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

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Murder, She Wrote

    Murder, She Wrote

  • Beverly Hills, 90210

    Beverly Hills, 90210

  • Die Hard

    Die Hard

  • Little House on the Prairie

    Little House on the Prairie

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • The Love Boat

    The Love Boat

  • Ironside

    Ironside

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Golden Globe Awards

    Golden Globe Awards

  • Babylon 5

    Babylon 5

  • The Rockford Files

    The Rockford Files

  • Mission: Impossible

    Mission: Impossible

  • Emergency!

    Emergency!

  • Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O

  • seaQuest DSV

    seaQuest DSV

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Renegade

    Renegade

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Avatar: The Last Airbender

  • Airwolf

    Airwolf

  • T. J. Hooker

    T. J. Hooker

  • Naked City

    Naked City

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • Mulan

    Mulan

  • Simon & Simon

    Simon & Simon

  • Jake and the Fatman

    Jake and the Fatman

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Ben Casey

    Ben Casey

  • Matt Houston

    Matt Houston

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • Cybill

    Cybill

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

    The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

  • The Hitchhiker

    The Hitchhiker

  • The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

    The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

  • Ellery Queen

    Ellery Queen

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

    The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

  • Threat Matrix

    Threat Matrix

  • The Lieutenant

    The Lieutenant

  • Midway

    Midway

  • The Yakuza

    The Yakuza

  • S.W.A.T.

    S.W.A.T.

  • Brother

    Brother

  • Cage

    Cage

  • Cage II: The Arena of Death

    Cage II: The Arena of Death

  • Midnight Man

    Midnight Man

  • Hollywood Chinese

    Hollywood Chinese

  • Matt Helm

    Matt Helm

  • Space Marines

    Space Marines

  • Drive

    Drive

  • Masquerade

    Masquerade

  • The People I've Slept With

    The People I've Slept With

  • Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

    Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

  • Once an Eagle

    Once an Eagle

  • Carol for Another Christmas

    Carol for Another Christmas

  • China Cry

    China Cry

  • Death Walks in Laredo

    Death Walks in Laredo

  • Cry for Happy

    Cry for Happy

  • Slaying the Dragon

    Slaying the Dragon

  • The Crimson Kimono

    The Crimson Kimono

  • Manila, Open City

    Manila, Open City

  • Kraft Mystery Theatre

    Kraft Mystery Theatre

  • Paradise, Hawaiian Style

    Paradise, Hawaiian Style

  • Bridge to the Sun

    Bridge to the Sun

  • Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

    Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

  • Flower Drum Song

    Flower Drum Song

  • The Bing Crosby Show

    The Bing Crosby Show

  • Walk Like a Dragon

    Walk Like a Dragon

  • The Renegades

    The Renegades

  • Escape to Mindanao

    Escape to Mindanao

  • 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

  • Samurai

    Samurai

  • The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

    The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk

  • Lost Horizon

    Lost Horizon

  • Nobody's Perfect

    Nobody's Perfect

  • Tomorrow's Child

    Tomorrow's Child

  • Beam Me Up, Sulu

    Beam Me Up, Sulu

  • The Young Lawyers

    The Young Lawyers

  • The Slanted Screen

    The Slanted Screen

  • The Questor Tapes

    The Questor Tapes

  • Home from the Eastern Sea

    Home from the Eastern Sea

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Kung Fu

    Kung Fu

  • Operation Heartbeat

    Operation Heartbeat

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

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

  • Yorktown: A Time to Heal

    Yorktown: A Time to Heal