Jack Soo
Jack Soo (October 28, 1917 – January 11, 1979) was a Japanese American actor. He was best known for his role as Detective Nick Yemana on the television sitcom Barney Miller. Soo was the first Asian actor to play an American-born Asian character in a regular television series, Valentine's Day (1964).
Soo was born Goro Suzuki on a ship traveling from the United States to Japan in 1917. His parents lived in Oakland, California and they decided that as he was the oldest boy, they wanted to have him born in Japan. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. He lived in Oakland, California, until ordered into internment along with other Japanese Americans during World War II. He was sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah and fellow internees recalled him as a "camp favorite", an entertainer singing at dances and numerous events.
Soo's career as an entertainer began in earnest at the end of the war, first as a stand-up nightclub performer primarily in the Midwestern United States. He changed his name to Soo while working at a Chinese night club called Chin's in Cleveland, Ohio.
During his years playing the nightclub circuit, he met and became friends with future Barney Miller producer Danny Arnold, who was also a performer at the time.
A documentary about Son's life is called You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (Documentary), written, directed and produced by Jeff Adachi.
See all Barney Miller appearances here.
Non-Barney Miller Appearances[edit]
| Show | Episode | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hollywood Squares | S01.E01 | Panelist | 4 December 1978 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E01 | The Life You Save is Yours | Fri, Sep 18, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E02 | Triple Trouble | Fri, Sep 25, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E03 | How to Live Without Dying | Fri, Oct 2, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E04 | Fraudulent Female | Fri, Oct 9, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E05 | Call Me No Cabs | Fri, Oct 16, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E06 | If Africa Speaks, Don't Answer | Fri, Oct 23, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E07 | The Baritone Canary | Fri, Oct 30, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E08 | The Old School Tie | Fri, Nov 6, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E09 | Yen Ku Horowitz | Fri, Nov 13, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E010 | The Hottest Game in Town | Fri, Nov 20, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E011 | Bride and Gloom | Fri, Nov 27, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E012 | Cherry Blossoms in New York | Fri, Dec 4, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E013 | Teahouse of the Bankrupt Moon | Fri, Dec 11, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E014 | The Seasick Sailor | Fri, Dec 18, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E015 | All Through the Night | Fri, Dec 25, 1964 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E016 | Follow the Broken Pretzel | Fri, Jan 1, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E017 | The Double Shamaguchi | Fri, Jan 8, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E018 | The Sweet Smell of Wampum | Fri, Jan 15, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E019 | Which Witch? | Fri, Jan 22, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E020 | Two Weeks with Pay | Fri, Jan 29, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E021 | All Right, Louie, Drop That Blue Pencil | Fri, Feb 5, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E022 | For Me and My Sal (No Jack) | Fri, Feb 12, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E023 | Sin Has Two Faces | Fri, Feb 19, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E024 | Mad, Mad Momma | Fri, Feb 26, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E025 | The Title Fight | Fri, Mar 5, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E026 | Viva Valentine | Fri, Mar 12, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E027 | The Man Who Shot the World | Fri, Mar 19, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E028 | Mama Loathes Papa | Fri, Mar 26, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E029 | Instant Father | Fri, Apr 2, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E030 | Tell Me in English | Fri, Apr 9, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E031 | Farrow's Fling | Fri, Apr 16, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E032 | A Muffin Is Not a Tart | Fri, Apr 23, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E033 | I'll Cry at My Wedding | Fri, Apr 30, 1965 |
| Valentine's Day | S01.E034 | Cliimb Upon My Knee, Sonny Boy | Fri, May 7, 1965 |