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