Patti Yasutake, the actor best known for her roles in Beef and Star Trek: The Next Generation, has died aged 70, her manager Kyle Fritz announced on Tuesday (August 6).
Yasutake passed away peacefully on August 5 at a hospital in Santa Monica surrounded by friends and family after a long battle with cancer, Fritz said. She had a rare form of T-cell lymphoma.
“Patti was my first client when I began over 30 years ago. We enjoyed every day we got to work together, and I will miss her spirit talent and tenacity but most of all her friendship,” Fritz told Variety.
Yasutake’s last TV role before her death was on Netflix’s acclaimed drama Beef, which starred Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. She played Fumi Nakai, the mother of June’s (Wong) husband George (Joseph Lee).
She starred as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in Star Trek: The Next Generation, reprising her role in the films Star Trek Generations (1994) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996).
Born in Los Angeles on September 6, 1953, Yasutake was raised in Gardena and Inglewood and graduated UCLA with Honors in Theater.
Her television acting career began in 1985 with an appearance on the police drama T. J. Hooker, starring William Shatner. She made her major feature debut in Ron Howard’s 1986 comedy Gung Go as Umeki – a role she reprised on its ABC series adaptation that lasted nine episodes in 1986-87.
She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her turn in The Wash (1988). Her other film credits include Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Blind Spot (1993) and Road to Galveston (1996).
She also had many guest-starring appearances on series including The Closer, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Flash Forward, The Unit and Cold Case.
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Yasutake’s sister Irene Hirano (who died in 2020) was the founding president of the US-Japan Council and chief executive officer of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
A memorial open to her colleagues and fans will be held at East West Players 120 N Judge Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Donations may be made to East West Players at: eastwestplayers.org.
She is survived by siblings Linda Hayashi and Steve Yasutake.