Name
James Shigeta
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1929-06-17
Deathday
2014-07-28 (85 years old)
Place of Birth
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
7.138
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter,...
4.5
A sex-addicted woman who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and needs to figure out...
6.6
Two detectives clash over the hunt for a burlesque dancer’s killer in Los Angeles’ Jap...
5.1
Blacklisted by the major airlines for endlessly chasing female staff, pilot Rick Richards ...
- 2000 Brother as Sugimoto
- 1988 Die Hard as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
- 1998 Mulan as General Li (voice)
- 1961 Flower Drum Song as Wang Ta
- 1997 Drive as Mr. Lau
- 1959 The Crimson Kimono as Detective Joe Kojaku
- 1974 The Yakuza as Goro
- 2010 The People I've Slept With as Charles Yang
- 1974 The Questor Tapes as Dr. Chen
- 1968 Escape to Mindanao as Lt. Takahashi
- 1966 Paradise, Hawaiian Style as Danny Kohana
- 1990 Home from the Eastern Sea as Narrator
- 1975 Matt Helm as Tom McCauley
- 1982 Tomorrow's Child as Donald Shibura
- 1964 Carol for Another Christmas as Japanese Doctor
- 1973 Lost Horizon as Brother To-Lenn
- 1967 Death Walks in Laredo as Lester Koto
- 1961 Cry for Happy as Suzuki
- 1961 Bridge to the Sun as Hidenari Terasaki
- 2019 Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood as (archive footage)
- 1968 Nobody's Perfect as Diver Toshi O'Hara
- 1982 The Renegades as Jimmy Lee
- 1994 Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die as Det. Whoo
- 1990 China Cry as Dr. Sung
- 1976 Midway as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
- 1999 Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century as Narrator
- 2006 The Slanted Screen as Himself
- 1969 Operation Heartbeat as Chief Resident
- 1968 Manila, Open City as Captain Murakami
- 1995 Midnight Man as Mao Mak
- 1960 Walk Like a Dragon as Cheng Lu
- 2007 Hollywood Chinese as Self
- 1969 The Young Lawyers as Lee Ahn
- 1988 Slaying the Dragon
- 1980 Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb as Field Marshal Abehata
- 1994 Cage II: The Arena of Death as Tin Lum Yin
- 1996 Space Marines as Ambassador Nakamura
- 1979 Samurai as Takeo Chisato
- 1989 Cage as Tin Lum Yin
- 1976 The Killer Who Wouldn't Die as David Lao
- 2022 Yorktown: A Time to Heal as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
- 1967 The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk as George Ti Ming
- 2025 Beam Me Up, Sulu as Self
- 1984 Murder, She Wrote ( 1 episode ) as John Sukahara
- 1980 Magnum, P.I. ( 1 episode ) as Richard Enoka
- 2003 Threat Matrix ( 1 episode ) as Kang Sok-Joo
- 2005 Avatar: The Last Airbender ( 1 episode ) as Old Wanderer (voice)
- 1963 Burke's Law ( 1 episode ) as Sidney Ying
- 1982 T. J. Hooker ( 1 episode ) as Chow Duc Khan
- 1974 Little House on the Prairie ( 1 episode ) as Sam Wing
- 1990 Beverly Hills, 90210 ( 3 episodes ) as Ben Sosna
- 1993 seaQuest DSV ( 2 episodes ) as Vietnamese President Chi
- 1981 Simon & Simon ( 3 episodes )
- 1984 Airwolf ( 1 episode ) as Colonel Tranh Van Zung
- 1969 Hawaii Five-O ( 1 episode ) as Joseph Matsukino
- 1972 The Streets of San Francisco ( 1 episode )
- 1958 Naked City ( 1 episode ) as James Kam
- 1977 The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries ( 1 episode )
- 1994 Babylon 5 ( 1 episode ) as Taro Isogi
- 1957 Perry Mason ( 1 episode ) as Ward Toyama
- 1966 Mission: Impossible ( 1 episode ) as Shiki
- 1972 Emergency! ( 1 episode )
- 1967 Ironside ( 2 episodes )
- 1974 Police Woman ( 1 episode )
- 1975 S.W.A.T. ( 1 episode )
- 1983 The Hitchhiker ( 1 episode ) as Nishi
- 1956 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1961 Ben Casey ( 1 episode )
- 1975 Ellery Queen ( 1 episode ) as Stephen Yang
- 1963 The Lieutenant ( 1 episode )
- 1964 The Bing Crosby Show ( 1 episode )
- 1961 Dr. Kildare ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Roy Shigera
- 1963 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as Maj. Jong
- 1961 Kraft Mystery Theatre ( 1 episode )
- 1992 Renegade ( 1 episode )
- 1983 Masquerade ( 1 episode ) as Makko
- 1987 Jake and the Fatman ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Koso Nakasone
- 1963 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as AIO Captain Newa
- 1974 The Rockford Files ( 1 episode ) as Clement Chin
- 1996 The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Mantjur (voice)
- 1996 The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
- 1972 The Streets of San Francisco ( 1 episode ) as Prosecutor
- 1969 Medical Center ( 2 episodes ) as Dr. Osaka
- 1984 Murder, She Wrote ( 1 episode ) as Luc Li
- 1976 Once an Eagle ( 7 episodes ) as Lin Tso-Han
- 1992 Renegade ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Ota
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Audience Member
- 1977 The Love Boat ( 1 episode ) as Bud's Father
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Nominee
- 1980 Magnum, P.I. ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Obotu
- 1972 Kung Fu ( 1 episode ) as Master Kwan Li
- 1972 Kung Fu ( 1 episode ) as Col. Lin Pei
- 1961 Ben Casey ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Harvey Lee
- 1995 Cybill ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Matsuzaki
- 1982 Matt Houston ( 1 episode ) as Lin Ha
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Winner
