Patti Yasutake, a Japanese American actress best known for her roles on the Netflix series “Beef” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” died of cancer this past Monday in a Los Angeles hospital. She was 70.
Yasutake started her 30-year theater career at East West Players, the country’s longest-running Asian American theater, working with the company’s co-founder and acclaimed Japanese American actor Mako, according to Variety.
She made her major feature debut in the 1986 comedy “Gung Ho” as Umeki, a Japanese wife trying to Americanize. Her next movie, the 1999 “The Wash,” earned Yasutake an Independent Spirit Award Supporting Actress nomination, Deadline reported.
Yasutake was a series regular on the highly-acclaimed Netflix limited series “Beef,” playing Fumi Nakai. She also played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek Generations.”
“It feels deeply gratifying that not only did I have the opportunity to participate in it, and we had such fun [making it], but that the audiences are having such fun — I can’t even describe it. It’s just a thrill,” Yasutake said about “Beef” to Tudum in a 2023 interview.
Yasutake appeared in television series such as “ER,” “The Closer,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Bones,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Cold Case.” She also featured in films like “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Blind Spot.”
Born and raised in Gardena and Inglewood, California, Yasutake graduated from UCLA with honors in theater.
Yasutake is survived by her siblings Linda Hayashi and Steven Yasutake.
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