Even though Japanese-American actor Pat Morita didn’t know karate off screen, he will be forever remembered as Mr. Miyagi from the martial arts movies The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and The Next Karate Kid (1994). The beloved character also popped up on the TV series The Karate Kid (1989), Robot Chicken (2005), and Cobra Kai (2018-present). In 2006, a SpongeBob SquarePants episode entitled “Karate Island” was dedicated to the late star. Yet Mr. Morita was more than Mr. Miyagi. After making his movie debut in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), the 5’ 3” up-and-comer switched to the boob tube where recurring roles on the hit shows Sanford and Son (1974-1976) and M*A*S*H (1973, 1974) welcomed him. Pat became more popular when he portrayed Arnold on the sitcoms Happy Days (1975-1983) and Blansky’s Beauties (1977). He also starred on the short-lived shows Mr. T and Tina (1976) and Ohara (1987-1988). Next came film appearances in the comedy Spy Hard (1996), the dramedy Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), and the action flick Do or Die (1991). The latter features Erik Estrada, Eric Chen, James Lew, Michael Shane, and Pat’s naked chest! In one scene, the shirtless actor is in bed with a topless woman. They’re making out until they’re told it’s tea time. It certainly is! In another scene, Pat can be seen on a massage table as a lingerie-clad masseuse rubs him down. We’re guessing he got a happy ending!
