Jack Soo

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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.

Appearances

Show Episode Title Air Date
Barney Miller S01.E01 "Ramon" 23-Jan-75
Barney Miller S01.E02 "Experience" 30-Jan-75
Barney Miller S01.E03 "Snow Job" 6-Feb-75
Barney Miller S01.E04 "Graft" 13-Feb-75
Barney Miller S01.E05 "The Courtesans" 20-Feb-75
Barney Miller S01.E06 "Stakeout" 27-Feb-75
Barney Miller S01.E07 "Bureaucrat" 6-Mar-75
Barney Miller S01.E08 "Ms. Cop" 13-Mar-75
Barney Miller S01.E09 "Vigilante" 20-Mar-75
Barney Miller S01.E10 "The Guest" 27-Mar-75
Barney Miller S01.E11 "Escape Artist" 10-Apr-75
Barney Miller S01.E12 "Hair" 17-Apr-75
Barney Miller S01.E13 "The Hero" 1-May-75
Barney Miller S02.E01 "Doomsday" 11-Sep-75
Barney Miller S02.E02 "The Social Worker" 18-Sep-75
Barney Miller S02.E03 "The Layoff" 25-Sep-75
Barney Miller S02.E04 "Ambush" 2-Oct-75
Barney Miller S02.E05 "Heat Wave" 9-Oct-75
Barney Miller S02.E06 "The Arsonist" 16-Oct-75
Barney Miller S02.E07 "Grand Hotel" 23-Oct-75
Barney Miller S02.E08 "Discovery" 30-Oct-75
Barney Miller S02.E09 "You Dirty Rat" 13-Nov-75
Barney Miller S02.E10 "Horse Thief" 20-Nov-75
Barney Miller S02.E11 "Rain" 27-Nov-75
Barney Miller S02.E12 "Fish" 4-Dec-75
Barney Miller S02.E13 "Hot Dogs" 11-Dec-75
Barney Miller S02.E14 "Protection" 18-Dec-75
Barney Miller S02.E15 "Happy New Year" 8-Jan-76
Barney Miller S02.E16 "Sniper" 22-Jan-76
Barney Miller S02.E17 "Fear of Flying" 29-Jan-76
Barney Miller S02.E18 "Block Party" 12-Feb-76
Barney Miller S02.E19 "Massage Parlor" 19-Feb-76
Barney Miller S02.E20 "The Psychiatrist" 26-Feb-76
Barney Miller S02.E21 "The Kid" 4-Mar-76
Barney Miller S02.E22 "The Mole" 18-Mar-76
Barney Miller S03.E01 "Evacuation" 23-Sep-76
Barney Miller S03.E02 "Quarantine: Part 1" 30-Sep-76
Barney Miller S03.E03 "Quarantine: Part 2" 7-Oct-76
Barney Miller S03.E04 "Bus Stop" 14-Oct-76
Barney Miller S03.E05 "The Election" 21-Oct-76
Barney Miller S03.E06 "Werewolf" 28-Oct-76
Barney Miller S03.E07 "The Recluse" 11-Nov-76
Barney Miller S03.E08 "Noninvolvement" 18-Nov-76
Barney Miller S03.E09 "Power Failure" 9-Dec-76
Barney Miller S03.E10 "Christmas Story" 23-Dec-76
Barney Miller S03.E11 "Hash" 30-Dec-76
Barney Miller S03.E12 "Smog Alert" 6-Jan-77
Barney Miller S03.E13 "Community Relations" 13-Jan-77
Barney Miller S03.E14 "The Rand Report" 20-Jan-77
Barney Miller S03.E15 "Fire '77" 27-Jan-77
Barney Miller S03.E16 "Abduction" 3-Feb-77
Barney Miller S03.E17 "Sex Surrogate" 10-Feb-77
Barney Miller S03.E18 "Moonlighting" 17-Feb-77
Barney Miller S03.E19 "Asylum" 24-Feb-77
Barney Miller S03.E20 "Group Home" 10-Mar-77
Barney Miller S03.E21 "Strike: Part 1" 24-Mar-77
Barney Miller S03.E22 "Strike: Part 2" 31-Mar-77
Barney Miller S04.E01 "Goodbye, Mr. Fish: Part 1" 15-Sep-77
Barney Miller S04.E02 "Goodbye, Mr. Fish: Part 2" 22-Sep-77
Barney Miller S04.E03 "Bugs" 29-Sep-77
Barney Miller S04.E04 "Corporation" 6-Oct-77
Barney Miller S04.E05 "Burial" 13-Oct-77
Barney Miller S04.E06 "Copy Cat" 27-Oct-77
Barney Miller S04.E07 "Blizzard" 3-Nov-77
Barney Miller S04.E08 "Chase" 17-Nov-77
Barney Miller S04.E09 "Thanksgiving Story" 24-Nov-77
Barney Miller S04.E10 "Tunnel" 1-Dec-77
Barney Miller S04.E11 "Atomic Bomb" 15-Dec-77
Barney Miller S04.E12 "The Bank" 5-Jan-78
Barney Miller S04.E13 "The Ghost" 12-Jan-78
Barney Miller S04.E14 "Appendicitis" 19-Jan-78
Barney Miller S04.E15 "Rape" 26-Jan-78
Barney Miller S04.E16 "Eviction: Part 1" 2-Feb-78
Barney Miller S04.E17 "Eviction: Part 2" 9-Feb-78
Barney Miller S04.E18 "Wojo's Problem" 23-Feb-78
Barney Miller S04.E19 "Quo Vadis?" 2-Mar-78
Barney Miller S04.E20 "Hostage" 23-Mar-78
Barney Miller S04.E21 "Evaluation" 4-May-78
Barney Miller S04.E22 "The Sighting" 11-May-78
Barney Miller S04.E23 "Inauguration" 18-May-78
Barney Miller S05.E01 "Kidnapping: Part 1" 14-Sep-78
Barney Miller S05.E02 "Kidnapping: Part 2" 14-Sep-78
Barney Miller S05.E03 "The Search" 21-Sep-78
Barney Miller S05.E04 "Dog Days" 28-Sep-78
Barney Miller S05.E05 "The Baby Broker" 5-Oct-78
Barney Miller S05.E06 "Accusation" 12-Oct-78
Barney Miller S05.E08 " Loan Shark" 2-Nov-78
Barney Miller S05.E09 " The Vandal" 9-Nov-78
Barney Miller S05.E24 " Jack Soo, a Retrospective" 17-May-79