Nobu McCarthy

Nobu McCarthy (, born Nobu Atsumi (渥美 延); November 13, 1934 – April 6, 2002) was a Canadian actress. She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in the film The Wash. Early life McCarthy was born Nobu Atsumi in Ottawa, Ontario, the daughter of Masaji and Yuki Atsumi. Her father was a Japanese fashion designer and diplomatic attaché stationed in Canada at the time. She was raised in Japan, where she studied ballet. A modeling career eventually led to a beauty pageant in which she won the title of "Miss Tokyo". Career Film While shopping in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles, McCarthy was discovered by talent agent Fred Ishimoto, which led to her film debut in the Jerry Lewis film The Geisha Boy (1958). In 1960, she appeared in the comedy film Wake Me When It's Over. In 1961 she starred alongside Shirley MacLaine and Laurence Harvey in the MGM movie Two Loves where she played a Maori child. 1963 saw her appear in an uncredited background role in the comedy drama Love with the Proper Stranger starring Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood. In the next decade, McCarthy continued acting in a small number of Television films and making numerous appearances in television episodes throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. She had some minor roles in a handful of movies including The Karate Kid Part II (1986.)