Dorothy Sueko Saika: Facts About Pat Morita’s Mother

Dorothy Sueko Saika is known as the late mother of Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, a Japanese-American actor and comedian. Dorothy’s son, Pat Morita was well-known for his roles in The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and The Next Karate Kid (1994). He was an on-screen hero to millions of adults and kids.

Dorothy’s son, Pat Morita was the series lead actor in the television program Mr. T and Tina and in Ohara, a police-themed drama. The two shows made history for being among the few TV shows with an Asian-American series lead. Unfortunately, Pat Morita passed away at age 73, on November 24, 2005.

Dorothy Sueko Saika: Bio Summary

Dorothy Sueko Saika was welcomed into the world on October 24, 1913. She is from Milpitas, California. Unfortunately, Dorothy died peacefully on August 26, 2009, at 95 years of age. She died at the Asian Community Nursing Home. She was the mother of Teddy Saika, Pat Morita, Peggy Saika, Clarence Saika, and Gloria Imagire.

Dorothy Sueko Saika is famous as the mother of Pat Morita. Her son was born Noriyuki Morita on June 28, 1932, in Isleton, California, the U.S. He became a famous Japanese-American actor and comedian. He is mostly identified as the wise and wonderful Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid (1984).

Dorothy’s son Pat Morita is also known for The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and also The Next Karate Kid (1994). He was a stand-up comedian and he used the nickname “The Hip Nip”. His first movie roles were as a henchman in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) and a similar role in The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968), starring Don Knotts.

Pat Morita got a recurring television role on Sanford and Son (1974–1976) as Ah Chew, a good-natured friend of Lamont Sanford, and as South Korean Army Captain Sam Pak on the sitcom MAS*H (1973, 1974). He was also cast as Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka in the war film Midway (1976). He was Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi on Happy Days.

Also Read: Tia Morita: Facts About Pat Morita’s Daughter

Dorothy Sueko Saika’s son, Pat Morita also portrayed the character of Arnold in Blansky’s Beauties in 1977. He starred as inventor Taro Takahashi in his show, Mr. T and Tina, the first Asian-American sitcom on network TV. The sitcom was placed on Saturday nights by ABC and was quickly canceled after a month in the fall of 1976. He also starred in the ABC detective show Ohara (1987–1988); it was canceled after two seasons due to poor ratings.

Pat Morita wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts (1987). He hosted the educational home video series Britannica’s Tales Around the World (1990–1991). He also starred in the Nickelodeon television series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo (1996–1998) and had a recurring role in the sitcom The Hughleys (2000).

Pat Morita voiced the Emperor of China in Disney’s 36th animated feature Mulan (1998) and reprised the role in Mulan II (2004), a direct-to-video sequel and Kingdom Hearts II. He had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Alien Ant Farm music video “Movies”.

On November 24, 2005, Dorothy Sueko Saika’s son, Pat Morita died of kidney failure. He died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 73. He was cremated at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.