Jack Soo: His life and times outside of Barney Miller

Jack Soo lived an interesting life

When most people think of Jack Soo they recall hs being on the ABC sitcom Barney Miller. What the early days of Motown are recalled it is artists like Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and the Supremes, who come to mind. You might be surprised to find out that Soo was one of the first non-African American to record on the popular label and the first person to record a popular song. Unfortunately, Soo's one recording never saw the light of day.

The beloved actor was born Goro Suzuki in 1917 on a ship traveling in the Pacific Ocean. Suzuki'sHis parents lived in Oakland, California, and had decided they wanted him born in Japan but their oldest boy had other plans. His birth took place in the Pacific Ocean in between Japan and the United States.

Suzuki graduated with a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and lived in Oakland until he was sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah during World War II with other Japanese citizens. He was known as a "camp favorite," because he entertained those in confinement by singing and dancing at various events. Who would have have considered that this young amn would one day be world famous?

After the war, Suzuki began working as a stand-up comic as a nightclub performer. He changed his name to Jack Soo while working in Cleveland at Chin's Chinese nightclub. It was at this time he became friends with fellow performer Danny Arnold, who would later produce Barney Miller. Soo's big break came when he performed in the Broadway musical hit Flower Drum Song as Frankie Wing a comedian and the show master of ceremonies.

Barney Miller and early career

In 1962 Soo was cast by Jack Benny 0on his show as the street-wise talent agent in the episode "Jack Meets Japanese Agent" In 1964, he landed a weekly supporting role as Rocky Sin, a poker-playing con artist in the television series Valentine's Day. In 1965 Soo joined Motown Records as one of their first non-African-American artists. He became the first male artist to record a slow ballad version of "For Once in My Life" but the record was never released and there is no record of it on the Internet. The song was shelved in the Motown archives and shortly after was made famous by Stevie Wonder who did an upbeat version.

During the next decade, the actor appeared in the film The Green Berets and the 1967 musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He also made guest appearances on television shows including The Odd Couple, Hawaii Five-O, and two episodes of M*A*S*H. Soo's most memorable role came in 1975 when he joined the cast of the ABC sitcom Barney Miller. He portrayed Detective Nick Yemana, who was responsible for making coffee that never tasted right. It was a running joke on the series that Soo's fellow detectives had to drink his distasteful brew every day.

Soo refused roles that were stereotypical for Asian Americans and often spoke out against "negative ethnic portrayals." He desired to be seen as American and in several episodes of Barney Miller as Yemana he played against Asain American by emphasizing his solid American background.Longtime fans might recall Soo doing a television commercial for Care free sugarless gum where he portrayed an Eskimo.

Jack Soo personal life

Soo was married to model Jan Zdelar and they had three children and two grandchildren. He was a smoker and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer during the fourth season of Barney Miller (1977–1978). He missed the last five episodes but returned for the beginning of season five. Soo's final appearance on the series was in the episode titled "The Vandal", which aired on November 9, 1978.

The cancer spread quickly, and the actor was placed in the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center which is now the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center). A running joke on Barney Miller was that Yemana made bad coffee and as he was being wheeled into surgery he quipped "It must have been my coffee."

Soo passed away at age 61 on January 11, 1979. At the end of season four a retrospective episode was aired showing clips from his time on Barney Miller. It concluded with the cast members raising their coffee cups to bid him a final farewell.