Not Much Is Known About Pat Morita’s Second Wife

Pat Morita

Getty Actor Pat Morita on August 15, 2000, in Los Angeles

Over the course of his life, Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid film series, was married three times: first to Kathleen Yamachi, then to Yikiye Kitahara, and lastly to Evelyn Guerrero.

Morita has two children: Erin Morita (from his first wife) and Aly Morita, from his marriage to his second wife. Little is known about Kitahara, whom he was married to from 1970 until 1989.

Her IMDB lists one creditTattletales, from 1975. She appeared as herself on the series.


Morita’s Marriage to Evelyn Guerrero

Evelyn Guerrero

GettyEvelyn Guerrero speaks at a memorial service for her late husband Pat Morita at the Palm Mortuary & Memorial Park November 30, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Evelyn Guerrero, Morita’s most recent wife, married the actor in 1994. Guerrero worked as an actress, model, and writer over the course of her career.

The two met when Guerrero was just 15. According to a previous Heavy article, per Turner Classic Movies, “… the future Mr. Miyagi was getting his start as a nightclub host and shared a manager with Guerrero’s mother…”

In an interview with the NHP podcast, Guerrero shared, “I was just a kid. My uncle, who was about 19, married… Lenny Bruce’s mother. She later… decided to become a manager. So she managed Lenny Bruce’s career, her son. And then she started getting other performers… when she married my uncle, she got him in contact with Cheech and Chong… That’s how I met Pat because Sally was managing his career.”


The Pat Morita Documentary

Guerrero executive produced the documentary, More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story, which will be released on February 5.

According to Movie Web, the documentary includes interviews from archives, with co-stars, colleagues, and Guerrero, whom he was with at the time of his death.

The documentary also delves into his childhood and the fact that he was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis as a toddler. In the words of Movie Web, “He was removed from medical care when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. The film explores this horrific incarceration and the profound effect it had on Morita. A successful surgery corrected his spine, but a childhood spent in hospitals and an American concentration camp left lasting psychological scars.”

In a recent interview with The Review-Journal, Guerrero shared, “I wanted his story to be a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. And, at the same time, I wanted to examine the fragility of his life. It’s a triumphant story, really… Listen, it’s nothing short of a miracle that he was able to overcome those incredible odds and achieve such great success.”

She added that the documentary explores the subject of his alcoholism. “I didn’t want it to define him,” she says. “I didn’t want people to walk away and say, ‘Oh, what a sad story.’”

More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story will premiere on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, and other streaming platforms on February 5.

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