Kobi was born 2 November 1924 in
Sacramento, California as Machiko Kobinata Okamoto. Her father, Rikikazu Okamoto, came to America at age 17 in 1902 and became a doctor. In 1923 her father went to Japan, married Ito Kobinata, and brought her to Sacramento. During
World War II, following the signing of
Executive Order 9066, Kobi and her mother were sent to
Tanforan Assembly Center and then
Topaz War Relocation Center. After the war she went to New York City, seeking to become an actor, and lived there the rest of her life. She studied acting at
New York University. In addition to acting on stage, screen, and television, she worked as a model, secretary, and translator. As a translator she worked for the
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). She was very outspoken about the sanitized depictions of the conditions in the World War II internment camps and also campaigned for an apology and reparations. She left acting due to the few quality roles for Asian women. She died in
Manhattan, New York City on 1 March 2016. ==Filmography==