James Shigeta

James Shigeta

1929-06-17 – 2014-07-28 (age 85) Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
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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.

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Known For

Mulan
Mulan

1998

as General Li (voice)

Die Hard
Die Hard

1988

as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi

Midway
Midway

1976

as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

Brother
Brother

2000

as Sugimoto

The Yakuza
The Yakuza

1974

as Goro

Drive
Drive

1997

as Mr. Lau

Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon

1973

as Brother To-Lenn

Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song

1961

as Wang Ta

China Cry
China Cry

1990

as Dr. Sung

Walk Like a Dragon
Walk Like a Dragon

1960

as Cheng Lu

Cage II: The Arena of Death
Cage II: The Arena of Death

1994

as Tin Lum Yin

Matt Helm
Matt Helm

1975

as Tom McCauley

Cage
Cage

1989

as Tin Lum Yin

The Young Lawyers
The Young Lawyers

1969

as Lee Ahn

Midnight Man
Midnight Man

1995

as Mao Mak

The Crimson Kimono
The Crimson Kimono

1959

as Detective Joe Kojaku

The Slanted Screen
The Slanted Screen

2006

as Himself

The Renegades
The Renegades

1982

as Jimmy Lee

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die