CineScope
James Shigeta picture

James Shigeta

Acting
Known For

85 Years Old

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.

Born

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA on 17th June 1929

Died

28th July 2014

All Credits

Ben Casey Image
Ben Casey
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Bud's Father
Dr. Kildare Image
Dr. Kildare
Dr. Roy Shigera
The Streets of San Francisco Image
The Streets of San Francisco
Prosecutor
The Streets of San Francisco Image
The Streets of San Francisco
Police Woman Image
Police Woman
Golden Globe Awards Image
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner
Golden Globe Awards Image
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member
Babylon 5 Image
Babylon 5
Taro Isogi
Beverly Hills, 90210 Image
Beverly Hills, 90210
T. J. Hooker Image
T. J. Hooker
Chow Duc Khan
Perry Mason Image
Perry Mason
Ward Toyama
The Rockford Files Image
The Rockford Files
Clement Chin
Jake and the Fatman Image
Jake and the Fatman
Mr. Koso Nakasone
Medical Center Image
Medical Center
Dr. Osaka
Murder, She Wrote Image
Murder, She Wrote
Luc Li
Murder, She Wrote Image
Murder, She Wrote
John Sukahara
Magnum, P.I. Image
Magnum, P.I.
Mr. Obotu
Magnum, P.I. Image
Magnum, P.I.
Richard Enoka
Little House on the Prairie Image
Little House on the Prairie
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries Image
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Lieutenant Image
The Lieutenant
seaQuest DSV Image
seaQuest DSV
Vietnamese President Chi
Hawaii Five-O Image
Hawaii Five-O
Joseph Matsukino
Avatar: The Last Airbender Image
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Image
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
The Outer Limits Image
The Outer Limits
AIO Captain Newa
The Outer Limits Image
The Outer Limits
Maj. Jong
Simon & Simon Image
Simon & Simon
Matt Houston Image
Matt Houston
Emergency! Image
Emergency!
The Bing Crosby Show Image
The Bing Crosby Show
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Image
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Image
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Inspector Mantjur (voice)
Mission: Impossible Image
Mission: Impossible
Shiki
Ironside Image
Ironside
Masquerade Image
Masquerade
Makko
Airwolf Image
Airwolf
Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Kraft Mystery Theatre Image
Kraft Mystery Theatre
Renegade Image
Renegade
Mr. Ota
Renegade Image
Renegade
Naked City Image
Naked City
James Kam
Mulan Image
Mulan
General Li (voice)
Threat Matrix Image
Threat Matrix
Kang Sok-Joo
Ellery Queen Image
Ellery Queen
Stephen Yang
Burke's Law Image
Burke's Law
Sidney Ying
The Hitchhiker Image
The Hitchhiker
Nishi
Die Hard Image
Die Hard
Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
S.W.A.T. Image
S.W.A.T.
Once an Eagle Image
Once an Eagle
Lin Tso-Han
Midway Image
Midway
Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Brother Image
Brother
Sugimoto
Kung Fu Image
Kung Fu
Col. Lin Pei
Kung Fu Image
Kung Fu
Master Kwan Li
Drive Image
Drive
Mr. Lau
Paradise, Hawaiian Style Image
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Danny Kohana
Lost Horizon Image
Lost Horizon
Brother To-Lenn
The Yakuza Image
The Yakuza
Goro
Flower Drum Song Image
Flower Drum Song
Wang Ta
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood Image
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
(archive footage)
Midnight Man Image
Midnight Man
Mao Mak
The Crimson Kimono Image
The Crimson Kimono
Detective Joe Kojaku
Samurai Image
Samurai
Takeo Chisato
Walk Like a Dragon Image
Walk Like a Dragon
Cheng Lu
The Questor Tapes Image
The Questor Tapes
Dr. Chen
The People I've Slept With Image
The People I've Slept With
Charles Yang
China Cry Image
China Cry
Dr. Sung
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb Image
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Field Marshal Abehata
Slaying the Dragon Image
Slaying the Dragon
Cage Image
Cage
Tin Lum Yin
Death Walks in Laredo Image
Death Walks in Laredo
Lester Koto
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die Image
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
Det. Whoo
Carol for Another Christmas Image
Carol for Another Christmas
Japanese Doctor
Hollywood Chinese Image
Hollywood Chinese
Self
Matt Helm Image
Matt Helm
Tom McCauley
Cage II: The Arena of Death Image
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Tin Lum Yin
Operation Heartbeat Image
Operation Heartbeat
Chief Resident
Bridge to the Sun Image
Bridge to the Sun
Hidenari Terasaki
The Young Lawyers Image
The Young Lawyers
Lee Ahn
Escape to Mindanao Image
Escape to Mindanao
Lt. Takahashi
Nobody's Perfect Image
Nobody's Perfect
Diver Toshi O'Hara
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die Image
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
David Lao
The Renegades Image
The Renegades
Jimmy Lee
The Slanted Screen Image
The Slanted Screen
Himself
Cry for Happy Image
Cry for Happy
Harue
Tomorrow's Child Image
Tomorrow's Child
Donald Shibura
Space Marines Image
Space Marines
Ambassador Nakamura
Manila, Open City Image
Manila, Open City
Captain Murakami
Yorktown: A Time to Heal Image
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
No Image
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
Narrator
No Image
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
George Ti Ming
Beam Me Up, Sulu Image
Beam Me Up, Sulu
Self
No Image
Home from the Eastern Sea
Narrator