Nobu McCarthy on Barney Miller

Former Miss Tokyo graces TV's famous 12th Precinct

This clip from a late 1976 episode of Barney Miller, entitled “Christmas Story,” has Japanese actress and former Miss Tokyo Nobu McCarthy as a hooker/mugging victim, giving her report to Sgt. Ron Harris (and catching the eye of  Sgt. Nick Yemana, who doesn’t find out her occupation until after he makes a date with her).

Born Nobu Atsumi in Canada in 1934, she probably chose to keep her first husband’s surname because she had it when she made her acting debut in the 1958 film The Geisha Boy. Her film career lasted until her death in 2002, while she was on location in Brazil, making Gaijin 2: Love Me as I Am. More details of her death and career can be found in this article at Backstage.com.


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About the author

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Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris flirted with the music business there and in Nashville before joining the U.S. Army and serving in South Korea. He remained in Asia for several years afterwards, teaching English, traveling, and covering the regional entertainment scenes. Currently in a mindset between Seoul and San Francisco, besides Idol Features, you can also catch his writings in the print edition of the monthly magazine, Effective.

3 Comments

  1. I was just thinking of this episode and the Asian hooker. After about 10 min of searching I finally found this. NOW I know who she was and what happened to her. Thanks for this!

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