Obituary: Pat Morita

* Pat Morita, comedian, actor. Died age 73.

Pat Morita, the Japanese-American actor who gained fame as the wise Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies and for appearances on the television show Happy Days, has died in Las Vegas at the age of 73.

Morita, who was born in California and sent to a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, won a supporting actor nomination for his portrayal of the witty karate mentor of a young boy in 1984's The Karate Kid.

The film proved to be a box-office sensation and earned Morita the distinction of becoming the first Asian-American to be nominated for an acting Oscar.

He appeared in the three Karate Kid sequels, the last of which, The Next Karate Kid, gave double-Oscar-winner Hilary Swank her big break in 1994.

The quick-witted Morita initially worked as a computer programmer but by the age of 30 he had entered the world of entertainment fulltime as a stand-up comedian.

He received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame in 1994.