Patrick Adiarte, Iconic Actor of ‘King and I’ & ‘MH’, Dies at 82

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82-year-old Patrick Adiarte, who was born in the Philippines and performed as both a dancer and actor in productions like The King and I and Flower Drum Song on Broadway and screen, as well as having a recurring role on M*A*S*H, has passed away.

Adiarte passed away on Tuesday at a hospital near Los Angeles due to pneumonia, according to his niece, Stephanie Hogan, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1972, during the fourth season of ABC’s “The Brady Bunch” series, the Bradys went on a family vacation to Honolulu. During this trip, Adiarte portrayed a construction helper who showed them around before things turned chaotic. This occurred when Bobby (played by Mike Lookinland) stumbled upon a tiny tiki idol that seemed cursed, causing all sorts of confusion afterward.

Apart from that, Adiarte was famously known for his dancing skills on the 1965-66 NBC musical variety show “Hullabaloo”. It was here that he embarked on a brief stint as a singer, launching his pop music career with the song “Five Different Girls”.

In 1952, Adiarte became a part of the Broadway cast for the renowned musical “The King and I,” which featured Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. He played one of the royal children, and later toured with the show throughout America.

In 1956, when the musical I was part of was transformed into a movie by 20th Century Fox, I stepped into the shoes of Prince Chulalongkorn, the character played by Rita Moreno’s Tuptim in the play. Yul Brynner also starred in the film, and to me, he became like a surrogate father during that time.

Back in 1958, I was fortunate enough to be cast in the musical “Flower Drum Song,” a masterpiece by Rodgers & Hammerstein under the direction of Gene Kelly. My role was Wang San, the quick-witted second son, who shared the stage with Pat Suzuki for our duet, “You Be the Rock, I’ll Be the Roll.” Fast forward to 1961, and I found myself back on set for the film adaptation, which boasted stars like Nancy Kwan and James Shigeta. What an incredible journey!

Fans of M*A*S*H are familiar with Adiarte as Ho-Jon, the Korean houseboy who, without a family, helped Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) and Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) in seven episodes during the first season (1972-73) of the CBS show. It is suggested that his character departs to study medicine in the United States.

Born in Manila on August 2, 1942, Patrick Robert Adiarte found himself, along with his sister, Irene, and their mother, Purita, imprisoned by the Japanese on Cebu Island in February 1945 during World War II. Tragically, when the family attempted to escape, they were attacked with grenades by the Japanese, resulting in burn injuries for Irene at age 5 and Patrick at age 2.

Patrick Robert Adiarte was born on August 2, 1942, in Manila. During World War II, he, his sister Irene, and their mother Purita were imprisoned on Cebu Island by the Japanese in February 1945. Sadly, when they tried to escape, the Japanese threw grenades at them, burning Irene (age 5) and Patrick (age 2).

About a month past, their father, who served as a captain for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, tragically passed away.

In June 1946, the family traveled to New York via Ellis Island, with the primary purpose being for Irene to undergo a series of operations aimed at removing the extensive facial scars she had sustained from a grenade explosion.

Despite the impending danger of expulsion, Patrick (and his mother, being a dancer) eventually joined the cast of “The King and I“. Luckily, with the aid of Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy, Congress bestowed American citizenship upon them in February 1956.

Following his performances in “The King and I”, Patrick continued his education at the Professional Children’s School, a place where he shared classes with notable figures such as Liza Minnelli and Marvin Hamlisch.

In 1958, while publicizing “Flower Drum Song” on the NBC variety show “Omnibus”, he and Kelly displayed how tap dancing had progressed throughout the years. Notably, Kelly declared, “Perhaps if there’s going to be another Fred Astaire, it could very well be Pat.

Kelly also helped him get a job dancing on Italian television for about a year.

Adiarte portrayed the character T.J. Padmanagham, a college student, in the comedy “High Time” directed by Blake Edwards (1960). This film featured Bing Crosby, Fabian, and Tuesday Weld. Later, he appeared as another prince in a 1961 ABC adaptation of “The Enchanted Nutcracker,” which starred Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence.

Later on, he appeared in the film “John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!” (1965), where he played a Middle Eastern Prince, the son of Peter Ustinov’s character. Subsequently, he featured in episodes of “It Takes a Thief”, “Ironside”, “Bonanza”, “Hawaii Five-O” and “Kojak”. In more recent times, his focus has shifted to teaching dance, with stints at Santa Monica College.

Adiarte was wedded to the singer-actress Loni Ackerman from 1975 until their separation in 1992. Unfortunately, his sister passed away in 2016. Besides his niece, those who survived him are his nephew, Michael.

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2025-04-17 21:25