James Shigeta1929 - 2014

usually

Actor

Popularity

2.1

Famous

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.

Credits

Yorktown: A Time to Heal
Yorktown: A Time to Heal

2022

Science Fiction

as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura

0
0.2
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
5.5
0.5
The People I've Slept With
The People I've Slept With

2009

Comedy • Romance

as Charles Yang

4.6
0.3
Hollywood Chinese
Hollywood Chinese

2007

Documentary • History

as Self

0
0.3
The Slanted Screen
The Slanted Screen

2006

Documentary

as Himself

10
0.2
Brother
Brother

2000

Crime • Drama • Thriller

as Sugimoto

7.1
2.6
Mulan
Mulan

1998

Adventure • Animation • Family

as General Li (voice)

7.9
16.3
Drive
Drive

1997

Action • Adventure • Comedy • Science Fiction

as Mr. Lau

6.1
1.4
Space Marines
Space Marines

1996

Action • Science Fiction

as Ambassador Nakamura

3.3
0.3
Midnight Man
Midnight Man

1995

as Mao Mak

5.1
0.4
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Cage II: The Arena of Death

1994

Action • Drama

as Tin Lum Yin

3.1
0.3
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

1994

Adventure • Crime • Mystery • TV Movie

as Det. Whoo

6.5
0.1
China Cry
China Cry

1990

Drama

as Dr. Sung

6
0.4
Home from the Eastern Sea
Home from the Eastern Sea

1990

Documentary

as Narrator

0
0.1
Cage
Cage

1989

Action • Drama • Thriller

as Tin Lum Yin

3.2
0.4
Slaying the Dragon
Slaying the Dragon

1988

Documentary

0
0.2
Die Hard
Die Hard

1988

Action • Thriller

as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi

7.8
10
The Renegades
The Renegades

1982

Action • Crime • Drama • TV Movie

as Jimmy Lee

6.4
0.3
Tomorrow's Child
Tomorrow's Child

1982

Drama • Science Fiction • TV Movie

as Donald Shibura

0
0.1
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

1980

History • TV Movie • War

as Field Marshal Abehata

5.5
0.4
Samurai
Samurai

1979

Action • Adventure • Crime • Science Fiction • TV Movie

as Takeo Chisato

0
0.5
Midway
Midway

1976

Action • Drama • History • War

as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

6.6
4.5
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

1976

Drama • TV Movie • Thriller

as David Lao

0
0.2
Matt Helm
Matt Helm

1975

Action • Crime • Drama • TV Movie

as Tom McCauley

0
0.2
The Yakuza
The Yakuza

1974

Action • Crime • Drama • Thriller

as Goro

7.1
1
The Questor Tapes
The Questor Tapes

1974

Science Fiction • TV Movie

as Dr. Chen

5.7
0.3
Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon

1973

Adventure • Drama • Fantasy • Music • Romance

as Brother To-Lenn

5.4
0.4
The Young Lawyers
The Young Lawyers

1969

Drama • TV Movie

as Lee Ahn

0
0.5
Operation Heartbeat
Operation Heartbeat

1969

Drama • TV Movie

as Chief Resident

0
0.2
Escape to Mindanao
Escape to Mindanao

1968

Action • TV Movie • War

as Lt. Takahashi

0
0.1
Manila, Open City
Manila, Open City

1968

Action • Drama • History • War

as Captain Murakami

8.2
0
Nobody's Perfect
Nobody's Perfect

1968

Comedy • War

as Diver Toshi O'Hara

5.5
0.2
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

1967

Adventure • Mystery • TV Movie

as George Ti Ming

6
0.1
Death Walks in Laredo
Death Walks in Laredo

1967

Western

as Lester Koto

6.5
0.2
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Paradise, Hawaiian Style

1966

Comedy • Music • Romance

as Danny Kohana

5.1
0.6
Carol for Another Christmas
Carol for Another Christmas

1964

Drama • Fantasy • TV Movie

as Japanese Doctor

5.6
0.2
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song

1961

Comedy • Music • Romance

as Wang Ta

6.1
0.5
Bridge to the Sun
Bridge to the Sun

1961

Drama • Romance • War

as Hidenari Terasaki

6.8
0.2
Cry for Happy
Cry for Happy

1961

Comedy • Romance

as Harue

5
0.2
Walk Like a Dragon
Walk Like a Dragon

1960

Western

as Cheng Lu

5
0.3
The Crimson Kimono
The Crimson Kimono

1959

Crime • Drama • Mystery • Romance

as Detective Joe Kojaku

6.7
0.4

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