Patti Yasutake, “Beef” and “Star Trek” Actress, Dies at 70: 'A Chosen Family Member'

"It was an honor to know her, work with her and love her," her manager of 30 years, Kyle Fritz, wrote in a statement

Patti Yasutake has died at the age of 70 following a journey with cancer.

Loved ones are mourning the loss of the actress, who made a name for herself in Hollywood following her debut in Ron Howard’s 1986 comedy Gung Go. Her longtime manager Kyle Fritz confirmed the news to PEOPLE and remembered her with a sweet message.

“Patti was not only a client but a ‘chosen family member,’” Fritz shared. “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.”

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Yasutake, a California native, never left the acting scene upon entering. She studied acting in college at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she graduated with a degree in theater. 

She was very involved in the East West Players theater, where she worked alongside co-founder Mako, who is a well-known Japanese-American actor. Her time in the theater space lasted thirty years, performing at numerous venues such as the New Mexico Repertory Theatre, American Southwest Theatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory Theatre and The Westwood Playhouse (now The Geffen Playhouse).

Shortly after taking on the role of a Japanese woman adapting to life in America in Gung Go, her character Umeki appeared in an ABC spinoff of the film.

Two years later, in 1988, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award Supporting Actress for a movie called The Wash. 

Never slowing down, she went on to appear in Drop Dead Gorgeous, Blind Spot and Road to Galveston, along with series guest-star roles in The Closer, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Flash Forward, The Unit and Cold Case.

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Most notably, Yasutake was in the hit Netflix limited series Beef as Fumi Nakai, which won best limited series at the 2024 Golden Globe awards, and Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation and in the films Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Generations.

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