About

Known credits:
43
Birthday:
1929-06-17
Place of birth:
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Website:
N/A

James Shigeta

Overview

James Saburo Shigeta (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor, singer, and musician of Japanese descent. He was noted for his roles in The Crimson Kimono (1959), Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Flower Drum Song (1961), Bridge to the Sun (1961), Die Hard (1988), and Mulan (1998). In 1960, he won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, along with three other actors.

In his early career, Shigeta often played romantic male lead roles, which were almost nonexistent for an actor of Asian descent during his time, making him a trailblazer in Asian American representation in media. The Goldsea Asian-American Daily magazine listed him as one of the "Most Inspiring Asian-Americans Of All Time".

Before his Hollywood career he found success as a pop singer and performer abroad, especially in Japan and Australia.

Known for

Acting
2022 Yorktown: A Time to Heal Actor Admiral Heilachiro Nogura N/A
N/A
2019 Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood Actor (archive footage) 59
Average
2009 The People I've Slept With Actor Charles Yang 58
Average
2007 Hollywood Chinese Actor Self N/A
N/A
2006 The Slanted Screen Actor Himself 59
Average
2000 Brother Actor Sugimoto 64
Fair
1999 Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century Actor Narrator N/A
N/A
1998 Mulan Actor General Li (voice) 78
Good
1997 Drive Actor Mr. Lau 59
Average
1996 Space Marines Actor Ambassador Nakamura 58
Average
1995 Midnight Man Actor Mao Mak 58
Average
1994 Cage II: The Arena of Death Actor Tin Lum Yin 58
Average
1994 Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die Actor Det. Whoo 59
Average
1990 China Cry Actor Dr. Sung 59
Average
1990 Home from the Eastern Sea Actor Narrator N/A
N/A
1989 Cage Actor Tin Lum Yin 58
Average
1988 Slaying the Dragon Actor N/A
N/A
1988 Die Hard Actor Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi 77
Good
1982 The Renegades Actor Jimmy Lee 59
Average
1982 Tomorrow's Child Actor Donald Shibura N/A
N/A
1980 Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb Actor Field Marshal Abehata 59
Average
1979 Samurai Actor Takeo Chisato N/A
N/A
1976 Once an Eagle Actor Lin Tso-Han 69
Fair
1976 Midway Actor Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo 61
Fair
1976 The Killer Who Wouldn't Die Actor David Lao N/A
N/A
1975 Matt Helm Actor Tom McCauley N/A
N/A
1974 The Yakuza Actor Goro 62
Fair
1974 The Questor Tapes Actor Dr. Chen 58
Average
1973 Lost Horizon Actor Brother To-Lenn 58
Average
1969 The Young Lawyers Actor Lee Ahn N/A
N/A
1969 Operation Heartbeat Actor Chief Resident N/A
N/A
1968 Escape to Mindanao Actor Lt. Takahashi N/A
N/A
1968 Manila, Open City Actor Captain Murakami 59
Average
1968 Nobody's Perfect Actor Diver Toshi O'Hara 59
Average
1967 The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk Actor George Ti Ming 59
Average
1967 Death Walks in Laredo Actor Lester Koto 59
Average
1966 Paradise, Hawaiian Style Actor Danny Kohana 58
Average
1964 Carol for Another Christmas Actor Japanese Doctor 59
Average
1961 Flower Drum Song Actor Wang Ta 59
Average
1961 Bridge to the Sun Actor Hidenari Terasaki 59
Average
1961 Cry for Happy Actor Harue 58
Average
1960 Walk Like a Dragon Actor Cheng Lu 58
Average
1959 The Crimson Kimono Actor Detective Joe Kojaku 59
Average