Acting · Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA · Born June 17, 1929
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.
MovieBeam Me Up, Sulu
2025
as Self
MovieYorktown: A Time to Heal
2022
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
MovieYellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019
as (archive footage)
MovieThe People I've Slept With
2009
as Charles Yang
MovieHollywood Chinese
2007
as Self
MovieThe Slanted Screen
2006
as Himself
TVAvatar: The Last Airbender
2005
as Old Wanderer (voice)
TVThreat Matrix
2003
as Kang Sok-Joo
MovieBrother
2000
as Sugimoto
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
1999
as Narrator
MovieMulan
1998
as General Li (voice)
MovieDrive
1997
as Mr. Lau
TVThe Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996
as Inspector Mantjur (voice)
MovieSpace Marines
1996
as Ambassador Nakamura
MovieMidnight Man
1995
as Mao Mak
TVCybill
1995
as Mr. Matsuzaki
MovieCage II: The Arena of Death
1994
as Tin Lum Yin
MovieHart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
1994
as Det. Whoo
TVBabylon 5
1994
as Taro Isogi
TVseaQuest DSV
1993
as Vietnamese President Chi
TVRenegade
1992
MovieChina Cry
1990
as Dr. Sung
TVBeverly Hills, 90210
1990
as Ben Sosna
Home from the Eastern Sea
1990
as Narrator
MovieCage
1989
as Tin Lum Yin
MovieSlaying the Dragon
1988
MovieDie Hard
1988
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
TVJake and the Fatman
1987
as Mr. Koso Nakasone
TVMurder, She Wrote
1984
as John Sukahara
TVAirwolf
1984
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung
TVMasquerade
1983
as Makko
TVThe Hitchhiker
1983
as Nishi
TVMatt Houston
1982
as Lin Ha
MovieThe Renegades
1982
as Jimmy Lee
MovieTomorrow's Child
1982
as Donald Shibura
TVT. J. Hooker
1982
as Chow Duc Khan
TVSimon & Simon
1981
TVMagnum, P.I.
1980
as Richard Enoka
MovieEnola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
1980
as Field Marshal Abehata
MovieSamurai
1979
as Takeo Chisato
TVThe Love Boat
1977
as Bud's Father
TVThe Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
TVOnce an Eagle
1976
as Lin Tso-Han
MovieMidway
1976
as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
MovieThe Killer Who Wouldn't Die
1976
as David Lao
TVEllery Queen
1975
as Stephen Yang
MovieMatt Helm
1975
as Tom McCauley
TVS.W.A.T.
1975
MovieThe Yakuza
1974
as Goro
TVPolice Woman
1974
TVThe Rockford Files
1974
as Clement Chin
TVLittle House on the Prairie
1974
as Sam Wing
MovieThe Questor Tapes
1974
as Dr. Chen
MovieLost Horizon
1973
as Brother To-Lenn
TVKung Fu
1972
as Master Kwan Li
TVThe Streets of San Francisco
1972
TVEmergency!
1972
MovieThe Young Lawyers
1969
as Lee Ahn
TVMedical Center
1969
as Dr. Osaka
MovieOperation Heartbeat
1969
as Chief Resident
MovieEscape to Mindanao
1968
as Lt. Takahashi
TVHawaii Five-O
1968
as Joseph Matsukino
MovieManila, Open City
1968
as Captain Murakami
MovieNobody's Perfect
1968
as Diver Toshi O'Hara
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
1967
as George Ti Ming
TVIronside
1967
MovieDeath Walks in Laredo
1967
as Lester Koto
TVMission: Impossible
1966
as Shiki
MovieParadise, Hawaiian Style
1966
as Danny Kohana
MovieCarol for Another Christmas
1964
as Japanese Doctor
TVThe Bing Crosby Show
1964
TVBurke's Law
1963
as Sidney Ying
TVThe Outer Limits
1963
as Maj. Jong
TVThe Lieutenant
1963
MovieFlower Drum Song
1961
as Wang Ta
MovieBridge to the Sun
1961
as Hidenari Terasaki
TVBen Casey
1961
TVDr. Kildare
1961
as Dr. Roy Shigera
TVKraft Mystery Theatre
1961
MovieCry for Happy
1961
as Suzuki
MovieWalk Like a Dragon
1960
as Cheng Lu
MovieThe Crimson Kimono
1959
as Detective Joe Kojaku
TVNaked City
1958
as James Kam
TVPerry Mason
1957
as Ward Toyama
TVThe Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
TVGolden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Audience Member
