Reiko Sato

Reiko Sato (December 19, 1931 – May 28, 1981) was an American actress and dancer whose Broadway career spanned from 1953 to 1965. Born in Los Angeles, California, to Ken-ichi Sato, an issei Zen Buddhist priest, and his wife Chieko, she grew up alongside an older brother, Keiichiro, and a younger brother, Koji. During World War II, following the signing of Executive Order 9066, Sato and her family were incarcerated at the Gila River War Relocation Center. After the war, her mother pursued a career as a real estate investor. Sato graduated from Belmont High School in 1949 and subsequently enrolled at Los Angeles City College, where she continued her training in ballet.

Her Broadway work included three productions: Kismet, The Teahouse of the August Moon, and Destry Rides Again. In Kismet, she originated the role of the Princess of Ababu, a credit she later reprised in the film adaptation. In 1955, she took on the female lead of Lotus Blossom in the second national tour of John Patrick's play The Teahouse of the August Moon, appearing opposite Larry Parks. In Destry Rides Again, she performed two roles. Sato was also set to return to Broadway in the 1966 musical Chu Chem, but a troubled tryout in Philadelphia resulted in the production being cancelled before it reached New York.

Her screen work included a contract period with Fox and Universal, though neither arrangement produced significant roles. She is perhaps best known on film for portraying seamstress Helen Chao in the 1961 feature Flower Drum Song. She also appeared in The Ugly American in a dramatic capacity, receiving personal coaching from actor Marlon Brando, with whom she had a relationship. Her final film, Now It Can Be Told, was never completed and is considered lost.

Beyond her stage and screen work, Sato participated in regional theater, including a performance with the Valentina Oumansky Dramatic Dance Ensemble on September 24, 1970, in Hilo, Hawaii. In her later years, she was involved in organizations dedicated to promoting equality for Asian-American performers. She lived on Mulholland Drive and died of a brain aneurysm on May 28, 1981. Half of her ashes were sent to a Buddhist temple, while the other half were taken to Marlon Brando's private island.