Actress Patti Yasutake from Star Trek Generations and Beach, Dies at 70 After Courageous Battle with Cancer
Patti Yasutake, best known for portraying Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek Generations, has passed away at age 70 following a long battle with a rare form of T-cell lymphoma. She died on Monday, August 5, at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, her longtime manager Kyle Fritz told publications like People and The Hollywood Reporter.
“Patti was my first client when I began over 30 years ago,” he said in a statement to THR, adding, “We enjoyed every day we got to work together, and I will miss her spirit, talent, and tenacity, but most of all, her friendship.”
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Born in LA on September 6, 1953, Yasutake was raised in Gardena and Inglewood. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in theater and never stopped acting. She began her career with the theater company East West Players, where she worked with Oscar-nominated Japanese American actor Mako, who later became her co-star in The Wash for six years.
Yasutake went on to become a theater director later in life and helped develop and stage world premieres for East West Players (Doughball), the Richmond Shepherd Theater (The Single Man), and the Ensemble Studio Theater (Father, I Must Have Rice). She also directed workshop presentations at the Mark Taper Forum, Arizona Theater Company, LA Theater Center, and Geffen Playhouse.
Yasutake’s Hollywood resume includes a well-remembered role in Ron Howard’s 1986 comedy Gung Ho, an ABC spinoff of the film that lasted for just nine episodes between 1986 and 1987, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Blind Spot, Road to Galveston, and more.
Most recently, Yasutake appeared in the hit Netflix limited series Beef as Fumi Nakai, which won the Best Limited Series award at the 2024 Golden Globes.
Yasutake’s survivors include her siblings, Linda and Steven. A memorial service for the late actress will be held at East West Players on August 25 between 1 and 3 PM. Donations in her memory can be made to the theater company.
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