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James Shigeta

Born: 1929

Biography

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
Gender Male
Place of Birth Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Died 28/07/2014

Resources

Movies

Brother

Sugimoto in Brother

Die Hard

Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi in Die Hard

Mulan

General Li (voice) in Mulan

Flower Drum Song

Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song

Drive

Mr. Lau in Drive

The Crimson Kimono

Detective Joe Kojaku in The Crimson Kimono

The Yakuza

Goro in The Yakuza

The People I've Slept With

Charles Yang in The People I've Slept With

The Questor Tapes

Dr. Chen in The Questor Tapes

Paradise, Hawaiian Style

Danny Kohana in Paradise, Hawaiian Style

Carol for Another Christmas

Japanese Doctor in Carol for Another Christmas

Lost Horizon

Brother To-Lenn in Lost Horizon

Death Walks in Laredo

Lester Koto in Death Walks in Laredo

Cry for Happy

Harue in Cry for Happy

Bridge to the Sun

Hidenari Terasaki in Bridge to the Sun

Nobody's Perfect

Diver Toshi O'Hara in Nobody's Perfect

Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

Narrator in Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

Det. Whoo in Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

China Cry

Dr. Sung in China Cry

Midway

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo in Midway

The Slanted Screen

Himself in The Slanted Screen

Manila, Open City

Captain Murakami in Manila, Open City

Walk Like a Dragon

Cheng Lu in Walk Like a Dragon

Hollywood Chinese

Self in Hollywood Chinese

The Young Lawyers

Lee Ahn in The Young Lawyers

Slaying the Dragon

in Slaying the Dragon

Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

Field Marshal Abehata in Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

Cage II: The Arena of Death

Tin Lum Yin in Cage II: The Arena of Death

Space Marines

Ambassador Nakamura in Space Marines

Samurai

Takeo Chisato in Samurai

Cage

Tin Lum Yin in Cage

The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

David Lao in The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

Yorktown: A Time to Heal

Admiral Heilachiro Nogura in Yorktown: A Time to Heal

The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

George Ti Ming in The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

Escape to Mindanao

Lt. Takahashi in Escape to Mindanao

Matt Helm

Tom McCauley in Matt Helm

Tomorrow's Child

Donald Shibura in Tomorrow's Child

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

(archive footage) in Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

Operation Heartbeat

Chief Resident in Operation Heartbeat

Home from the Eastern Sea

Narrator in Home from the Eastern Sea

The Renegades

Jimmy Lee in The Renegades

Midnight Man

Mao Mak in Midnight Man

TV Shows