James Shigeta
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.
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Full Filmography
All Credits (89)
Beam Me Up, Sulu
as Self
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Chinese
as Self
The Slanted Screen
as Himself
Avatar: The Last Airbender
as Old Wanderer (voice)
Threat Matrix
as Kang Sok-Joo
Brother
as Sugimoto
Drive
as Mr. Lau
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
as Inspector Mantjur (voice)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
as Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
Space Marines
as Ambassador Nakamura
Midnight Man
as Mao Mak
Cybill
as Mr. Matsuzaki
Cage II: The Arena of Death
as Tin Lum Yin
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
as Det. Whoo
Babylon 5
as Taro Isogi
seaQuest DSV
as Vietnamese President Chi
Renegade
as Unknown
Renegade
as Mr. Ota
China Cry
as Dr. Sung
Beverly Hills, 90210
as Ben Sosna
Cage
as Tin Lum Yin
Slaying the Dragon
as Unknown
Die Hard
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Jake and the Fatman
as Mr. Koso Nakasone
Murder, She Wrote
as John Sukahara
Murder, She Wrote
as Luc Li
Airwolf
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Masquerade
as Makko
The Hitchhiker
as Nishi
Matt Houston
as Lin Ha
The Renegades
as Jimmy Lee
Tomorrow's Child
as Donald Shibura
T. J. Hooker
as Chow Duc Khan
Simon & Simon
as Unknown
Magnum, P.I.
as Richard Enoka
Magnum, P.I.
as Mr. Obotu
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
as Field Marshal Abehata
Samurai
as Takeo Chisato
The Love Boat
as Bud's Father
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
as Unknown
Once an Eagle
as Lin Tso-Han
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
as David Lao
Ellery Queen
as Stephen Yang
Matt Helm
as Tom McCauley
S.W.A.T.
as Unknown
The Yakuza
as Goro
Police Woman
as Unknown
The Rockford Files
as Clement Chin
Little House on the Prairie
as Sam Wing
The Questor Tapes
as Dr. Chen
Lost Horizon
as Brother To-Lenn
Kung Fu
as Master Kwan Li
Kung Fu
as Col. Lin Pei
The Streets of San Francisco
as Unknown
The Streets of San Francisco
as Prosecutor
Emergency!
as Unknown
The Young Lawyers
as Lee Ahn
Medical Center
as Dr. Osaka
Hawaii Five-O
as Joseph Matsukino
Operation Heartbeat
as Chief Resident
Escape to Mindanao
as Lt. Takahashi
Manila, Open City
as Captain Murakami
Nobody's Perfect
as Diver Toshi O'Hara
Ironside
as Unknown
Death Walks in Laredo
as Lester Koto
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
as Danny Kohana
Carol for Another Christmas
as Japanese Doctor
The Bing Crosby Show
as Unknown
Burke's Law
as Sidney Ying
The Outer Limits
as Maj. Jong
The Outer Limits
as AIO Captain Newa
The Lieutenant
as Unknown
Flower Drum Song
as Wang Ta
Bridge to the Sun
as Hidenari Terasaki
Ben Casey
as Unknown
Ben Casey
as Dr. Harvey Lee
Dr. Kildare
as Dr. Roy Shigera
Kraft Mystery Theatre
as Unknown
Cry for Happy
as Suzuki
Walk Like a Dragon
as Cheng Lu
The Crimson Kimono
as Detective Joe Kojaku
Naked City
as James Kam
Perry Mason
as Ward Toyama
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Audience Member
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Winner