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James Shigeta Biography and Full Filmography - MovieWise

Quick Facts

Born:
1929-06-17

Birthplace:
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Credits:
96 Total Roles

James Shigeta

Acting

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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

Full Filmography

Year Title Role
2025 Beam Me Up, Sulu MOVIE Self
2022 Yorktown: A Time to Heal MOVIE Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
2019 Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood MOVIE (archive footage)
2009 The People I've Slept With MOVIE Charles Yang
2007 Hollywood Chinese MOVIE Self
2006 The Slanted Screen MOVIE Himself
2005 Avatar: The Last Airbender TV Old Wanderer (voice)
2003 Threat Matrix TV Kang Sok-Joo
2000 Brother MOVIE Sugimoto
1999 Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century MOVIE Narrator

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