James Shigeta
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 17, 1929
- Died
- July 28, 2014 (aged 85)
- Birthplace
- Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
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
Filmography
Beam Me Up, Sulu
Movie · as Self
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
Movie · as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Movie · as (archive footage)
The People I've Slept With
Movie · as Charles Yang
Hollywood Chinese
Movie · as Self
The Slanted Screen
Movie · as Himself
Avatar: The Last Airbender
TV · as Old Wanderer (voice) · 1 ep
Threat Matrix
TV · as Kang Sok-Joo · 1 ep
Brother
Movie · as Sugimoto
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
Movie · as Narrator
Mulan
Movie · as General Li (voice)
Drive
Movie · as Mr. Lau
Space Marines
Movie · as Ambassador Nakamura
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
TV · as Inspector Mantjur (voice), Dr. Yamashiro (voice) · 1 ep
Midnight Man
Movie · as Mao Mak
Cybill
TV · as Mr. Matsuzaki · 1 ep
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
Movie · as Det. Whoo
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Movie · as Tin Lum Yin
Babylon 5
TV · as Taro Isogi · 1 ep
seaQuest DSV
TV · as Vietnamese President Chi · 2 eps
Renegade
TV · as Mr. Ota · 1 ep
Home from the Eastern Sea
Movie · as Narrator
China Cry
Movie · as Dr. Sung
Beverly Hills, 90210
TV · as Ben Sosna · 3 eps
Cage
Movie · as Tin Lum Yin
Die Hard
Movie · as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Slaying the Dragon
Movie
Jake and the Fatman
TV · as Mr. Koso Nakasone · 1 ep
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as John Sukahara, Luc Li · 1 ep
Airwolf
TV · as Colonel Tranh Van Zung · 1 ep
The Hitchhiker
TV · as Nishi · 1 ep
Masquerade
TV · as Makko · 1 ep
Tomorrow's Child
Movie · as Donald Shibura
The Renegades
Movie · as Jimmy Lee
T. J. Hooker
TV · as Chow Duc Khan · 1 ep
Matt Houston
TV · as Lin Ha · 1 ep
Simon & Simon
TV · 3 eps
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Movie · as Field Marshal Abehata
Magnum, P.I.
TV · as Richard Enoka, Mr. Obotu · 1 ep
Samurai
Movie · as Takeo Chisato
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV · 1 ep
The Love Boat
TV · as Bud's Father · 1 ep
Midway
Movie · as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
Movie · as David Lao
Once an Eagle
TV · as Lin Tso-Han · 7 eps
Matt Helm
Movie · as Tom McCauley
S.W.A.T.
TV · 1 ep
Ellery Queen
TV · as Stephen Yang · 1 ep
The Yakuza
Movie · as Goro
The Questor Tapes
Movie · as Dr. Chen
Little House on the Prairie
TV · as Sam Wing · 1 ep
Police Woman
TV · 1 ep
The Rockford Files
TV · as Clement Chin · 1 ep
Lost Horizon
Movie · as Brother To-Lenn
The Streets of San Francisco
TV · as Prosecutor · 1 ep
Emergency!
TV · as Nathan O'Brien · 1 ep
Kung Fu
TV · as Master Kwan Li, Col. Lin Pei · 1 ep
Operation Heartbeat
Movie · as Chief Resident
The Young Lawyers
Movie · as Lee Ahn
Hawaii Five-O
TV · as Joseph Matsukino · 1 ep
Medical Center
TV · as Dr. Osaka · 2 eps
Escape to Mindanao
Movie · as Lt. Takahashi
Nobody's Perfect
Movie · as Diver Toshi O'Hara
Manila, Open City
Movie · as Captain Murakami
Death Walks in Laredo
Movie · as Lester Koto
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
Movie · as George Ti Ming
Ironside
TV · 2 eps
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Movie · as Danny Kohana
Mission: Impossible
TV · as Shiki · 1 ep
Carol for Another Christmas
Movie · as Japanese Doctor
The Bing Crosby Show
TV · 1 ep
Burke's Law
TV · as Sidney Ying · 1 ep
The Lieutenant
TV · 1 ep
The Outer Limits
TV · as Maj. Jong, AIO Captain Newa · 1 ep
Flower Drum Song
Movie · as Wang Ta
Cry for Happy
Movie · as Suzuki
Bridge to the Sun
Movie · as Hidenari Terasaki
Ben Casey
TV · as Dr. Harvey Lee · 1 ep
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Dr. Roy Shigera · 1 ep
Kraft Mystery Theatre
TV · 1 ep
Walk Like a Dragon
Movie · as Cheng Lu
The Crimson Kimono
Movie · as Detective Joe Kojaku
Naked City
TV · as James Kam · 1 ep
Perry Mason
TV · as Ward Toyama · 1 ep
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Audience Member, Self - Nominee, Self - Winner · 1 ep