# Emily Kuroda

Emily Keiko Kuroda (born October 30, 1952) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Mrs. Kim on TV's Gilmore Girls, but she has had a long career on stage and screen and is a veteran of East West Players, Los Angeles's premier Asian American theater group.

## Early life and education

Kuroda, a Japanese American, was born in Fresno, California, the daughter of Kay and William Kuroda. She began acting and directing in high school and majored in drama at California State University, Fresno before launching her career on stage and screen.

## Career

Kuroda has performed in numerous plays including Luis Alfaro's Straight as a Line at Playwrights' Arena, directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, Chay Yew's Red at East West Players, Winter People at the Boston Court, and Ken Narasaki's Innocent When You Dream at the Electric Lodge, which was directed by her husband, Alberto Isaac. She appeared in Narasaki's No-No Boy at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica CA, also directed by Isaac, alongside her Gilmore Girls daughter, Keiko Agena. Other theatres include New York's Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, LA Women's Shakespeare Company, Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival, and Lodestone Theatre Ensemble.
Kuroda completed seven years as Mrs. Kim in Warner Brothers’ Gilmore Girls as well as the Netflix revisit in 2016. She also played opposite Flavor Flav in 13 episodes of Under One Roof. Recent television credits include a recurring role on Drop Dead Diva as (Margaret Cho's mother), Medium, Grey's Anatomy, In Case of Emergency, Six Feet Under, The King of Queens, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Practice, General Hospital, Port Charles, L.A. Law, ER, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, The Division, The Agency, Presidio Med, Arliss, and the television special About Love (Emmy nominated). Feature films include RED, PEEP WORLD, Minority Report, Stranger Inside, 2 Days in the Valley, Dad, Broken Words, Worth Winning and Shopgirl. She has also appeared in independent Asian American films, including The Sensei, Yellow and Stand Up for Justice.
She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Actors' Equity Association.

