Background
Haru was born Mildred Sevilla in 1939 at Orange, New Jersey to Filipino immigrants.
Haru was born Mildred Sevilla in 1939 at Orange, New Jersey to Filipino immigrants.
She served as interim president of Screen Actors Guild in 1995, the first and to-date only woman of color to hold the position. After changing her name to Sumi Haru when launching her acting career, she became involved with the film and television labor movement to address issues concerning the lack of opportunities and roles for Asians. In 1995, Haru became a national vice president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress-Chief Information Officer. Her six-year term as a national vice president marked the first time an Asian American has served on the American Federation of Labor-Congress-Chief Information Officer"s executive council.
In 2009, Haru was honored with Screen Actors Guild"s Ralph Morgan Award for distinguished service to Screen Actors Guild"s Hollywood Division.
Her autobiography, Iron Lotus: Memoirs of Sumi Sevilla Haru (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, October 9, 2012. ), was published in 2012.
Haru died in North Hollywood, aged 75, on October 16, 2014. She had been battling emphysema.
Haru was a board member of the Screen Actors Guild (Screen Actors Guild) beginning in 1974, and also served multiple terms as the national recording secretary and first vice president The following year, she was elected for a two-year term as a member of the first elected national board of the merged Screen Actors Guild-American Federation TV and Radio Artists.