Jack Soo
Jack Soo, born Goro Suzuki on October 28, 1917, was a pioneering Japanese American actor and comedian known for his significant contributions to the entertainment industry. Born during his parents' journey to Japan, he grew up in Oakland, California, and began his career in the arts while studying English at the University of California, Berkeley. His career was interrupted by World War II when he and his family were interned in a relocation camp. Despite these challenges, Soo entertained fellow internees and eventually transitioned to performing stand-up comedy across the Midwest and East Coast after the war.
Soo gained recognition as an actor after landing roles in nightclubs, leading to his breakthrough in the Broadway musical "Flower Drum Song," where he portrayed Sammy Fong. This role not only showcased his acting talent but also his singing ability, leading to a recording contract with Motown Records. Throughout his career, Soo advocated against the typecasting of Asian actors, refusing roles that perpetuated stereotypes. He eventually found success as Detective Nick Yemana on the television series "Barney Miller," where his character often engaged in humor related to cultural misunderstandings. Jack Soo's legacy lies in his efforts to pave the way for more diverse representation in media and his commitment to challenging stereotypes associated with Asian Americans. He passed away from esophageal cancer while still active in his career, leaving behind a lasting impact on the industry.
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Subject Terms
Jack Soo
Actor, entertainer, and singer
- Born: October 28, 1917
- Birthplace: Oakland, California
- Died: January 11, 1979
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
One of the first Asian Americans to star on Broadway and in television, Jack Soo became known for his wisecracking and wry performances. He helped to open the door for future Asian American actors and entertainers by refusing to portray Asian stereotypes.
Birth name: Goro Suzuki
Areas of achievement: Acting, television, entertainment
Early Life
Jack Soo was born Goro Suzuki to Japanese American parents on October 28, 1917. Wanting their child to be born in Japan, the Suzukis sailed from California, hoping to arrive in time for the birth; however, Soo was born on the boat before they could reach Japan, and his birthplace is listed as Oakland, California, the Suzukis’ home. After high school, Soo worked for a time as a farm laborer and melon buyer before enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in English. While in college, he began appearing in San Francisco nightclubs as a comedian, singer, and emcee.
Soo’s career was put on hold by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent relocation of Japanese Americans into internment camps. In 1941, he and his family were moved into Tanforan Assembly Center in San Francisco, then sent to Utah’s Topaz Relocation Center. While interned at the camp, Soo entertained the residents by performing stand-up comedy and singing. He became very well known and was eventually released by the US government to work in military intelligence in Cleveland, Ohio.
After the war, Soo was determined to break into show business. He worked as a butcher to pay the bills, but continued to perform stand-up throughout the Midwest and the East Coast. During this time, he befriended another struggling comic, Danny Arnold, who was hoping to break into television production; Arnold promised Soo that one day he would hire him. In the meantime, Soo’s comedy career got a big boost when he was paired with Joey Bishop in 1949. He played straight man to Bishop, perfecting his sarcastic and droll delivery. The partnership lasted only a year and a half, however, as Bishop’s agents were worried that being linked to an Asian would hurt his career and thus fired Soo.
In the late 1950s, Soo began working regularly at two Asian American nightclubs in San Francisco, Andy Wong’s Sky Room and Charlie Low’s Forbidden City. His big break came when Gene Kelly enjoyed Soo so much as the club’s announcer that he offered him the role of the nightclub emcee in the upcoming Broadway musical Flower Drum Song.
Life’s Work
By the time Soo was hired to play Frankie Wing in Flower Drum Song, he wanted to change his stage name back to Suzuki. However, the producers convinced him that it was not a good idea due to lingering anti-Japanese sentiment and that his current name would seem more authentic for the Chinese character he was about to portray. Soo kept his name, took the part, and moved to New York City in 1958. His portrayal of Wing received positive reviews, and he was promoted to the role of Sammy Fong, a romantic lead. The show was a great success, and Soo became a star. He was again cast as Fong in the 1961 film version, for which he sang his own songs. This performance helped to launch his singing career; in 1965, he was one of the first non–African American performers signed to Motown Records, for which he recorded “For Once in My Life,” a song that singer Stevie Wonder would cover in 1968.
After Flower Drum Song, Soo found it difficult to get work. Despite his popularity, roles for Asian actors were sparse and were generally limited to gardeners, houseboys, and other service-related parts, and Soo refused to take any role that reinforced Asian stereotypes. Although proud of the early Asian actors who had to take these roles, he felt that the time for stereotyping was over. Then, in 1964, he was offered a leading role on Valentine’s Day, a TV sitcom, alongside actor Tony Franciosa. The show only lasted for one season, and Soo spent the next eleven years guest starring in many television shows and movies.
Soo’s biggest success came in 1975, when his old friend Danny Arnold’s new show Barney Miller was picked up by the networks. Making good on the promise he had made to Soo twenty years earlier, Arnold cast him as one of a group of diverse New York City policemen. For the next four years, Soo played Detective Nick Yemana, once again using the sarcastic and caustic persona developed in his early stand-up career. Many Asian jokes were written into the show, mostly revolving around people’s inability to tell his ethnicity and mistaking him for Chinese or Korean.
At the height of his popularity, Soo was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He died while filming the fifth season of Barney Miller and was buried in Los Angeles, California.
Significance
Jack Soo’s role in the 1964 series Valentine’s Day made him the first Asian actor to play a lead in a television show. He promoted the idea that Asian American actors could play any parts, not just domestics or gardeners, and should not be limited to portraying exaggerated stereotypes for comic effect.
Bibliography
Hamamoto, Darrell Y. Monitored Peril: Asian Americans and the Politics of TV Representation. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1994. Print. A description of the struggles of Asian American actors on television. Mentions Soo and his various television roles.
Lewis, David H. Flower Drum Songs: The Story of Two Musicals. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2006. Print. Compares the histories of the original 1958 Broadway version of Flower Drum Song and the rewritten revival of 2002.
Niiya, Brian, ed. Japanese American History: An A-to-Z Reference from 1868 to the Present. New York: FOF, 1993. Print. Includes a brief synopsis of Soo’s life and career.