The Only Asian Actress To Receive An Academy Award

It happened in the Academy Awards, hosted in 1958. Among the nominated supporting actresses, which included Carolyn Jones and Elsa Lanchester, Miyoshi Umeki won for her performance in SAYONARA. She was the first, and so far only, Asian actress to win an Oscar for her acting.

Born in Japan in 1929, she had been regular in the Arthur Godrey and His Friends show. SAYONARA was her first film. Later, she appeared on Broadway doing FLOWER DRUM SONG, and was in its film, too, where she was enchanting. Many know her from her last acting job, which was on TV, playing the role of Mrs. Livingston in THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER. In the show, she took care of the motherless Eddie and helped him try to find a suitable mate for the boy's father, played by Bill Bixby.