Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa

Known for Acting · 99 credits

Born
1889-06-10
Died
1973-11-23
Place of birth
Nanaura, Chiba, Japan
Also known as
早川雪洲 · Kintarō Hayakawa · 早川 金太郎

Biography

Sessue Hayakawa (June 10, 1889 – November 23, 1973) was a Japanese and American Issei (Japanese immigrant) actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. He was one of the highest paid stars of his time; making $5,000 a week in 1915, and $2 million a year via his own production company during the 1920s. He starred in over 80 movies and has two films in the U.S. National Film Registry. His international stardom transitioned both silent films and talkies.

Of his English-language films, Hayakawa is probably best known for his role as Colonel Saito in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, for which he received a nomination for Academy Award Best Supporting Actor in 1957. He also appeared as the pirate leader in Disney's Swiss Family Robinson in 1960. In addition to his film acting career, Hayakawa was a theatre actor, film and theatre producer, film director, screenwriter, novelist, martial artist, and an ordained Zen master.   Description above from the Wikipedia article Sessue Hayakawa, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

TV Shows (3)

Movies (96)

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Movie

The Bridge on the River Kwai

1957

as Col. Saito

Swiss Family Robinson
Movie

Swiss Family Robinson

1960

as Kuala, Pirate Chief

Green Mansions
Movie

Green Mansions

1959

as Runi

Tokyo Joe
Movie

Tokyo Joe

1949

as Baron Kimura

Hidden Pearls
Movie

Hidden Pearls

1918

as Tom Garvin

After Five
Movie

After Five

1915

as Oki - the Valet

The Swamp
Movie

The Swamp

1921

as Wang

House of Bamboo
Movie

House of Bamboo

1955

as Inspector Kito

The Geisha Boy
Movie

The Geisha Boy

1958

as Mr. Sikita

The First Born
Movie

The First Born

1921

as Chan Wang

The Daydreamer
Movie

The Daydreamer

1966

as The Mole (voice)

The Motherland Far Far Away
Movie

The Motherland Far Far Away

1950

as Joe Hayami

Hell to Eternity
Movie

Hell to Eternity

1960

as General Matsui

The Cheat
Movie

The Cheat

1915

as Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau]

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Movie

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

2019

as (archive footage)

Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Movie

Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

2007

as Self (archive footage)

