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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Movies (43)
Beam Me Up, Sulu
2025 · Self
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
2022 · Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019 · (archive footage)
The People I've Slept With
2010 · Charles Yang
Hollywood Chinese
2007 · Self
The Slanted Screen
2006 · Himself
Brother
2000 · Sugimoto
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
1999 · Narrator
Mulan
1998 · General Li (voice)
Drive
1997 · Mr. Lau
Space Marines
1996 · Ambassador Nakamura
Midnight Man
1995 · Mao Mak
Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994 · Tin Lum Yin
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
1994 · Det. Whoo
China Cry
1990 · Dr. Sung
Home from the Eastern Sea
1990 · Narrator
Cage
1989 · Tin Lum Yin
Slaying the Dragon
1988
Die Hard
1988 · Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
The Renegades
1982 · Jimmy Lee
Tomorrow's Child
1982 · Donald Shibura
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
1980 · Field Marshal Abehata
Samurai
1979 · Takeo Chisato
Midway
1976 · Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
1976 · David Lao
Matt Helm
1975 · Tom McCauley
The Yakuza
1974 · Goro
The Questor Tapes
1974 · Dr. Chen
Lost Horizon
1973 · Brother To-Lenn
The Young Lawyers
1969 · Lee Ahn
Operation Heartbeat
1969 · Chief Resident
Escape to Mindanao
1968 · Lt. Takahashi
Manila, Open City
1968 · Captain Murakami
Nobody's Perfect
1968 · Diver Toshi O'Hara
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
1967 · George Ti Ming
Death Walks in Laredo
1967 · Lester Koto
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
1966 · Danny Kohana
Carol for Another Christmas
1964 · Japanese Doctor
Flower Drum Song
1961 · Wang Ta
Bridge to the Sun
1961 · Hidenari Terasaki
Cry for Happy
1961 · Suzuki
Walk Like a Dragon
1960 · Cheng Lu
The Crimson Kimono
1959 · Detective Joe Kojaku
TV shows (43)
Avatar: La leyenda de Aang
2005 · Old Wanderer (voice)
Threat Matrix
2003 · Kang Sok-Joo
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996 · Inspector Mantjur (voice), Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
Cybill
1995 · Mr. Matsuzaki
Babylon 5
1994 · Taro Isogi
seaQuest DSV
1993 · Vietnamese President Chi
Renegade
1992 · Mr. Ota
Beverly Hills, 90210
1990 · Ben Sosna
Jake and the Fatman
1987 · Mr. Koso Nakasone
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · John Sukahara, Luc Li
Airwolf
1984 · Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Masquerade
1983 · Makko
The Hitchhiker
1983 · Nishi
Matt Houston
1982 · Lin Ha
T. J. Hooker
1982 · Chow Duc Khan
Simon & Simon
1981
Magnum, P.I.
1980 · Richard Enoka, Mr. Obotu
The Love Boat
1977 · Bud's Father
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
Once an Eagle
1976 · Lin Tso-Han
Ellery Queen
1975 · Stephen Yang
S.W.A.T.
1975
Police Woman
1974
The Rockford Files
1974 · Clement Chin
Little House on the Prairie
1974 · Sam Wing
Kung Fu
1972 · Master Kwan Li, Col. Lin Pei
The Streets of San Francisco
1972 · Prosecutor
Emergency!
1972 · Nathan O'Brien
Medical Center
1969 · Dr. Osaka
Hawaii Five-O
1969 · Joseph Matsukino
Ironside
1967
Mission: Impossible
1966 · Shiki
The Bing Crosby Show
1964
Burke's Law
1963 · Sidney Ying
The Outer Limits
1963 · Maj. Jong, AIO Captain Newa
The Lieutenant
1963
Ben Casey
1961 · Dr. Harvey Lee
Dr. Kildare
1961 · Dr. Roy Shigera
Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961
Naked City
1958 · James Kam
Perry Mason
1957 · Ward Toyama
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956 · Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Self - Audience Member, Self - Nominee, Self - Winner