James Shigeta
Known for Acting · 86 credits
- Born
- 1929-06-17
- Died
- 2014-07-28
- Place of birth
- Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Also known as
- James Saburo Shigeta · 繁田三郎
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
TV Shows (43)
Perry Mason
1957
as Ward Toyama
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as John Sukahara / Luc Li
Beverly Hills, 90210
1990
as Ben Sosna
Babylon 5
1994
as Taro Isogi
The Love Boat
1977
as Bud's Father
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Audience Member / Self - Nominee / Self - Winner
Ironside
1967
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Joseph Matsukino
Magnum, P.I.
1980
as Richard Enoka / Mr. Obotu
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Sam Wing
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Shiki
Emergency!
1972
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Dr. Roy Shigera
T. J. Hooker
1982
as Chow Duc Khan
The Rockford Files
1974
as Clement Chin
Ben Casey
1961
as Dr. Harvey Lee
Simon & Simon
1981
Naked City
1958
as James Kam
Renegade
1992
as Mr. Ota
Airwolf
1984
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung
Police Woman
1974
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005
as Old Wanderer (voice)
Jake and the Fatman
1987
as Mr. Koso Nakasone
Medical Center
1969
as Dr. Osaka
Burke's Law
1963
as Sidney Ying
seaQuest DSV
1993
as Vietnamese President Chi
The Outer Limits
1963
as Maj. Jong / AIO Captain Newa
Cybill
1995
as Mr. Matsuzaki
Matt Houston
1982
as Lin Ha
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
as Prosecutor
The Hitchhiker
1983
as Nishi
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996
as Inspector Mantjur (voice) / Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
Ellery Queen
1975
as Stephen Yang
Threat Matrix
2003
as Kang Sok-Joo
The Lieutenant
1963
S.W.A.T.
1975
Masquerade
1983
as Makko
Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961
Once an Eagle
1976
as Lin Tso-Han
The Bing Crosby Show
1964
Kung Fu
1972
as Master Kwan Li / Col. Lin Pei
Movies (43)
Mulan
1998
as General Li (voice)
Die Hard
1988
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Midway
1976
as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Brother
2000
as Sugimoto
Drive
1997
as Mr. Lau
The Yakuza
1974
as Goro
Lost Horizon
1973
as Brother To-Lenn
Samurai
1979
as Takeo Chisato
Flower Drum Song
1961
as Wang Ta
Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994
as Tin Lum Yin
The Renegades
1982
as Jimmy Lee
Space Marines
1996
as Ambassador Nakamura
The Slanted Screen
2006
as Himself
Nobody's Perfect
1968
as Diver Toshi O'Hara
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
1980
as Field Marshal Abehata
Cage
1989
as Tin Lum Yin
The Young Lawyers
1969
as Lee Ahn
China Cry
1990
as Dr. Sung
Midnight Man
1995
as Mao Mak
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Chinese
2007
as Self
Bridge to the Sun
1961
as Hidenari Terasaki
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
1966
as Danny Kohana
The Questor Tapes
1974
as Dr. Chen
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
1976
as David Lao
Escape to Mindanao
1968
as Lt. Takahashi
Walk Like a Dragon
1960
as Cheng Lu
The People I've Slept With
2009
as Charles Yang
The Crimson Kimono
1959
as Detective Joe Kojaku
Cry for Happy
1961
as Suzuki
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
1994
as Det. Whoo
Carol for Another Christmas
1964
as Japanese Doctor
Tomorrow's Child
1982
as Donald Shibura
Matt Helm
1975
as Tom McCauley
Slaying the Dragon
1988
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
1967
as George Ti Ming
Death Walks in Laredo
1967
as Lester Koto
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
1999
as Narrator
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
2022
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Operation Heartbeat
1969
as Chief Resident
Beam Me Up, Sulu
2025
as Self
Manila, Open City
1968
as Captain Murakami
Home from the Eastern Sea
1990
as Narrator
About 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… With 86 credits spanning from 1944 to 2025, James Shigeta has appeared in 43 films and 43 TV shows.
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