

James Shigeta
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.
Born
Died
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Filmography
6.0Beam Me Up, Sulu
2025 · Movie · Self

Yorktown: A Time to Heal
2022 · Movie · Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
5.7Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019 · Movie · (archive footage)
4.5The People I've Slept With
2010 · Movie · Charles Yang

Hollywood Chinese
2007 · Movie · Self
10.0The Slanted Screen
2006 · Movie · Himself
8.8Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 · TV · Old Wanderer (voice) · 1 ep
6.1Threat Matrix
2003 · TV · Kang Sok-Joo · 1 ep
7.1Brother
2000 · Movie · Sugimoto
Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century
1999 · Movie · Narrator
7.9Mulan
1998 · Movie · General Li (voice)
6.2Drive
1997 · Movie · Mr. Lau