kujien kasvatti
    6.2
    TV Movie
    • Receptionist
    • 1977
  • Rahanvaihtajat (1976)
    Rahanvaihtajat
    7.0
    TV Mini Series
    • Mom
    • 1976
  • Midwayn taistelu (1976)
    Midwayn taistelu
    6.7
    • (TV version only) (uncredited)
    • 1976
  • Mister Yoso
    • (as Miko Taka)
    • 1976
  • The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975)
    The Lives of Jenny Dolan
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Secretary
    • 1975
  • David Niven, Toshirô Mifune, Irene Tsu, and Kazuhito Andô in Paperitiikeri (1975)
    Paperitiikeri
    5.9
    • Madame Kagoyama
    • 1975
  • Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (1974)
    Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • Jade Mirror
    • 1974
  • The Little People (1972)
    The Little People
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Browning
    • 1974
  • Shangri-la (1973)
    Shangri-la
    5.2
    • Nurse
    • 1973
  • Yul Brynner and Samantha Eggar in Anna and the King (1972)
    Anna and the King
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Poor Peasant
    • 1972

Soundtrack

  • Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka in Sayonara (1957)
    Sayonara
    7.0
    • performer: "Sayonara" ("Goodbye") (1957)
    • 1957

Personal details

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  • Alternative name
    • Miko Taka
  • Born
    • July 24, 1925
    • Seattle, Washington, USA
  • Died
    • January 4, 2023
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Reginald Lei HsuJune 20, 2003 - present (her death)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Taka introduced Sayonara to audiences in the trailer. On the poster, she is "described as an exquisite new Japanese star in James A. Michener's story of defiant desire." Rare for its time, the film dealt head-on with racism and prejudice. It had what many consider the first onscreen kiss on the mouth between a leading white star and an Asian.

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