Jack Soo
Known For
Acting
Born
1917-10-28 in Oakland, California, U.S.
Died
1979-01-11
Biography
A genial, laid back, slumber-eyed character player especially adept at the relaxed wisecrack or dry comment, Japanese-American actor Jack Soo was born in Oakland, California, in 1917, his real name being Goro Suzuki. In the post-WWII years, he entertained as a stand-up performer in nightclubs and had made a reasonable dent on the Midwest circuit by the time he earned his big break playing the club MC/comedian in the Rodgers and Hammerstein hit Broadway musical "Flower Drum Song" in 1958. Three years later, Soo was upgraded to the Sammy Wong character in the film version and decided to settle in Hollywood. Over the next decade, despite a typical lack of roles for Asian-Americans, he managed to find a niche for his hip, deadpan demeanor on TV and a few other films including Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963), the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), and John Wayne's controversial pro-Vietnam War film The Green Berets (1968). Soo is probably best remembered for his smart-aleck Detective Sgt. Nick Yemana on Barney Miller (1974), one of the more popular sitcoms of the 1970s alongside Hal Linden and Abe Vigoda. Sadly, he died of cancer during the show's fifth season in 1979 at the height of his popularity.
Most Known For
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
M*A*S*H
as Quoc
M*A*S*H
as Charlie Lee
Hawaii Five-O
as Sam Quong
Ironside
Ironside
as Joe Lee
Barney Miller
as Nick Yemana
Barney Miller
as Det. Sgt. Nick Yemana
Police Woman
The Odd Couple
as Chuk Mai Chin
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
as Self
Police Story
Julia
Valentine's Day
Busting Loose
The Oscar
as Sam
Thoroughly Modern Millie
as Oriental #1
The Green Berets
as Colonel Cai
Amy Prentiss
Return from Witch Mountain
as Mr. "Yo-Yo" Yokomoto