Sessue Hayakawa

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

99

Gender

Male

Birthday

1889-06-10

Day of death

1973-11-23 (84 years old)

Place of Birth

Nanaura, Chiba, Japan

Sessue Hayakawa

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

  • Wagon Train

    Wagon Train

  • Black Roses

    Black Roses

  • Green Mansions

    Green Mansions

  • Malaria

    Malaria

  • The Daughter of the Samurai

    The Daughter of the Samurai

  • Running Hollywood

    Running Hollywood

  • House of Bamboo

    House of Bamboo

  • Patrouille blanche

    Patrouille blanche

  • The Geisha Boy

    The Geisha Boy

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai

    The Bridge on the River Kwai

  • Taikouki

    Taikouki

  • The Motherland Far Far Away

    The Motherland Far Far Away

  • O Mimi san

    O Mimi san

  • His Birthright

    His Birthright

  • Forbidden Paths

    Forbidden Paths

  • The Honorable Friend

    The Honorable Friend

  • Hell to Eternity

    Hell to Eternity

  • Swiss Family Robinson

    Swiss Family Robinson

  • The Battle

    The Battle

  • Five Days to Live

    Five Days to Live

  • His Debt

    His Debt

  • Alien Souls

    Alien Souls

  • Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)

    Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)

  • The Brand of Lopez

    The Brand of Lopez

  • The Chinatown Mystery

    The Chinatown Mystery

  • The Illustrious Prince

    The Illustrious Prince

  • Asian Americans

    Asian Americans

  • Banzai

    Banzai

  • The Courageous Coward

    The Courageous Coward

  • Tokyo Joe

    Tokyo Joe

  • The First Born

    The First Born

  • Le Soleil de minuit

    Le Soleil de minuit

  • Night Life in Hollywood

    Night Life in Hollywood

  • Forfaiture

    Forfaiture

  • Les Miserables I: God and the Devil

    Les Miserables I: God and the Devil

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

    Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

  • Li Ting Lang

    Li Ting Lang

  • The Cheat

    The Cheat

  • Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom

    Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom

  • I Have Killed

    I Have Killed

  • The Daydreamer

    The Daydreamer

  • Lover's Duet

    Lover's Duet

  • Tempête sur l'Asie

    Tempête sur l'Asie

  • 日本敗れず

    日本敗れず

  • Hashimura Togo

    Hashimura Togo

  • Three Came Home

    Three Came Home

  • The Bottle Imp

    The Bottle Imp

  • Yoshiwara

    Yoshiwara

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

    Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

  • Le Cabaret du Grand Large

    Le Cabaret du Grand Large

  • A Heart in Pawn

    A Heart in Pawn

  • Daughter of the Dragon

    Daughter of the Dragon

  • The Typhoon

    The Typhoon

  • Each to His Kind

    Each to His Kind

  • Quartier chinois

    Quartier chinois

  • The Swamp

    The Swamp

  • The Secret Game

    The Secret Game

  • The Bravest Way

    The Bravest Way

  • The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant

    The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant

  • 47 Vendettas

    47 Vendettas

  • Temptation

    Temptation

  • The White Man's Law

    The White Man's Law

  • The Honor of His House

    The Honor of His House

  • The Tragic General: Yamashita Tomoyuki

    The Tragic General: Yamashita Tomoyuki

  • Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making

    Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making

  • Where Lights Are Low

    Where Lights Are Low

  • The Wrath of the Gods

    The Wrath of the Gods

  • An Arabian Knight

    An Arabian Knight

  • The Man Beneath

    The Man Beneath

  • The Vermilion Pencil

    The Vermilion Pencil

  • Escape to Paradise/Water Birds

    Escape to Paradise/Water Birds

  • The Victoria Cross

    The Victoria Cross

  • The Devil's Claim

    The Devil's Claim

  • The Big Wave

    The Big Wave

  • The Death Mask

    The Death Mask

  • The Tong Man

    The Tong Man

  • The Secret Sin

    The Secret Sin

  • Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12

    Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12

  • Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks

    Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks

  • Bonds of Honor

    Bonds of Honor

  • The Great Prince Shan

    The Great Prince Shan

  • The Beggar Prince

    The Beggar Prince

  • The Call of the East

    The Call of the East

  • Hidden Pearls

    Hidden Pearls

  • The Jaguar's Claws

    The Jaguar's Claws

  • The Sun Rises from the East

    The Sun Rises from the East

  • The Dragon Painter

    The Dragon Painter

  • The City of Dim Faces

    The City of Dim Faces

  • The Gray Horizon

    The Gray Horizon

  • Sen Yan’s Devotion

    Sen Yan’s Devotion

  • Gambling Hell

    Gambling Hell

  • The Temple Of Dusk

    The Temple Of Dusk

  • The Soul of Kura San

    The Soul of Kura San

  • The Clue

    The Clue

  • After Five

    After Five

  • The Frozen Moment

    The Frozen Moment

  • The Last of the Line

    The Last of the Line

  • John Gunther's High Road

    John Gunther's High Road

  • The Danger Line

    The Danger Line