James Shigeta

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

95

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

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Beverly Hills, 90210

    Beverly Hills, 90210

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • Babylon 5

    Babylon 5

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • Emergency!

    Emergency!

  • Little House on the Prairie

    Little House on the Prairie

  • Ironside

    Ironside

  • Mission: Impossible

    Mission: Impossible

  • Airwolf

    Airwolf

  • The Rockford Files

    The Rockford Files

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • Die Hard

    Die Hard

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Avatar: The Last Airbender

  • Naked City

    Naked City

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • T. J. Hooker

    T. J. Hooker

  • seaQuest DSV

    seaQuest DSV

  • Simon & Simon

    Simon & Simon

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Mulan

    Mulan

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Jake and the Fatman

    Jake and the Fatman

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

    The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

  • Matt Houston

    Matt Houston

  • The Hitchhiker

    The Hitchhiker

  • Cybill

    Cybill

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • Ellery Queen

    Ellery Queen

  • China Cry

    China Cry

  • The Lieutenant

    The Lieutenant

  • Cage II: The Arena of Death

    Cage II: The Arena of Death

  • Space Marines

    Space Marines

  • Cage

    Cage

  • Brother

    Brother

  • Cry for Happy

    Cry for Happy

  • Threat Matrix

    Threat Matrix

  • Midway

    Midway

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Masquerade

    Masquerade

  • The Young Lawyers

    The Young Lawyers

  • Once an Eagle

    Once an Eagle

  • The Slanted Screen

    The Slanted Screen

  • Kraft Mystery Theatre

    Kraft Mystery Theatre

  • Escape to Mindanao

    Escape to Mindanao

  • The Questor Tapes

    The Questor Tapes

  • Drive

    Drive

  • The Bing Crosby Show

    The Bing Crosby Show

  • Manila, Open City

    Manila, Open City

  • The Yakuza

    The Yakuza

  • Flower Drum Song

    Flower Drum Song

  • Paradise, Hawaiian Style

    Paradise, Hawaiian Style

  • Nobody's Perfect

    Nobody's Perfect

  • Lost Horizon

    Lost Horizon

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Beam Me Up, Sulu

    Beam Me Up, Sulu

  • Hollywood Chinese

    Hollywood Chinese

  • Walk Like a Dragon

    Walk Like a Dragon

  • The People I've Slept With

    The People I've Slept With

  • The Renegades

    The Renegades

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

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

  • Bridge to the Sun

    Bridge to the Sun

  • Operation Heartbeat

    Operation Heartbeat

  • Carol for Another Christmas

    Carol for Another Christmas

  • The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

    The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

  • Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

    Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

  • Samurai

    Samurai

  • The Crimson Kimono

    The Crimson Kimono

  • Midnight Man

    Midnight Man

  • Slaying the Dragon

    Slaying the Dragon

  • Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

    Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

  • The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

    The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

  • Tomorrow's Child

    Tomorrow's Child

  • Matt Helm

    Matt Helm

  • Yorktown: A Time to Heal

    Yorktown: A Time to Heal

  • Death Walks in Laredo

    Death Walks in Laredo

  • Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

    Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

  • Home from the Eastern Sea

    Home from the Eastern Sea