James Shigeta

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

94

Gender

Male

Birthday

1929-06-17

Day of death

2014-07-28 (85 years old)

Place of Birth

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

James Shigeta

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

  • Ironside

    Ironside

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Beverly Hills, 90210

    Beverly Hills, 90210

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Little House on the Prairie

    Little House on the Prairie

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • Babylon 5

    Babylon 5

  • The Rockford Files

    The Rockford Files

  • T. J. Hooker

    T. J. Hooker

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Simon & Simon

    Simon & Simon

  • Mission: Impossible

    Mission: Impossible

  • Airwolf

    Airwolf

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • Emergency!

    Emergency!

  • The Hitchhiker

    The Hitchhiker

  • Matt Houston

    Matt Houston

  • Naked City

    Naked City

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Avatar: The Last Airbender

  • seaQuest DSV

    seaQuest DSV

  • Mulan

    Mulan

  • Jake and the Fatman

    Jake and the Fatman

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • Die Hard

    Die Hard

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

    The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

  • Ellery Queen

    Ellery Queen

  • Midway

    Midway

  • Threat Matrix

    Threat Matrix

  • The Lieutenant

    The Lieutenant

  • Flower Drum Song

    Flower Drum Song

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Paradise, Hawaiian Style

    Paradise, Hawaiian Style

  • Brother

    Brother

  • Masquerade

    Masquerade

  • Once an Eagle

    Once an Eagle

  • Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

    Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

  • Midnight Man

    Midnight Man

  • Slaying the Dragon

    Slaying the Dragon

  • Carol for Another Christmas

    Carol for Another Christmas

  • The Crimson Kimono

    The Crimson Kimono

  • Operation Heartbeat

    Operation Heartbeat

  • Samurai

    Samurai

  • Cry for Happy

    Cry for Happy

  • The Yakuza

    The Yakuza

  • Manila, Open City

    Manila, Open City

  • The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

    The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

  • Walk Like a Dragon

    Walk Like a Dragon

  • Death Walks in Laredo

    Death Walks in Laredo

  • Kraft Mystery Theatre

    Kraft Mystery Theatre

  • Lost Horizon

    Lost Horizon

  • Cage

    Cage

  • Tomorrow's Child

    Tomorrow's Child

  • Drive

    Drive

  • The Bing Crosby Show

    The Bing Crosby Show

  • Bridge to the Sun

    Bridge to the Sun

  • Hollywood Chinese

    Hollywood Chinese

  • Space Marines

    Space Marines

  • The Young Lawyers

    The Young Lawyers

  • Cage II: The Arena of Death

    Cage II: The Arena of Death

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

    Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

  • Nobody's Perfect

    Nobody's Perfect

  • The Renegades

    The Renegades

  • China Cry

    China Cry

  • The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

    The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

  • The Questor Tapes

    The Questor Tapes

  • Beam Me Up, Sulu

    Beam Me Up, Sulu

  • The People I've Slept With

    The People I've Slept With

  • Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

    Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

  • The Slanted Screen

    The Slanted Screen

  • Escape to Mindanao

    Escape to Mindanao

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Matt Helm

    Matt Helm

  • Home from the Eastern Sea

    Home from the Eastern Sea

  • Yorktown: A Time to Heal

    Yorktown: A Time to Heal

  • Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

    Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century