## Personal life

Kuroda is married to actor/director Alberto Isaac.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | American Geisha | Kikusen | |
| 1989 | Solo | Taki | Short |
| 1989 | Worth Winning | Cory Chu | |
| 1989 | Dad | Vicki | |
| 1990 | Why Me? | News Anchorwoman | |
| 1991 | Late for Dinner | Nurse Ruth | |
| 1993 | Broken Words | Grandmother | |
| 1998 | Yellow | Mrs. Lee | |
| 1999 | The Suburbans | Mrs. Lee Lee | |
| 2001 | Stranger Inside | Min | |
| 2003 | Day of Independence | Choir Member | Short |
| 2004 | Stand Up for Justice | Mrs. Matsuoka | Short |
| 2005 | Pawns of the King | Keiko | Short |
| 2005 | Shopgirl | Japanese Woman | Short |
| 2006 | My Prince, My Angel | Shen's Mother | Short |
| 2008 | The Sensei | Flora Nakano | |
| 2009 | Hotel for Dogs | Social Worker | |
| 2009 | Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure | Mei Mei | |
| 2009 | Love 10 to 1 | Ma | |
| 2010 | The Man Who Invented the Words | | Short |
| 2010 | Peep World | Nail Salon Owner | |
| 2010 | RED | Mrs. Chan | |
| 2010 | A Super Duper Exotic Erotic Fetish Sexy Must See Story... A Tragedy of Oriental Proportions! | | Short |
| 2011 | Lost Rites | Jun-Li | Short |
| 2012 | Family Restaurant | Female Customer/Still Photographer | Short |
| 2013 | Family Gathering | Co-producer | Short |
| 2013 | Yellow Face | Gish Jen | |
| 2013 | Uncle Bart | Mrs. Park | Short |
| 2014 | Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy | Special Thanks | Documentary |
| 2015 | Maybe Someday | Mrs. Kibble | |
| 2016 | Justice Angel | Fang | |
| 2017 | Take the 10 | Patti | |
| 2022 | Kimi | Dr. Sarah Burns | |
| 2022 | Strange World | Ro (voice) | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Remington Steele | Akemi | Episode: "Your Steele the One for Me" |
| 1983 | Tales of the Gold Monkey | Geisha Girl | Episode: "Naka Jima Kill" |
| 1985 | CBS Storybreak | Voice | Episode: "Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China" |
| 1987 | Gung Ho | Yukiko Saito | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Matlock | Receptionist | Episode: "The Investigation: Part 1" |
| 1988 | MacGyver | Karen Matsuga | Episode: "The Spoilers" |
| 1988-1989 | L.A. Law | Ronnie Page | 6 episodes |
| 1989 | The Preppie Murder | Reporter | TV movie |
| 1990 | Lifestories | Room Nurse | Episode: "Don Chapin" |
| 1990 | Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone | Voice | 13 episodes |
| 1990 | She Said No | Regina | TV movie |
| 1990 | Donor | ICU Nurse | TV movie |
| 1991 | Columbo | Linda | Episode: "Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" |
| 1990-1991 | Knots Landing | Woman/Cleaning Lady/Banker | 3 episodes |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Dr. Kito | Episode: "Dr. Kito" |
| 1991 | Dynasty: The Reunion | Nurse Lin | TV movie |
| 1991-1992 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Anesthesiologist/Janet Masuda | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Sisters | Reporter/Nurse | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Ladykiller | Jack's Secretary | TV movie |
| 1992-1993 | The Jackie Thomas Show | Waitress | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Shadowhunter | ADR Loop Group | TV movie |
| 1993 | About Love | Jeannette Kim | TV movie |
| 1993 | Melrose Place | Nurse | Episode: "Carpe Diem" |
| 1994 | A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle | Dr. Nancy Lee | TV movie |
| 1995 | Awake to Danger | | TV movie |
| 1995 | Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story | O.R. Nurse | TV movie |
| 1996 | ER | Dottie, Hospital Day-Care Worker | Episode: "Take These Broken Wings" |
| 1996 | Party Girl | Mikoto | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1997 | Heartless | Dr. Alice Morisaki | TV movie |
| 1998 | Profiler | Dr. Garson | Episode: "Bloodlust" |
| 1998 | The Young and the Restless | Nurse Candice Katsumoto | 6 episodes |
| 1999 | Working | Executive Storyteller #3 | Episode: "Romeo and Julie" |
| 1999 | Party of Five | Nurse Wolfe | Episode: "Rings of Saturn" |
| 1999 | L.A. Heat | Mrs. Kwan | Episode: "F Is for Framed" |
| 1999 | The Practice | Miss Hines - Dental Hygienist | Episode: "Free Dental" |
| 1999 | Snoops | KDLA Reporter | Episode: "The Grinch" |
| 2000 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Bates | Episode: "Simon Sez" |
| 2000 | Shasta McNasty | Nurse | Episode: "The Sugar Pill" |
| 2000 | Family Law | Dr. Braun | Episode: "Affairs of the State" |
| 2001 | The King of Queens | Lily | Episode: "Sight Gag" |
| 2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Restaurant Employee | Episode: "The Shrimp Incident" |
| 2001-2002 | The Agency | | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | The Handler | Dr. Kim Anderson | Episode: "Under Color of Law" |
| 2004 | Six Feet Under | Dr. Key | Episode: "Grinding the Corn" |
| 2006 | Clark and Michael | Driving Range Woman | |
| 2000-2007 | Gilmore Girls | Mrs. Kim | 43 episodes |
| 2007 | In Case of Emergency | Mrs. Tuckman | Episode: "Forbidden Love" |
| 2007 | State of Mind | Doctor | Episode: "Passion Fishing" |
| 2008-2009 | Under One Roof | Su Ho | 13 episodes |
| 2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Kendall Sully | Episode: "Stand By Me" |
| 2010 | Medium | Morgue Attendant | Episode: "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" |
| 2010-2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Mrs. Lee | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Dakota | Cleaning Woman | Episode: "Down $1,170" |
| 2012 | BFFs | Jessica's Mother | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Slanted | Auntie Linda | Episode: "Paying Your Dues" |
| 2012 | Scruples | Cecile | TV movie |
| 2013 | Bloodline | Gloria | TV movie |
| 2014 | Sequestered | Rufang | 12 episodes |
| 2007-2014 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Dr. Kimborough/Archive Footage | 6 episodes |
| 2014-2015 | Just Us Guys | Mrs. K | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | Mrs. Kim | Episode: "Spring" |
| 2018 | The Resident | Penny Oh | Episode: "The Germ" |
| 2019 | The Good Doctor | Sunny Lee | Episode: "Xin" |
| 2021 | All Rise | Dr. Johnson | Episode: "Safe to Fall" |
| 2022 | Baymax! | Kiko (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | The Power | Sister Veronica | Recurring role |

## Theatre

| Title | Notes |
| Straight as a Line | |
| Red | East West Players |
| Winter People | Boston Court |
| Innocent When You Dream | Electric Lodge |
| No-No Boy | Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica, California |

## Awards and other recognitions

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| | Drama-Logue Awards | | Ikebana, The Maids, Minimata, The Golden Gate, and Visitors from Nagasaki | Won |
| | City of Los Angeles Commendation | | About Love | Won |
| | Back Stage West Garland Award | Outstanding Performance | Straight As a Line | Won |
| 1999 | Los Angeles Times | Top 10 | Straight as a Line | Won |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Ovation Award | Best Lead Actress in a Play | Straight As a Line | Nominated |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Times | Top 10 | Red | Won |
| 2004 | Entertainment Today Award | Best Actress | Winter People | Won |
| 2006 | East West Players' Rae Creevey Award | | | Won |
| 2006 | Playwrights' Arena Award | Outstanding Contribution to Los Angeles Theatre | | Won |