Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
June 17, 1929
Place of Birth:
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Social Media
James Shigeta
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
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Beam Me Up, Sulu | Self |
| 2022 | Yorktown: A Time to Heal | Admiral Heilachiro Nogura |
| 2019 | Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood | (archive footage) |
| 2009 | The People I've Slept With | Charles Yang |
| 2007 | Hollywood Chinese | Self |
| 2006 | The Slanted Screen | Himself |
| 2000 | Brother | Sugimoto |
| 1999 | Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century | Narrator |
| 1998 | Mulan | General Li (voice) |
| 1997 | Drive | Mr. Lau |
| 1996 | Space Marines | Ambassador Nakamura |
| 1995 | Midnight Man | Mao Mak |
| 1994 | Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die | Det. Whoo |
| 1994 | Cage II: The Arena of Death | Tin Lum Yin |
| 1990 | Home from the Eastern Sea | Narrator |
| 1990 | China Cry | Dr. Sung |
| 1989 | Cage | Tin Lum Yin |
| 1988 | Die Hard | Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi |
| 1988 | Slaying the Dragon | |
| 1982 | Tomorrow's Child | Donald Shibura |
| 1982 | The Renegades | Jimmy Lee |
| 1980 | Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb | Field Marshal Abehata |
| 1979 | Samurai | Takeo Chisato |
| 1976 | Midway | Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo |
| 1976 | The Killer Who Wouldn't Die | David Lao |
| 1975 | Matt Helm | Tom McCauley |
| 1974 | The Yakuza | Goro |
| 1974 | The Questor Tapes | Dr. Chen |
| 1973 | Lost Horizon | Brother To-Lenn |
| 1969 | Operation Heartbeat | Chief Resident |
| 1969 | The Young Lawyers | Lee Ahn |
| 1968 | Escape to Mindanao | Lt. Takahashi |
| 1968 | Nobody's Perfect | Diver Toshi O'Hara |
| 1968 | Manila, Open City | Captain Murakami |
| 1967 | Death Walks in Laredo | Lester Koto |
| 1967 | The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk | George Ti Ming |
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Danny Kohana |
| 1964 | Carol for Another Christmas | Japanese Doctor |
| 1961 | Flower Drum Song | Wang Ta |
| 1961 | Cry for Happy | Harue |
| 1961 | Bridge to the Sun | Hidenari Terasaki |
| 1960 | Walk Like a Dragon | Cheng Lu |
| 1959 | The Crimson Kimono | Detective Joe Kojaku |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Old Wanderer (voice) |
| 2003 | Threat Matrix | Kang Sok-Joo |
| 1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Inspector Mantjur (voice) |
| 1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Dr. Yamashiro (voice) |
| 1994 | Babylon 5 | Taro Isogi |
| 1993 | seaQuest DSV | Vietnamese President Chi |
| 1992 | Renegade | |
| 1992 | Renegade | Mr. Ota |
| 1990 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | |
| 1987 | Jake and the Fatman | Mr. Koso Nakasone |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | John Sukahara |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Colonel Tranh Van Zung |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Luc Li |
| 1983 | The Hitchhiker | Nishi |
| 1983 | Masquerade | Makko |
| 1982 | T. J. Hooker | Chow Duc Khan |
| 1982 | Matt Houston | |
| 1981 | Simon & Simon | |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. | Richard Enoka |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. | Mr. Obotu |
| 1977 | The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries | |
| 1977 | The Love Boat | Bud's Father |
| 1976 | Once an Eagle | Lin Tso-Han |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Stephen Yang |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie | |
| 1974 | Police Woman | |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Clement Chin |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | |
| 1972 | Emergency! | |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | Prosecutor |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Master Kwan Li |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Col. Lin Pei |
| 1969 | Medical Center | Dr. Osaka |
| 1968 | Hawaii Five-O | Joseph Matsukino |
| 1967 | Ironside | |
| 1966 | Mission: Impossible | Shiki |
| 1964 | The Bing Crosby Show | |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Sidney Ying |
| 1963 | The Lieutenant | |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | Maj. Jong |
| 1963 | The Outer Limits | AIO Captain Newa |
| 1961 | Ben Casey | |
| 1961 | Dr. Kildare | Dr. Roy Shigera |
| 1961 | Kraft Mystery Theatre | |
| 1958 | Naked City | James Kam |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Ward Toyama |
| 1956 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Self |
| 1944 | Golden Globe Awards | Self - Audience Member |
| 1944 | Golden Globe Awards | Self - Nominee |