About

Known credits:
90
Birthday:
1889-06-10
Place of birth:
Nanaura, Chiba, Japan
Website:
N/A

Sessue Hayakawa

Overview

Sessue Hayakawa (June 10, 1889 – November 23, 1973) was a Japanese and American Issei (Japanese immigrant) actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. He was one of the highest paid stars of his time; making $5,000 a week in 1915, and $2 million a year via his own production company during the 1920s. He starred in over 80 movies and has two films in the U.S. National Film Registry. His international stardom transitioned both silent films and talkies.

Of his English-language films, Hayakawa is probably best known for his role as Colonel Saito in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, for which he received a nomination for Academy Award Best Supporting Actor in 1957. He also appeared as the pirate leader in Disney's Swiss Family Robinson in 1960. In addition to his film acting career, Hayakawa was a theatre actor, film and theatre producer, film director, screenwriter, novelist, martial artist, and an ordained Zen master.   Description above from the Wikipedia article Sessue Hayakawa, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting
2020 Asian Americans Actor Self N/A
N/A
2019 Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
2007 Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2002 Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making Actor Self (archive) N/A
N/A
1967 Lover's Duet Actor Tajima N/A
N/A
1966 The Daydreamer Actor The Mole (voice) 58
Average
1965 The Love Goddesses Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
1965 Taikouki Actor Takeda Shingen N/A
N/A
1964 The Frozen Moment Actor Self N/A
N/A
1961 The Big Wave Actor The Old Man N/A
N/A
1960 Swiss Family Robinson Actor Kuala, Pirate Chief 62
Fair
1960 Escape to Paradise/Water Birds Actor N/A
N/A
1960 Hell to Eternity Actor General Matsui 59
Average
1959 John Gunther's High Road Actor Self 59
Average
1959 Green Mansions Actor Runi 58
Average
1958 The Geisha Boy Actor Mr. Sikita 59
Average
1958 The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant Actor Self N/A
N/A
1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai Actor Col. Saito 74
Good
1955 House of Bamboo Actor Inspector Kito 59
Average
1953 47 Vendettas Actor Sakon Tachibana N/A
N/A
1950 Re mizeraburu: kami to jiyu no hata Actor N/A
N/A
1950 Re mizeraburu: kami to akuma Actor N/A
N/A
1950 The Motherland Far Far Away Actor Joe Hayami N/A
N/A
1950 Three Came Home Actor Colonel Michio Suga 59
Average
1949 Tokyo Joe Actor Baron Kimura 59
Average
1947 Quartier chinois Actor Tchang N/A
N/A
1946 Le Cabaret du Grand Large Actor Professeur Wang N/A
N/A
1943 Le Soleil de minuit Actor Matsui N/A
N/A
1943 Malaria Actor N/A
N/A
1942 Gambling Hell Actor Ying Tchaï 59
Average
1942 Patrouille blanche Actor N/A
N/A
1938 Tempête sur l'Asie Actor Prinz Ling N/A
N/A
1937 Forfaiture Actor Prince Hu-Long 59
Average
1937 Yoshiwara Actor Ysamo, Kuli 59
Average
1937 The Daughter of the Samurai Actor Iwao Yamato 59
Average
1932 Running Hollywood Actor Sessue Hayakawa N/A
N/A
1931 Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks Actor Self N/A
N/A
1931 Daughter of the Dragon Actor Ah Kee 58
Average
1924 I Have Killed Actor Hideo N/A
N/A
1924 Sen Yan’s Devotion Actor Sen Yan N/A
N/A
1924 The Great Prince Shan Actor Prince Shan N/A
N/A
1923 The Battle Actor Le Marquis Yorisaka N/A
N/A
1922 Night Life in Hollywood Actor Self N/A
N/A
1922 Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1922 The Vermilion Pencil Actor Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan N/A
N/A
1921 The Swamp Actor Wang N/A
N/A
1921 Where Lights Are Low Actor T''Su Wong Shih 58
Average
1921 Black Roses Actor Yoda N/A
N/A
1921 Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20) Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1921 The First Born Actor Chan Wang N/A
N/A
1920 An Arabian Knight Actor Ahmed N/A
N/A
1920 Li Ting Lang Actor Li Ting Lang N/A
N/A
1920 The Devil's Claim Actor Akbar Khan / Hassan N/A
N/A
1919 The Tong Man Actor Luk Chen 58
Average
1919 Bonds of Honor Actor Yamashito / Sasamoto N/A
N/A
1919 The Dragon Painter Actor Tatsu - the Dragon Painter 59
Average
1919 The Man Beneath Actor Dr. Chindi Ashutor 58
Average
1919 The Courageous Coward Actor Suki Iota N/A
N/A
1919 A Heart in Pawn Actor Tomaya N/A
N/A
1918 The Temple Of Dusk Actor Akira 58
Average
1918 Banzai Actor The American General N/A
N/A
1918 His Birthright Actor Yukio 58
Average
1918 The City of Dim Faces Actor Jang Lung 58
Average
1918 The Bravest Way Actor Kara Tamura N/A
N/A
1918 The White Man's Law Actor John A. Genghis N/A
N/A
1918 The Honor of His House Actor Count Ito Onato N/A
N/A
1918 Hidden Pearls Actor Tom Garvin N/A
N/A
1917 The Secret Game Actor Nara-Nara 59
Average
1917 The Call of the East Actor Arai Takada N/A
N/A
1917 Forbidden Paths Actor Sato N/A
N/A
1917 The Bottle Imp Actor Lopaka N/A
N/A
1916 The Victoria Cross Actor Azimoolah N/A
N/A
1916 The Honorable Friend Actor Makino N/A
N/A
1915 Temptation Actor Opera Admirer N/A
N/A
1915 The Cheat Actor Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau] 59
Average
1915 The Secret Sin Actor Lin Foo N/A
N/A
1915 The Clue Actor Nogi N/A
N/A
1915 After Five Actor Oki - the Valet N/A
N/A
1914 The Last of the Line Actor Tiah - Gray Otter's Son 59
Average
1914 The Typhoon Actor Tokorama N/A
N/A
1914 The Death Mask Actor Running Wolf 58
Average
1914 The Wrath of the Gods Actor Lord Yamaki 59
Average
1914 O Mimi san Actor Yorotomo N/A
N/A

Directing
1923 The Battle Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1921 The Swamp Writing Story N/A
N/A
1918 His Birthright Writing Story 58
Average

Production
1921 Where Lights Are Low Production Producer 58
Average
1921 Black Roses Production Producer N/A
N/A
1921 The First Born Production Producer N/A
N/A
1918 His Birthright Production Producer 58
Average