James Shigeta

Known for ActingBorn 1929-06-17Died 2014-07-28Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

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.Read more

Movies & web series

The Slanted Screen

The Young Lawyers

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Samurai

Escape to Mindanao

Manila, Open City

Babylon 5

Mulan

Slaying the Dragon

Operation Heartbeat

Die Hard

Little House on the Prairie

Emergency!

Airwolf

The Outer Limits

Kung Fu

Murder, She Wrote

The Rockford Files

Masquerade

Perry Mason

Ellery Queen

Beverly Hills, 90210

Mission: Impossible

Magnum, P.I.

Brother

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

seaQuest DSV

The Yakuza

Death Walks in Laredo

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

Kraft Mystery Theatre

Hawaii Five-O

S.W.A.T.

The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

The Streets of San Francisco

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

Renegade

Golden Globe Awards

The Lieutenant

Ironside

Once an Eagle

Simon & Simon

Bridge to the Sun

The Renegades

Midway

T. J. Hooker

China Cry

Beam Me Up, Sulu