Miiko Taka
Miiko Taka ( Japanese高 美 以 子, Taka Miiko , born July 24, 1925 in Seattle , Washington ) is an American actress of Japanese origin, known from the movie Sayonara (1957) as Hana-Ogi.
life and career
Taka grew up in Los Angeles , California , her parents immigrated from Japan . She graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1943. Director Joshua Logan's first choice for the role in Sayonara was Audrey Hepburn , but she declined; Logan then looked for an unknown actress. Taka, who was working for a travel agency in Los Angeles at the time, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival. Although she had no previous acting experience, she received positive reviews. Warner Brothers then gave her a contract. After Sayonara , Taka appeared in various films and television series on the side of, among others, James Garner , Bob Hope , Cary Grant and Toshirō Mifune . Most recently she was in front of the camera for If he wants to go to hell, let him go in 1982 . She also acted as a translator for Mifune and Akira Kurosawa on their visits to Hollywood.
Taka married in 1944 in Baltimore the also Japanese-born actor Dale Ishimoto (1923-2004). The couple had two children; the marriage was divorced in 1958. In 1963 Taka married the television director Lennie Blondheim.
Filmography (selection)
- 1957: Sayonara
- 1960: Focus on Burma (Operation Bottleneck)
- 1960: A house in Yokoshimi (Cry for happy)
- 1960: Hell to Eternity
- 1963: State affairs (A Global Affair)
- 1965: The Art of Love
- 1966: Not so fast, my boy (Walk, Don't Run)
- 1968: The Six Suspects (The Power)
- 1973: The Lost Horizon
- 1974: Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
- 1975: Paper Tiger
- 1978: The Big Fix
- 1980: Shogun (TV series, 5 episodes)
- 1982: If He Wants To Hell, Let Him Go (The Challenge)
Web links
- Miiko Taka in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Miiko Taka in the German dubbing file
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Taka, Miiko |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American actress of Japanese origin |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seattle , Washington , United States |