Comedian Redd Foxx Gave ‘Mr. Miyagi’ Pat Morita a $3,500 Lifeline to Buy His First Home Before ‘Karate Kid’ Fame
Most movie lovers know actor Noriyuki “Pat” Morita from his beloved role as Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” movies. But most don’t know about his close relationship with comedian Redd Foxx.
Before starring in four installments of “The Karate Kid” franchise between 1984 and 1994, Morita worked as an actor and a stand-up comedian.
One of his TV roles included his role as Ah Chew in the 1970s sitcom “Sanford and Son.” The classic show starring Foxx as Fred G. Sanford for five years but Morita only lasted seven episodes.
In October 2000, the Television Academy published an interview with Morita, where the California-born entertainer reflected on the lessons he learned from his mentor: including speaking into the mic so people with the “cheap seats” in the back can also hear his joke.
He explained experiencing financial hardships when his then-wife, Yukiye Kitahara, was pregnant with their second child. The couple was married from 1970 to 1989.
“We had been renting a little two-bedroom place in the Rancho Park area,” Morita said. “The rent went from $400, which was a struggle because I was working off and on, to like 850 bucks.”
Eventually, Morita and Kitahara found a three-bedroom house that was in foreclosure. Unfortunately, the pair were short $3500 for a 20 percent down payment.
“We had begged and borrowed and hawked stuff and were in four days of escrow closing,” the Academy Award nominee stated.
The Hollywood veteran decided to approach his self-described mentor, Foxx, for assistance in purchasing the property and offered to work off the debt.
According to Morita, Foxx joked about not having a “small change” amount of $3500 on him before instructing his secretary to bring him his checkbook.
“Before he signs his name [on the check], he says, ‘Now look here. I don’t want to hear about no papers, no payback, no interest, no IOU, no nothing,’” Morita recalled while imitating Foxx’s voice.
He continued, “If you want to pay me back, I know you’re gonna make it one day, son. You do this for somebody.’ Never forgot it. I’ve done it. Fortunately, I got to that place he predicted I was gonna get to and I’ve helped a few people.”
A clip from Morita’s interview with The Television Academy hit Instagram last August, where fans expressed their shock about his and Foxx’s friendship.
“Redd was a real one. So was Pat,” one Instagram user posted. A second person wrote, “The good ol’ days when a handshake and your character was what counted.”
Another fan commented, “Not only one of the best Redd Foxx impressions I’ve ever heard but an amazing story!” Yet another user conveyed, “What a beautiful story. R.I.P. to them both.”
In addition to appearing in “Sanford and Son,” Morita had a prominent acting career, including a recurring role on “Happy Days” which ran from 1975 to 1983.
After “The Karate Kid” hit American theaters in 1984, the father of three became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi in the martial arts-themed motion picture.
Morita’s performance in the film — that racked up $91 million at the worldwide box office
— earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 57th Academy Awards in 1985.
Mr. Miyagi revealing that he’s been teaching Daniel karate through making him do chores–to me that’s cinema
📺: The Karate Kid pic.twitter.com/cThkEfobiH
— Golden (@netflixgolden) October 17, 2024
Its critical and commercial success spawned, “The Karate Kid Part II” in 1986, “The Karate Kid Part III” in 1989, and “The Next Karate Kid” in 1994.
Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, and Jackie Chan starred in the 2010 “The Karate Kid” reboot. The “Cobra Kai” spinoff television series premiered in 2018 on YouTube Red before moving to Netflix in 2021.
Morita passed away from kidney failure on Nov. 24, 2005, at the age of 73, in Las Vegas. Archival footage of him as Mr. Miyagi has been used in “Cobra Kai” following his death.
Foxx died on Oct. 11, 1991, after suffering a heart attack on the set of “The Royal Family” sitcom. The 68-year-old showbiz comic is credited with influencing other comedians such as Jamie Foxx, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, and more.
Pryor, Murphy, and Foxx came together as a comedy triumvirate for 1989’s “Harlem Nights.”
The Murphy-directed film set in the 1930s featured one of Foxx’s last on-screen appearances prior to his passing.
