image of James Shigeta
Birthday: Jun 17, 1929
Place of Birth: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

James Shigeta

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.

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
Brother Sugimoto 2000
Die Hard Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi 1988
Mulan General Li (voice) 1998
Flower Drum Song Wang Ta 1961
Drive Mr. Lau 1997
The Crimson Kimono Detective Joe Kojaku 1959
The Yakuza Goro 1974
The People I've Slept With Charles Yang 2009
The Questor Tapes Dr. Chen 1974
Escape to Mindanao Lt. Takahashi 1968
Paradise, Hawaiian Style Danny Kohana 1966
Home from the Eastern Sea Narrator 1990
Matt Helm Tom McCauley 1975
Tomorrow's Child Donald Shibura 1982
Carol for Another Christmas Japanese Doctor 1964
Lost Horizon Brother To-Lenn 1973
Death Walks in Laredo Lester Koto 1967
Cry for Happy Harue 1961
Bridge to the Sun Hidenari Terasaki 1961
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood (archive footage) 2019
Nobody's Perfect Diver Toshi O'Hara 1968
The Renegades Jimmy Lee 1982
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die Det. Whoo 1994
China Cry Dr. Sung 1990
Midway Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo 1976
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century Narrator 1999
The Slanted Screen Himself 2006
Operation Heartbeat Chief Resident 1969
Manila, Open City Captain Murakami 1968
Midnight Man Mao Mak 1995
Walk Like a Dragon Cheng Lu 1960
Hollywood Chinese Self 2007
The Young Lawyers Lee Ahn 1969
Slaying the Dragon 1988
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb Field Marshal Abehata 1980
Cage II: The Arena of Death Tin Lum Yin 1994
Space Marines Ambassador Nakamura 1996
Samurai Takeo Chisato 1979
Cage Tin Lum Yin 1989
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die David Lao 1976
Yorktown: A Time to Heal Admiral Heilachiro Nogura 2022
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk George Ti Ming 1967
Series Cast Year
Murder, She Wrote John Sukahara 1984
Magnum, P.I. Dr. Richard Enoka 1980
Threat Matrix Kang Sok-Joo 2003
Avatar: The Last Airbender 2005
Burke's Law Sidney Ying 1963
T. J. Hooker Chow Duc Khan 1982
Kung Fu 1972
Little House on the Prairie 1974
Beverly Hills, 90210 1990
Simon & Simon 1981
seaQuest DSV Vietnamese President Chi 1993
Airwolf Colonel Tranh Van Zung 1984
Hawaii Five-O Joseph Matsukino 1968
The Streets of San Francisco 1972
Naked City James Kam 1958
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977
Babylon 5 Taro Isogi 1994
Perry Mason Ward Toyama 1957
Mission: Impossible Shiki 1966
Emergency! 1972
Ironside 1967
Police Woman 1974
S.W.A.T. 1975
Matt Houston 1982
The Hitchhiker Nishi 1983
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Self 1956
Ben Casey 1961
Ellery Queen Stephen Yang 1975
The Lieutenant 1963
The Bing Crosby Show 1964
Dr. Kildare Dr. Roy Shigera 1961
The Outer Limits Maj. Jong 1963
Kraft Mystery Theatre 1961
Renegade 1992
Masquerade Makko 1983
Jake and the Fatman Mr. Koso Nakasone 1987
The Outer Limits AIO Captain Newa 1963
The Rockford Files Clement Chin 1974
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Inspector Mantjur (voice) 1996
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Dr. Yamashiro (voice) 1996
The Streets of San Francisco Prosecutor 1972
Medical Center Dr. Osaka 1969
Murder, She Wrote Luc Li 1984
Once an Eagle Lin Tso-Han 1976
Renegade Mr. Ota 1992
Golden Globe Awards Self - Audience Member 1944
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