Nobu McCarthy
| Nobu McCarthy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Atsumi Nobu |
| Born | November 13 1934 Ottawa, Canada  |
| Died | April 6, 2002 Brazil |
| Spouse(s) | David McCarthy (1955 - 1970) William Cuthbert (1976 - ) |
Nobu McCarthy (November 13, 1934 – April 6, 2002) was a former fashion model in Japan, who became an American actress and stage director.
The only daughter of a Japanese diplomat, McCarthy was born in Canada, but was raised in Japan where she studied ballet. A modeling career eventually led to a beauty pageant where she won the title of "Miss Tokyo." She married U.S. serviceman David McCarthy in 1955 and moved to the States. While shopping in the Little Tokyo district in Los Angeles, she was discovered by talent agent Fred Ishimoto, which led to her film debut in The Geisha Boy (1958) starring Jerry Lewis. For the next decade, McCarthy continued acting, appearing in smaller roles in a number of movies as well as guest spots on TV. She also had two children, but divorced McCarthy in 1970.
In 1971, McCarthy joined East West Players, an Asian American theatre group in Los Angeles. In 1976 she starred in the television movie, Farewell to Manzanar, based on the novel of the same title. That year she also married attorney William J. Cuthbert, though she kept McCarthy as her stage name. In 1986, she had a supporting role opposite her good friend Pat Morita, in the popular film, The Karate Kid, Part II. Her starring role in the indie feature The Wash (1988 film), opposite Mako, earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 1989. That same year she replaced Mako as artistic director of East West Players, a position she held until 1993. During this time, McCarthy also taught theatre at California State University, Los Angeles and UCLA. In 1996, East West Players presented McCarthy with a lifetime achievement award.
McCarthy's death in 2002 (from an aortic aneurysm) came unexpectedly, at age 67. She was on location in Brazil, filming Gaijin 2 - Ama-me Como Sou, starring Tamlyn Tomita, who had met McCarthy while filming her first movie, The Karate Kid, Part II.
External links
- Nobu McCarthy at the Internet Movie Database
- McCarthy obituary on AsianWeek.com
- extensive retrospective bio on audreymagazine.com
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