From Associated Press:

Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr.
Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died.
He was 73.

Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes,
said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her
husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days,"
had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."

In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and
spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the
mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while
trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice
as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his
skills.

Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was
billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry
Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the
billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me."

He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who
appeared in "The Killing Fields."

For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such
films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd
Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy
Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina."

"The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which,
1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young Hilary Swank.

Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well,
appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get
the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice
for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998.

Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant
fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital
with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a
Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.

"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The
next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment
camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."

After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by
operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first
tried his comedy on patrons.

Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor,
Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age
30 he entered show business full time.

"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did,"
he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have
been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. "

Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous
marriage.