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. He got out of camp by enlisting in the US Army, and was assigned to the famous Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT)--the most decorated unit in the US Army--and fought in Italy.
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. When he got out of the army after World War II, he began a career as a singer. However, knowing that audiences would never accept him if he used his real Japanese name of Goro Suzuki, he changed it to the Chinese-sounding Jack Soo and billed himself as "The Chinese Bing Crosby”.
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
| Date | Show/Episode | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978.12.04 | The Hollywood Squares | Panelist | Had his own square |
| 1978 | All-Star Family Feud Special | Celebrity Contestant | Barney Miller vs. Eight Is Enough; Welcome Back Kotter vs. Soap |
| 1958-1960 | Flower Drum Song (Broadway) | As Frankie Wing | Produced by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Directed by Gene Kelly. 600 performances |