Also known as

Description

American actor and comedian, known for Arnold on Happy Days and Oscar-nominated as karate mentor Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid (1984) and its sequels. He had no martial arts experience before the films; for the first production he was trained in Goju-ryu karate alongside Ralph Macchio by fight coordinator Pat E. Johnson, while Fumio Demura - one of the inspirations for the Miyagi character - doubled his fight scenes.

Teachers (1)

• 
  Pat E. Johnson

  linkGoju-ryu 2

  Probable

  Two independent secondary accounts agree that Johnson trained the lead cast in goju-ryu ('Okinawan classic') karate for the film (Hollywood Reporter quoting Johnson's own Sports Illustrated account; MovieWeb feature naming the style), but no firsthand statement from Morita himself was located, so Probable rather than Confirmed.

  (1984-1984)

  expand_morefact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources

  fact_check

  Two independent secondary accounts agree that Johnson trained the lead cast in goju-ryu ('Okinawan classic') karate for the film (Hollywood Reporter quoting Johnson's own Sports Illustrated account; MovieWeb feature naming the style), but no firsthand statement from Morita himself was located, so Probable rather than Confirmed.

  assessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  "For The Karate Kid (1984), Johnson told Sports Illustrated in 2018 that he trained actors Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio "separately, really hard.""

  — Barnes, Mike. (2023-11-06). Pat E. Johnson, 'Karate Kid' Choreographer, Trainer and Referee, Dies at 84linkinfo

  "In those lessons, Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio were taught goju-ryu style, Okinawan classic karate."

  — Press, Lindsay. (2024-02-18). Did Pat Morita Learn Martial Arts to Play Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid?linkinfo

Honors (1)

• descriptionMartial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame 1

  Uncertain

  Reported by English Wikipedia and echoed across aggregator sites; the museum's own records were not located or consulted, and no independent corroboration was found. A posthumous industry recognition rather than a practitioner honor.

  Other (2015)

  expand_morefact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  1 source

  fact_check

  Reported by English Wikipedia and echoed across aggregator sites; the museum's own records were not located or consulted, and no independent corroboration was found. A posthumous industry recognition rather than a practitioner honor.

  assessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  "In 2015, Morita was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame."

  — Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Pat Morita. Wikipedia (English)linkinfo

Sources