Who is Tamlyn Tomita? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Tamlyn Naomi Tomita

Age: 58 Years, 58 Year Old Females

Family:

father: Shiro Tomita

mother: Asako Tomita

Born Country: Japan

Actresses American Women

Height: 5'4" (163 cm), 5'4" Females

Ancestry: Japanese American, Filipino American

More Facts

education: University Of California, Los Angeles

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Childhood & Early Life

Tamlyn Tomita was born in Okinawa, Japan on January 27, 1966 to Shiro and Asako Tomita. Her father, who was a sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department, helped form the Department’s first Asian Task force. Tomita graduated from the Granada Hills High School in Los Angeles.

In 1984, Tomita won the title of the Queen at the Nisel Week Pageant which was held in Los Angeles. The following year, she received the title of Miss Nikkei International. Shortly after, she also released a single and an album.

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Film Career

Tamlyn Tomita made her acting debut playing one of the main roles in the 1986 martial arts drama film ‘The Karate Kid Part II’. It was directed by John G Avildsen. Like its prequel, the film was a huge commercial success. In 1990, she played the female lead in the drama film ‘Come See the Paradise’. Though the film was met with positive reviews, it was a commercial disaster.

Her next significant role on the big screen was in the film ‘The Joy Luck Club’ (1993) which was directed by Wayne Wang. The film was a commercial success, earning around three times its budget. The movie revolved around the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. The next year, she played a role in the critically acclaimed film ‘Picture Bride’.

Over the next two decades, she appeared in several films including ‘Four Rooms’ (1995), ‘Robot Stories’ (2003), ‘Gaijin 2: Love Me as I am’ (2005), ‘Tekken’ (2009) and ‘Teacher of the Year’ (2014). She also appeared in many short films, such as ‘Betty Anderson’ (2000), ‘Peace’ (2006), ‘Starlight Inn’ (2010) and ‘Real Artists’ (2017). Her performance in ‘Real Artists’ won her multiple awards and nominations.

TV Career

Tamlyn Tomita’s early works on television included a recurring role in the TV series ‘Santa Barbara’ in the late 1980s. The show was a huge success and won several Emmy Awards in different categories. She has also appeared in many TV movies, such as ‘To Heal a Nation’ (1988), ‘Babylon 5: The Gathering’ (1993) ‘Walking Shadow’ (2001), and ‘Jane Doe: Now You See It: Now You Don’t’ (2005).

Tomita has acted in many TV shows throughout her career, mostly in guest roles and recurring roles. Her works include ‘Time Trax’, ‘The Burning Zone’, ‘Nash Bridges’, ‘Eureka’, ‘General Hospital’, and ‘Teen Wolf’. In 2017, she started appearing in the series ‘The Good Doctor,’ wherein she plays the vice president of the hospital where the story takes place.

Major Works

'The Karate Kid Part II,’ an American martial arts drama film, is one of the important works in Tamlyn Tomita’s career. The film, which was directed by John S Avildsen, was a sequel to the 1984 hit film ‘The Karate Kid’. The film was a huge success commercially, earning nearly nine times its budget. It was met with mostly mixed reviews from critics.

Tomita played a supporting role in the science fiction disaster film ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film was based on the book ‘The Coming Global Superstorm’. It was a huge commercial success, earning more than four times its budget. It received mixed reviews from critics and won several awards, including a BAFTA Award for ‘Best Visual Effects.

Awards & Achievements

In 1991, Tamlyn Tomita was chosen by ‘People Magazine’ as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

In 2001, she won the Asian Media Award at the Asian American International Film Festival’.

In 2017, she won the Jury Prize for ‘Best Actress’ at the ‘FantaSci Film Festival’ for her role in the short film ‘Real Artists’. She also won a Southern Shorts Award the same year, for the same role

Personal Life

Tamlyn Tomita is currently known to be single. Previously she was in a relationship with Greg Watanabe.

Tamlyn Tomita Biography