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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
June 17, 1929
Died
July 28, 2014
Place of Birth
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Also Known As
- James Saburo Shigeta
- 繁田三郎
James Shigeta
0.8 Popularity
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
0.0
Self
Beam Me Up, Sulu
2025
0.0
Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
2022
5.7
(archive footage)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019
4.5
Charles Yang
The People I've Slept With
2009
0.0
Self
Hollywood Chinese
2007
10.0
Himself
The Slanted Screen
2006
8.8
Old Wanderer (voice)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005
6.0
Kang Sok-Joo
Threat Matrix
2003
7.1
Sugimoto
Brother
2000
🎬
0.0
Narrator
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
1999
Credits
Beam Me Up, Sulu
as Self
2025
0.0
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
2022
0.0
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
as (archive footage)
2019
5.7
The People I've Slept With
as Charles Yang
2009
4.5
Hollywood Chinese
as Self
2007
0.0
The Slanted Screen
as Himself
2006
10.0
Avatar: The Last Airbender
as Old Wanderer (voice)
2005
8.8
Threat Matrix
as Kang Sok-Joo
2003
6.0
Brother
as Sugimoto
2000
7.1
🎬
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
as Narrator
1999
0.0
Mulan
as General Li (voice)
1998
7.9
Drive
as Mr. Lau
1997
6.1
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
as Inspector Mantjur (voice)
1996
7.2
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
as Dr. Yamashiro (voice)
1996
7.2
Space Marines
as Ambassador Nakamura
1996
3.1
Midnight Man
as Mao Mak
1995
5.1
Cybill
as Mr. Matsuzaki
1995
5.8
Cage II: The Arena of Death
as Tin Lum Yin
1994
2.9
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
as Det. Whoo
1994
6.5
Babylon 5
as Taro Isogi
1994
8.0
seaQuest DSV
as Vietnamese President Chi
1993
7.0
Renegade
1992
6.7
Renegade
as Mr. Ota
1992
6.7
China Cry
as Dr. Sung
1990
6.0
Beverly Hills, 90210
as Ben Sosna
1990
7.3
🎬
Home from the Eastern Sea
as Narrator
1990
0.0
Cage
as Tin Lum Yin
1989
3.1
Slaying the Dragon
1988
0.0
Die Hard
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
1988
7.8
Jake and the Fatman
as Mr. Koso Nakasone
1987
6.2
Murder, She Wrote
as John Sukahara
1984
7.5
Murder, She Wrote
as Luc Li
1984
7.5
Airwolf
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung
1984
7.6
Masquerade
as Makko
1983
5.0
The Hitchhiker
as Nishi
1983
6.1
Matt Houston
as Lin Ha
1982
6.2
The Renegades
as Jimmy Lee
1982
6.4
Tomorrow's Child
as Donald Shibura
1982
2.0
T. J. Hooker
as Chow Duc Khan
1982
6.4
Simon & Simon
1981
6.7
Magnum, P.I.
as Richard Enoka
1980
7.3
Magnum, P.I.
as Mr. Obotu
1980
7.3
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
as Field Marshal Abehata
1980
5.7
Samurai
as Takeo Chisato
1979
0.0
The Love Boat
as Bud's Father
1977
6.3
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
7.1
Once an Eagle
as Lin Tso-Han
1976
6.8
Midway
as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
1976
6.6
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
as David Lao
1976
0.0
Ellery Queen
as Stephen Yang
1975
7.4
Matt Helm
as Tom McCauley
1975
0.0
S.W.A.T.
1975
7.0
The Yakuza
as Goro
1974
7.1
The Rockford Files
as Clement Chin
1974
7.6
Police Woman
1974
6.2
Little House on the Prairie
as Sam Wing
1974
7.9
The Questor Tapes
as Dr. Chen
1974
5.7
Lost Horizon
as Brother To-Lenn
1973
5.4
Kung Fu
as Master Kwan Li
1972
7.7
Kung Fu
as Col. Lin Pei
1972
7.7
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
7.0
The Streets of San Francisco
as Prosecutor
1972
7.0
Emergency!
1972
7.8
The Young Lawyers
as Lee Ahn
1969
0.0
Medical Center
as Dr. Osaka
1969
6.1
Operation Heartbeat
as Chief Resident
1969
0.0
Escape to Mindanao
as Lt. Takahashi
1968
0.0
Hawaii Five-O
as Joseph Matsukino
1968
7.1
Manila, Open City
as Captain Murakami
1968
8.2
Nobody's Perfect
as Diver Toshi O'Hara
1968
5.5
🎬
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
as George Ti Ming
1967
6.0
Ironside
1967
6.8
Death Walks in Laredo
as Lester Koto
1967
6.5
Mission: Impossible
as Shiki
1966
7.6
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
as Danny Kohana
1966
5.1
Carol for Another Christmas
as Japanese Doctor
1964
5.8
The Bing Crosby Show
1964
5.0
Burke's Law
as Sidney Ying
1963
6.0
The Outer Limits
as Maj. Jong
1963
7.8
The Outer Limits
as AIO Captain Newa
1963
7.8
The Lieutenant
1963
6.0
Flower Drum Song
as Wang Ta
1961
6.2
Bridge to the Sun
as Hidenari Terasaki
1961
6.8
Ben Casey
1961
5.6
Ben Casey
as Dr. Harvey Lee
1961
5.6
Dr. Kildare
as Dr. Roy Shigera
1961
5.5
Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961
6.0
Cry for Happy
as Harue
1961
5.0
Walk Like a Dragon
as Cheng Lu
1960
5.0
The Crimson Kimono
as Detective Joe Kojaku
1959
6.6
Naked City
as James Kam
1958
5.5
Perry Mason
as Ward Toyama
1957
7.7
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as Self
1956
6.0
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Audience Member
1944
7.2
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
1944
7.2