Born in Isleton, CA. Japanese-American performer who was best known as Arnold in the popular TV series "Happy Days" and as martial arts sage Mr. Miyagi in the popular KARATE KID films. Morita began his career doing stand-up, using stories about Japanese-American culture as a basis for his comedy, and opening for such acts as Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, and Diana Ross. He eventually graduated to headlining in Las Vegas showrooms, Playboy Clubs and Carnegie Hall, and made guest appearances on such early hit series as "M*A*S*H," "Love Boat" and "Magnum P.I.," as well as being a frequent guest on variety and talk shows. In series TV, Morita was a regular on "Sanford and Son" (1974-75) playing Lamont's buddy Ah Chew, but he gained enormous popularity when he landed the role of Arnold in the second season of "Happy Days" (1975-76). As the owner of the malt shop where Fonzie and the gang hang out, Morita left the show to star in his own short-lived series "Mr. T and Tina" (1976), becoming the first Japanese-American to star in series TV. He made his feature acting debut in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967) and was regularly cast in supporting roles in comedies throughout the 1970s and early 80s, but it was the casting of Morita as Mr. Miyagi, the wise and peaceful martial arts master in THE KARATE KID (1984), that marked a turning point in his career. His carefully calibrated performance was critically acclaimed and the film's wide audience appeal translated into three sequels and a new status for the actor. He went on to receive star billing in features like the buddy movie COLLISION COURSE (1987) where he teamed up with comic Jay Leno, and several other features that quickly disappeared. Director Gus Van Sant cast him as a medicine man in the ill-fated EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES (1994). In THE NEXT KARATE KID (1994), a teenage girl replaced an aging Ralph Machio as his student. Other notable credits include MIDWAY (1976), WHEN TIME RAN OUT (1980), SAVANNAH SMILES (1982), NIGHT PATROL (1984), CAPTIVE HEARTS (1987), HONEYMOON IN VEGAS (1992), THE MISERY BROTHERS (1995), BLOODSPORT 2, BLOODSPORT 3 and SPY HARD (all 1996), MULAN (1998 - voice of the Emperor), COYOTE MOON (1999), TALK TO TAKA (2000), HOUSE OF LUK (2001), THE STONEMAN and RICE GIRL (2002), CATS AND MICE, STUEY and RICE GIRL (all 2003), MISS CAST AWAY (uncredited), THE KARATE DOG and ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING (all 2004), DOWN AND DERBY and AMERICAN FUSION (both 2005. Morita appeared in several films that were released after his death: COMING ATTRACTIONS and SPYMATE (both 2006) and ACT YOUR AGE and ROYAL KILL (both scheduled for 2008 release).  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1984: THE KARATE KID 1 nomination