James Shigeta

James Shigeta

Known for
Acting
Born
June 17, 1929, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Died
July 28, 2014
Movies
43

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.

Best-Known Movies

Filmography

2025Beam Me Up, SuluSelf
2022Yorktown: A Time to HealAdmiral Heilachiro Nogura
2019Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood(archive footage)
2010The People I've Slept WithCharles Yang
2007Hollywood ChineseSelf
2006The Slanted ScreenHimself
2000BrotherSugimoto
1999Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st CenturyNarrator
1998MulanGeneral Li (voice)
1997DriveMr. Lau
1996Space MarinesAmbassador Nakamura
1995Midnight ManMao Mak
1994Cage II: The Arena of DeathTin Lum Yin
1994Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never DieDet. Whoo
1990China CryDr. Sung
1990Home from the Eastern SeaNarrator
1989CageTin Lum Yin
1988Slaying the Dragon
1988Die HardJoseph Yoshinobu Takagi
1982The RenegadesJimmy Lee
1982Tomorrow's ChildDonald Shibura
1980Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic BombField Marshal Abehata
1979SamuraiTakeo Chisato
1976MidwayVice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
1976The Killer Who Wouldn't DieDavid Lao
1975Matt HelmTom McCauley
1974The YakuzaGoro
1974The Questor TapesDr. Chen
1973Lost HorizonBrother To-Lenn
1969The Young LawyersLee Ahn
1969Operation HeartbeatChief Resident
1968Escape to MindanaoLt. Takahashi
1968Manila, Open CityCaptain Murakami
1968Nobody's PerfectDiver Toshi O'Hara
1967The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese JunkGeorge Ti Ming
1967Death Walks in LaredoLester Koto
1966Paradise, Hawaiian StyleDanny Kohana
1964Carol for Another ChristmasJapanese Doctor
1961Flower Drum SongWang Ta
1961Bridge to the SunHidenari Terasaki
1961Cry for HappySuzuki
1960Walk Like a DragonCheng Lu
1959The Crimson KimonoDetective Joe Kojaku

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