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
| 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 |
Valentines Day (TV Show)
- S01E1 "(1964)
- S01E2 "Triple Trouble" October 9, 1964
- S01E3 "How to Live Without Dying" October 2, 1964
- S01E4 Fraudulent Female 1964
- S01E5 "Call Me No Cabs" October 16, 1964
- S01E6 "If Africa Speaks, Don't Answer" October 23, 1964
- S01E7 "The Baritone Canary" October 30, 1964
- S01E8 "The Old School Tie" November 6, 1964
- S01E9 "Yen Ku Horowitz" November 13, 1964
- S01E10 "The Hottest Game in Town" November 20, 1964
- S01E11 "Bride and Gloom" November 27, 1964
- S01E12 "Cherry Blossoms in New York" December 4, 1964
- S01E13 "Teahouse of the Bankrupt Moon" December 11, 1964
- S01E14 "The Seasick Sailor" December 18, 1964
- S01E15 "All Through the Night" December 25, 1964
- S01E16 "Follow the Broken Pretzel" January 1, 1965
- S01E17 "The Double Shamaguchi" January 8, 1965
- S01E18 "The Sweet Smell of Wampum" January 15, 1965
- S01E19 "Which Witch?" January 22, 1965
- S01E20 "Two Weeks with Pay" January 29, 1965
- S01E21 "All Right, Louie, Drop That Blue Pencil" February 5, 1965
- S01E23 "Sin Has Two Faces" February 19, 1965
- S01E24 "Mad, Mad Momma" February 26, 1965
- S01E25 The Title Fight Mar 5, 1965
- S01E26 Viva Valentine Mar 12, 1965
- S01E27 The Man Who Shot the World Mar 19, 1965
- S01E28 Mama Loathes Papa.Mar 26, 1965
- S01E29 Instant Father Apr 2, 1965
- S01E30 Tell Me in English Apr 9, 1965
- S01E31 Farrow's Fling Apr 16, 1965
- S01E32 A Muffin Is Not a Tart Apr 23, 1965
- S01E33 I'll Cry at My Wedding Apr 30, 1965
- S01E34 Cliimb Upon My Knee, Sonny Boy (1965)