James Shigeta
Acting
Born: 1929-06-17 · Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
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
🎬 Movies (30)
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
2009
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
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
1994
Det. Whoo
Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994
Tin Lum Yin
Home from the Eastern Sea
1990
Narrator
China Cry
1990
Dr. Sung
Cage
1989
Tin Lum Yin
Die Hard
1988
Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Slaying the Dragon
1988
Tomorrow's Child
1982
Donald Shibura
The Renegades
1982
Jimmy Lee
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
Operation Heartbeat
1969
Chief Resident
📺 TV Shows (30)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005
Old Wanderer (voice)
Threat Matrix
2003
Kang Sok-Joo
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996
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
Luc Li
Airwolf
1984
Colonel Tranh Van Zung
The Hitchhiker
1983
Nishi
Masquerade
1983
Makko
T. J. Hooker
1982
Chow Duc Khan
Matt Houston
1982
Lin Ha
Simon & Simon
1981
Magnum, P.I.
1980
Mr. Obotu
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
The Love Boat
1977
Bud's Father
Once an Eagle
1976
Lin Tso-Han
S.W.A.T.
1975
Ellery Queen
1975
Stephen Yang
Little House on the Prairie
1974
Sam Wing
Police Woman
1974
The Rockford Files
1974
Clement Chin
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Prosecutor
Emergency!
1972
Kung Fu
1972
Col. Lin Pei
Medical Center
1969
Dr. Osaka
Hawaii Five-O
1968
Joseph Matsukino