Forfaiture
Movie

Forfaiture

1937

as Prince Hu-Long

Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom
Movie

Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom

1950

Daughter of the Dragon
Movie

Daughter of the Dragon

1931

as Ah Kee

47 Vendettas
Movie

47 Vendettas

1953

as Sakon Tachibana

The Bottle Imp
Movie

The Bottle Imp

1917

as Lopaka

Three Came Home
Movie

Three Came Home

1950

as Colonel Michio Suga

The Frozen Moment
Movie

The Frozen Moment

1964

as Self

Lover's Duet
Movie

Lover's Duet

1967

as Tajima

The Tragic General: Yamashita Tomoyuki
Movie

The Tragic General: Yamashita Tomoyuki

1953

as Tomoyuki Yamashita

An Arabian Knight
Movie

An Arabian Knight

1920

as Ahmed

Les Miserables I: God and the Devil
Movie

Les Miserables I: God and the Devil

1950

Li Ting Lang
Movie

Li Ting Lang

1920

as Li Ting Lang

The Big Wave
Movie

The Big Wave

1961

as The Old Man

Night Life in Hollywood
Movie

Night Life in Hollywood

1922

as Self

The Daughter of the Samurai
Movie

The Daughter of the Samurai

1937

as Iwao Yamato

Alien Souls
Movie

Alien Souls

1916

as Sakata

日本敗れず
Movie

日本敗れず

1954

The Man Beneath
Movie

The Man Beneath

1919

as Dr. Chindi Ashutor

The Typhoon
Movie

The Typhoon

1914

as Tokorama

Patrouille blanche
Movie

Patrouille blanche

1942

Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks
Movie

Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks

1931

as Self

The Devil's Claim
Movie

The Devil's Claim

1920

as Akbar Khan / Hassan

The Tong Man
Movie

The Tong Man

1919

as Luk Chen

The Secret Sin
Movie

The Secret Sin

1915

as Lin Foo

His Birthright
Movie

His Birthright

1918

as Yukio

The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant
Movie

The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant

1958

as Self

The White Man's Law
Movie

The White Man's Law

1918

as John A. Genghis

The Secret Game
Movie

The Secret Game

1917

as Nara-Nara

Gambling Hell
Movie

Gambling Hell

1942

as Ying Tchaï

The Clue
Movie

The Clue

1915

as Nogi

The Call of the East
Movie

The Call of the East

1917

as Arai Takada

The Vermilion Pencil
Movie

The Vermilion Pencil

1922

as Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan

Le Soleil de minuit
Movie

Le Soleil de minuit

1943

as Matsui

John Gunther's High Road
Movie

John Gunther's High Road

1959

as Self

The Beggar Prince
Movie

The Beggar Prince

1920

as Nikki / Prince

The Chinatown Mystery
Movie

The Chinatown Mystery

1915

as Yo Hong

The Honor of His House
Movie

The Honor of His House

1918

as Count Ito Onato

Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making
Movie

Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making

2002

as Self (archive)

Running Hollywood
Movie

Running Hollywood

1932

as Sessue Hayakawa

The Honorable Friend
Movie

The Honorable Friend

1916

as Makino

Where Lights Are Low
Movie

Where Lights Are Low

1921

as T''Su Wong Shih

The Wrath of the Gods
Movie

The Wrath of the Gods

1914

as Lord Yamaki

The Courageous Coward
Movie

The Courageous Coward

1919

as Suki Iota

Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
Movie

Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12

1922

as Self

The Temple Of Dusk
Movie

The Temple Of Dusk

1918

as Akira

Escape to Paradise/Water Birds
Movie

Escape to Paradise/Water Birds

1960

The Brand of Lopez
Movie

The Brand of Lopez

1920

as Vasco Lopez

Each to His Kind
Movie

Each to His Kind

1917

as Rhandah

The Dragon Painter
Movie

The Dragon Painter

1919

as Tatsu - the Dragon Painter

Yoshiwara
Movie

Yoshiwara

1937

as Ysamo, Kuli

The Jaguar's Claws
Movie

The Jaguar's Claws

1917

as El Jaguar

Black Roses
Movie

Black Roses

1921

as Yoda

The Soul of Kura San
Movie

The Soul of Kura San

1916

as Toyo

Temptation
Movie

Temptation

1915

as Opera Admirer

Forbidden Paths
Movie

Forbidden Paths

1917

as Sato

The Victoria Cross
Movie

The Victoria Cross

1916

as Azimoolah

Bonds of Honor
Movie

Bonds of Honor

1919

as Yamashito / Sasamoto

Malaria
Movie

Malaria

1943

Quartier chinois
Movie

Quartier chinois

1947

as Tchang

Le Cabaret du Grand Large
Movie

Le Cabaret du Grand Large

1946

as Professeur Wang

The City of Dim Faces
Movie

The City of Dim Faces

1918

as Jang Lung

The Gray Horizon
Movie

The Gray Horizon

1919

as Yamo Masata

O Mimi san
Movie

O Mimi san

1914

as Yorotomo

The Illustrious Prince
Movie

The Illustrious Prince

1919

as Prince Maiyo

Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Movie

Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)

1921

as Himself

Tempête sur l'Asie
Movie

Tempête sur l'Asie

1938

as Prinz Ling

Five Days to Live
Movie

Five Days to Live

1922

as Tai Leung

Sen Yan’s Devotion
Movie

Sen Yan’s Devotion

1924

as Sen Yan

His Debt
Movie

His Debt

1919

as Goto Mariyama

A Heart in Pawn
Movie

A Heart in Pawn

1919

as Tomaya

The Last of the Line
Movie

The Last of the Line

1914

as Tiah - Gray Otter's Son

The Battle
Movie

The Battle

1923

as Le Marquis Yorisaka

The Death Mask
Movie

The Death Mask

1914

as Running Wolf

Hashimura Togo
Movie

Hashimura Togo

1917

as Hashimura Togo

The Sun Rises from the East
Movie

The Sun Rises from the East

1932

as Kenji

The Danger Line
Movie

The Danger Line

1924

as Marquis Yorisaka

The Bravest Way
Movie

The Bravest Way

1918

as Kara Tamura

Banzai
Movie

Banzai

1918

as The American General

I Have Killed
Movie

I Have Killed

1924

as Hideo

The Great Prince Shan
Movie

The Great Prince Shan

1924

as Prince Shan

About Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa (June 10, 1889 – November 23, 1973) was a Japanese and American Issei (Japanese immigrant) actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. He was one of the highest paid stars of his time; making $5,000 a week in 1915, and $2 million a year via his own production company during the… With 99 credits spanning from 1914 to 2020, Sessue Hayakawa has appeared in 96 films and 3 TV shows.

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