Arnold from Happy Days has passed away. Others might more fondly remember him from the Karate Kid. One of my favorite movies with him is the delightfully acted and directed "Midway."
RIP.
I just finished reading this news on AICN. It's a sad day for Karate Kid fans. Those movies were pure 80's cheese but I loved them- especially now, since they're aged. I bought the DVD box set not too long ago. They're some of my favorite movies to fall back on if I've got nothing else to watch.
I, like many others, first came to know him as Arnold on Happy Days. The show lost a great character when he left, but we saw an even broader side of his acting range after that and benefited from that as fans of his work. Pat Morita has shown that he had great comic timing and could do dramatic roles just as well. His characters were well loved and he will be missed.
Karate kid is pretty cool but my earlist memories of him were reruns of Happy Days on Nick at Nite.
At least they never die in reruns.
Then of course there is his unforgetable role of a guy who was gang raped by a bunch of lesbians in Night Patrol
Remember the Happy Days episode where they ask him if his name is Arnold and he's says he changed his name to Arnold when the character bought the building because he was to cheap to change the sign. I might not be recalling it correctly, but that was the idea.
Also when Fonzie crashes into the Chicken Booth during the famous motorcycle jump and Arnold gets upset.
(http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/0830/photo/karate3_i.jpg)