She also acted in several other films and TV shows with fellow performers such as Miyoshi Umeki, James Garner, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, and Toshirō Mifune.

[2] Taka was born on July 24, 1925 in Seattle, but raised in Los Angeles[3] as a Nisei;[4] her parents had immigrated from Japan.

[5] After Audrey Hepburn, director Joshua Logan's first choice for the role of Hana-ogi, turned him down, he looked to cast an unknown actress.

[4] Taka, who at the time was working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival.

[8][9] Taka married Japanese-American actor Dale Ishimoto in Baltimore, Maryland in 1944,[10] and they had one son, Greg Shikata, who works in the film industry, and one daughter.