James Shigeta

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

90

Gender

Male

Birthday

1929-06-17

Deathday

2014-07-28 (85 years old)

Place of Birth

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Also Known As

  • James Saburo Shigeta
  • 繁田三郎

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

Die Hard
7.8%

Die Hard

Jul 15, 1988

Mulan
7.9%

Mulan

Jun 18, 1998

Beverly Hills, 90210
7.4%

Beverly Hills, 90210

Oct 4, 1990

Babylon 5
8.0%

Babylon 5

Jan 26, 1994

Brother
7.1%

Brother

Dec 13, 2000

Airwolf
7.6%

Airwolf

Jan 22, 1984

Magnum, P.I.
7.3%

Magnum, P.I.

Dec 11, 1980

Murder, She Wrote
7.5%

Murder, She Wrote

Sep 30, 1984

Murder, She Wrote
7.5%

Murder, She Wrote

Sep 30, 1984

Midway
6.7%

Midway

Jun 18, 1976

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Acting

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