James Shigeta
Acting • Born 1929-06-17 – Died 2014-07-28
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.
Filmography
95 credits
Brother
Movie • 2000
Sugimoto
Die Hard
Movie • 1988
Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Mulan
Movie • 1998
General Li (voice)
Flower Drum Song
Movie • 1961
Wang Ta
Drive
Movie • 1997
Mr. Lau
The Crimson Kimono
Movie • 1959
Detective Joe Kojaku
The Yakuza
Movie • 1974
Goro
The People I've Slept With
Movie • 2009
Charles Yang
The Questor Tapes
Movie • 1974
Dr. Chen
Escape to Mindanao
Movie • 1968
Lt. Takahashi
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
Movie • 1966
Danny Kohana
Home from the Eastern Sea
Movie • 1990
Narrator
Matt Helm
Movie • 1975
Tom McCauley
Tomorrow's Child
Movie • 1982
Donald Shibura
Carol for Another Christmas
Movie • 1964
Japanese Doctor
Lost Horizon
Movie • 1973
Brother To-Lenn
Death Walks in Laredo
Movie • 1967
Lester Koto
Cry for Happy
Movie • 1961
Suzuki
Bridge to the Sun
Movie • 1961
Hidenari Terasaki
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Movie • 2019
(archive footage)
Nobody's Perfect
Movie • 1968
Diver Toshi O'Hara
The Renegades
Movie • 1982
Jimmy Lee
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
Movie • 1994
Det. Whoo
China Cry
Movie • 1990
Dr. Sung
Midway
Movie • 1976
Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
Movie • 1999
Narrator
The Slanted Screen
Movie • 2006
Himself
Operation Heartbeat
Movie • 1969
Chief Resident
Manila, Open City
Movie • 1968
Captain Murakami
Midnight Man
Movie • 1995
Mao Mak
Walk Like a Dragon
Movie • 1960
Cheng Lu
Hollywood Chinese
Movie • 2007
Self
The Young Lawyers
Movie • 1969
Lee Ahn
Slaying the Dragon
Movie • 1988
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
Movie • 1980
Field Marshal Abehata
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Movie • 1994
Tin Lum Yin
Space Marines
Movie • 1996
Ambassador Nakamura
Samurai
Movie • 1979
Takeo Chisato
Cage
Movie • 1989
Tin Lum Yin
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
Movie • 1976
David Lao
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
Movie • 2022
Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
Movie • 1967
George Ti Ming
Beam Me Up, Sulu
Movie • 2025
Self
Murder, She Wrote
TV • 1984
John Sukahara
Magnum, P.I.
TV • 1980
Richard Enoka
Threat Matrix
TV • 2003
Kang Sok-Joo
Avatar: The Last Airbender
TV • 2005
Old Wanderer (voice)
Burke's Law
TV • 1963
Sidney Ying
T. J. Hooker
TV • 1982
Chow Duc Khan
Little House on the Prairie
TV • 1974
Sam Wing
Beverly Hills, 90210
TV • 1990
Ben Sosna
seaQuest DSV
TV • 1993
Vietnamese President Chi
Simon & Simon
TV • 1981
Airwolf
TV • 1984
Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Hawaii Five-O
TV • 1968
Joseph Matsukino
The Streets of San Francisco
TV • 1972
Naked City
TV • 1958
James Kam
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV • 1977
Babylon 5
TV • 1994
Taro Isogi
Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Ward Toyama
Mission: Impossible
TV • 1966
Shiki
Emergency!
TV • 1972
Ironside
TV • 1967
Police Woman
TV • 1974
S.W.A.T.
TV • 1975
The Hitchhiker
TV • 1983
Nishi
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TV • 1956
Self
Ben Casey
TV • 1961
Ellery Queen
TV • 1975
Stephen Yang
The Lieutenant
TV • 1963
The Bing Crosby Show
TV • 1964
Dr. Kildare
TV • 1961
Dr. Roy Shigera
The Outer Limits
TV • 1963
Maj. Jong
Kraft Mystery Theatre
TV • 1961
Renegade
TV • 1992
Masquerade
TV • 1983
Makko
Jake and the Fatman
TV • 1987
Mr. Koso Nakasone
The Outer Limits
TV • 1963
AIO Captain Newa
The Rockford Files
TV • 1974
Clement Chin
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
TV • 1996
Inspector Mantjur (voice)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
TV • 1996
Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
The Streets of San Francisco
TV • 1972
Prosecutor
Medical Center
TV • 1969
Dr. Osaka
Murder, She Wrote
TV • 1984
Luc Li
Once an Eagle
TV • 1976
Lin Tso-Han
Renegade
TV • 1992
Mr. Ota
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Audience Member
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Bud's Father
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee
Magnum, P.I.
TV • 1980
Mr. Obotu
Kung Fu
TV • 1972
Master Kwan Li
Kung Fu
TV • 1972
Col. Lin Pei
Ben Casey
TV • 1961
Dr. Harvey Lee
Cybill
TV • 1995
Mr. Matsuzaki
Matt Houston
TV • 1982
Lin Ha