Miiko Taka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miiko Taka
Taka in 1958
Born	Miiko Shikata (1925-07-24)July 24, 1925 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Died	January 2023(2023-01-00) (aged 97)
Other names	Betty Ishimoto
Years active	1957–1982
Spouse(s)	Dale Ishimoto ​ ​ (m. 1944; div. 1958)​ Lennie Blondheim ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	2

Miiko Taka (高美以子, Taka Miiko) (born Miiko Shikata July 24, 1925 – January 2023) was an American actress. She was well-known for her roles in movies and TV shows from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. Her most famous role was playing an elegant Japanese dancer named Hana-ogi. She starred alongside Marlon Brando in the movie Sayonara, which was about the Korean War. Miiko Taka also appeared in many other films and TV shows with famous actors like James Garner, Bob Hope, and Cary Grant.

Early life and challenges

Miiko Taka was born in Seattle in 1925. She grew up in Los Angeles, California. Her parents had moved to the U.S. from Japan. Miiko was a Nisei, which means she was born in America to Japanese immigrant parents.

During World War II, in 1942, the U.S. government ordered many Japanese-Americans to move to special camps. This was called Executive Order 9066. Miiko and her family were sent to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona.

Becoming an actress

Miiko Taka had an amazing start to her acting career. The director Joshua Logan was looking for an actress to play Hana-ogi in the movie Sayonara. His first choice, Audrey Hepburn, said no to the role. So, he decided to find a new, unknown actress.

At that time, Miiko was working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles. A talent scout discovered her at a local Japanese-American festival. Even though she had never acted before, she got the part! Her performance in Sayonara was praised by Variety magazine. Because of her great work, Warner Bros. offered her a movie contract.

Working with famous stars

After Sayonara, Miiko Taka continued to act in many films. She worked with well-known actors like James Garner, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, and Glenn Ford. She also acted with the famous Japanese actor Toshirō Mifune. They even worked together again in the 1980 TV miniseries called Shõgun.

Miiko Taka also helped out behind the scenes. When Toshirō Mifune and director Akira Kurosawa visited Hollywood, she worked as their interpreter. This meant she helped them communicate by translating what they said.

Family life

Miiko Taka married Dale Ishimoto, who was also a Japanese-American actor. They got married in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1944. They had two children: a son named Greg Shikata, who now works in the film industry, and a daughter. Miiko and Dale divorced in 1958.

Later, in 1963, Miiko married Lennie Blondheim. He was a TV news director in Los Angeles. Miiko Taka lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, for many years. Her grandson announced her passing in January 2023, when she was 97 years old.

Miiko Taka's movies

Images for kids

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  Miiko Taka in 1958

See also

• History of the Japanese in Los Angeles