Acting credits
83
Prolific
Very extensive acting filmography.
Actor
James Shigeta
Acting
Career Snapshot
ExplainedThese indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.
TMDB popularity
0.5
Low visibility
TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.
Movies: 40Series: 43
TMDB ID: 4995
IMDb ID: nm0793363
Known for: Acting
Born: June 17, 1929
Died: July 28, 2014
Age: 85
Place of birth: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
Gender: Male
Adult content flag: No
Career span: 1944 - 2025
Years active: 82
Average TMDB rating: 6.92
Wikidata: Q1400297
Also known as
James Saburo Shigeta • 繁田三郎
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.
Movies
Movies
Movie credits linked with James Shigeta.
as Self
Beam Me Up, Sulu
2025 • Movie
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
2022 • Movie
as (archive footage)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019 • Movie
as Charles Yang
The People I've Slept With
2009 • Movie
as Self
Hollywood Chinese
2007 • Movie
as Himself
The Slanted Screen
2006 • Movie
as Sugimoto
Brother
2000 • Movie
as General Li (voice)
Mulan
1998 • Movie
as Mr. Lau
Drive
1997 • Movie
as Ambassador Nakamura
Space Marines
1996 • Movie
as Mao Mak
Midnight Man
1995 • Movie
as Tin Lum Yin
Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994 • Movie
as Det. Whoo
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
1994 • Movie
as Dr. Sung
China Cry
1990 • Movie
as Tin Lum Yin
Cage
1989 • Movie
Slaying the Dragon
1988 • Movie
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Die Hard
1988 • Movie
as Jimmy Lee
The Renegades
1982 • Movie
as Donald Shibura
Tomorrow's Child
1982 • Movie
as Field Marshal Abehata
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
1980 • Movie
as Takeo Chisato
Samurai
1979 • Movie
as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Midway
1976 • Movie
as David Lao
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
1976 • Movie
as Tom McCauley
Matt Helm
1975 • Movie
Series
Series
Series credits linked with James Shigeta.
as Old Wanderer (voice) • 1 eps
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 • Series
as Kang Sok-Joo • 1 eps
Threat Matrix
2003 • Series
as Inspector Mantjur (voice) • 1 eps
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996 • Series
as Mr. Matsuzaki • 1 eps
Cybill
1995 • Series
as Taro Isogi • 1 eps
Babylon 5
1994 • Series
as Vietnamese President Chi • 2 eps
seaQuest DSV
1993 • Series
1 eps
Renegade
1992 • Series
as Ben Sosna • 3 eps
Beverly Hills, 90210
1990 • Series
as Mr. Koso Nakasone • 1 eps
Jake and the Fatman
1987 • Series
as John Sukahara • 1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
1984 • Series
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung • 1 eps
Airwolf
1984 • Series
as Makko • 1 eps
Masquerade
1983 • Series
as Nishi • 1 eps
The Hitchhiker
1983 • Series
as Lin Ha • 1 eps
Matt Houston
1982 • Series
as Chow Duc Khan • 1 eps
T. J. Hooker
1982 • Series
3 eps
Simon & Simon
1981 • Series
as Richard Enoka • 1 eps
Magnum, P.I.
1980 • Series
as Bud's Father • 1 eps
The Love Boat
1977 • Series
1 eps
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977 • Series
as Lin Tso-Han • 7 eps
Once an Eagle
1976 • Series
as Stephen Yang • 1 eps
Ellery Queen
1975 • Series
1 eps
S.W.A.T.
1975 • Series
as Clement Chin • 1 eps
The Rockford Files
1974 • Series
1 eps
Police Woman
1974 • Series