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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0793363
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1400297
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Filmography (Movies)
Beam Me Up, Sulu
Character:Self
Release Date:25/06/2025
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
Character:Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Release Date:05/04/2022
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:13/10/2019
The People I've Slept With
Character:Charles Yang
Release Date:13/08/2009
Hollywood Chinese
Character:Self
Release Date:18/03/2007
The Slanted Screen
Character:Himself
Release Date:03/01/2006
Brother
Character:Sugimoto
Release Date:13/12/2000
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1999
Mulan
Character:General Li (voice)
Release Date:18/06/1998
Drive
Character:Mr. Lau
Release Date:06/08/1997
Space Marines
Character:Ambassador Nakamura
Release Date:01/01/1996
Midnight Man
Character:Mao Mak
Release Date:09/05/1995
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Character:Tin Lum Yin
Release Date:14/12/1994
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
Character:Det. Whoo
Release Date:06/05/1994
China Cry
Character:Dr. Sung
Release Date:02/11/1990
Home from the Eastern Sea
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/1990
Cage
Character:Tin Lum Yin
Release Date:01/09/1989
Slaying the Dragon
Character:
Release Date:04/11/1988
Die Hard
Character:Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Release Date:15/07/1988
The Renegades
Character:Jimmy Lee
Release Date:11/08/1982
Tomorrow's Child
Character:Donald Shibura
Release Date:22/03/1982
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Character:Field Marshal Abehata
Release Date:23/11/1980
Samurai
Character:Takeo Chisato
Release Date:30/04/1979
Midway
Character:Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Release Date:18/06/1976
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
Character:David Lao
Release Date:04/04/1976
Matt Helm
Character:Tom McCauley
Release Date:07/05/1975
The Yakuza
Character:Goro
Release Date:21/12/1974
The Questor Tapes
Character:Dr. Chen
Release Date:23/01/1974
Lost Horizon
Character:Brother To-Lenn
Release Date:14/03/1973
The Young Lawyers
Character:Lee Ahn
Release Date:28/10/1969
Operation Heartbeat
Character:Chief Resident
Release Date:17/04/1969
Escape to Mindanao
Character:Lt. Takahashi
Release Date:07/12/1968
Manila, Open City
Character:Captain Murakami
Release Date:13/01/1968
Nobody's Perfect
Character:Diver Toshi O'Hara
Release Date:12/01/1968
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
Character:George Ti Ming
Release Date:08/09/1967
Death Walks in Laredo
Character:Lester Koto
Release Date:18/02/1967
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Character:Danny Kohana
Release Date:23/04/1966
Carol for Another Christmas
Character:Japanese Doctor
Release Date:28/12/1964
Flower Drum Song
Character:Wang Ta
Release Date:09/11/1961
Bridge to the Sun
Character:Hidenari Terasaki
Release Date:17/10/1961
Cry for Happy
Character:Harue
Release Date:03/03/1961
Walk Like a Dragon
Character:Cheng Lu
Release Date:01/06/1960
The Crimson Kimono
Character:Detective Joe Kojaku
Release Date:21/10/1959
Television Appearances
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Character:Old Wanderer (voice)
Threat Matrix
Character:Kang Sok-Joo
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Character:Inspector Mantjur (voice)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Character:Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
Cybill
Character:Mr. Matsuzaki
Babylon 5
Character:Taro Isogi
seaQuest DSV
Character:Vietnamese President Chi
Renegade
Character:
Renegade
Character:Mr. Ota
Beverly Hills, 90210
Character:Ben Sosna
Jake and the Fatman
Character:Mr. Koso Nakasone
Murder, She Wrote
Character:John Sukahara
Murder, She Wrote
Character:Luc Li
Airwolf
Character:Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Masquerade
Character:Makko
The Hitchhiker
Character:Nishi
Matt Houston
Character:Lin Ha
T. J. Hooker
Character:Chow Duc Khan
Simon & Simon
Character:
Magnum, P.I.
Character:Richard Enoka
Magnum, P.I.
Character:Mr. Obotu
The Love Boat
Character:Bud's Father
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
Character:
Once an Eagle
Character:Lin Tso-Han
Ellery Queen
Character:Stephen Yang
S.W.A.T.
Character:
Police Woman
Character:
The Rockford Files
Character:Clement Chin
Little House on the Prairie
Character:Sam Wing
Kung Fu
Character:Master Kwan Li
Kung Fu
Character:Col. Lin Pei
The Streets of San Francisco
Character:
The Streets of San Francisco
Character:Prosecutor
Emergency!
Character:
Medical Center
Character:Dr. Osaka
Hawaii Five-O
Character:Joseph Matsukino
Ironside
Character:
Mission: Impossible
Character:Shiki
The Bing Crosby Show
Character:
Burke's Law
Character:Sidney Ying
The Outer Limits
Character:Maj. Jong
The Outer Limits
Character:AIO Captain Newa
The Lieutenant
Character:
Ben Casey
Character:
Ben Casey
Character:Dr. Harvey Lee
Dr. Kildare
Character:Dr. Roy Shigera
Kraft Mystery Theatre
Character:
Naked City
Character:James Kam
Perry Mason
Character:Ward Toyama
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character:Self
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Audience Member
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Images
