Actor

Miyoshi Umeki

11 credited titles on WatchWise

Miyoshi Umeki (梅木美代志, Umeki Miyoshi; or ミヨシ・ウメキ Miyoshi Umeki, May 8, 1929 – August 28, 2007) was a Japanese American singer and actress. She was best known for being the first Asian actor to win an Academy Award for her acting debut as Katsumi in the romantic drama film Sayonara (1957). Umeki was also best known for playing Mrs. Livingston in the television series The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969-1972) and for playing Mei Li in the broadway musical Flower Drum Song, which earned her a nomination for a Tony Award. She would later reprise the role for the musical's 1961 film adaptation.

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Miyoshi Umeki in one minute

Strongest genre

Biggest hit

Standout efficiency

Sayonara · gross ÷ budget

Commercial performance

Associated lifetime gross

$19M

Combined reported budget

$4.7M

Gross / budget

4.1x

Bankability Index

45 / 100

All figures are associated, not attributed — box-office numbers are sourced from TMDB and Wikipedia (reused under CC BY-SA), shown in US$, and weighted by billing prominence. Coverage varies by title; figures are estimates, not audited trade data.