Patti Yasutake, the actress best known for her work in theStar Trekfranchise and Netflix’sBeef, died on August 5 following a battle with cancer. She was 70. According to Yasutake’s friend and long-time manager Kyle Fritz, the veteran actress passed away following a long battle with a rare form of T-cell lymphoma. In a statement toPEOPLE, Fritz shared:
“Patti was not only a client but a ‘chosen family member.’ She was the very first actress I ever signed and a friendship of over 30 years ensued. It was an honor to know her, work with her and love her.”
Yasutake was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her career in the 1970s after graduating from UCLA with a degree in theater arts. Her earliest acting work was in theater, but in 1985, she made her television debut, appearing in guest roles onT.J. Hooker, Knots Landing,andHail to the Chief.The following year, Kasutake starred as Umeki Kazihiro in Ron Howard’sGung Ho, later reprising the role for a short-lived series of the same name.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Yasutake became known for her role as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa 1987’sStar Trek: The Next Generation, which she would reprise for 1994’sStar Trek Generationsand 1996’sStar Trek: First Contact. Her work in Michael Toshiyuki Uno’s 1988 film,The Wash, a drama about a Japanese family, earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Yasutake’s career also included appearances in films likeStop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Road to Galveston, andDrop Dead Gorgeous. She also appeared in guest roles on popular shows likeGrey’s Anatomy, Bones, The Closer, Living Single, ER, Picket Fences, andThe Young and the Restless.
Patti Yasutake Found Her Work on Beef ‘Deeply Gratifying’
In 2023, Yasutake appeared in Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning seriesBeef, portraying Fumi Nakai, Ali Wong’s character’s mother-in-law. During a conversation withNetflix’s Tudum, the actress expressed how excited she was to be in the series:
“I was just elated, this many decades into my career, that a role like this would come along.”
CommendingBeefcreator’s Lee Sung Jin’s writing, Yasutake added that the series was “really poignant” to her.
" I didn’t think, like I said, after this many decades in the business, that some project like this and a role like this would come along. It feels deeply gratifying that not only did I have the opportunity to participate in it, and we had such fun [making it], but that the audiences are having such fun — I can’t even describe it. It’s just a thrill."
Drive Stars Eyed To Lead Beef Season 2 at Netflix
Netflix’s Beef is eyeing an all-star cast for Season 2, but that will seemingly not include Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway as originally rumored.
Beefreceived eight Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, and three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film (a second season,with a new cast, is in development). Although Yasutake last physically appeared in the critically acclaimed series, her last role was voicing Akane Kishida in the video game,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Yasutake is survived by her siblings, Linda Hayashi and Steve Yasutake.
