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: 6.89
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.
Beam Me Up, Sulu
as Self
2025 Movie
Yorktown: A Time to Heal
as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
2022 Movie
5.7
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
as (archive footage)
2019 Movie
4.5
The People I've Slept With
as Charles Yang
2009 Movie
Hollywood Chinese
as Self
2007 Movie
10.0
The Slanted Screen
as Himself
2006 Movie
7.1
Brother
as Sugimoto
2000 Movie
7.9
Mulan
as General Li (voice)
1998 Movie
6.1
Drive
as Mr. Lau
1997 Movie
3.2
Space Marines
as Ambassador Nakamura
1996 Movie
5.1
Midnight Man
as Mao Mak
1995 Movie
2.9
Cage II: The Arena of Death
as Tin Lum Yin
1994 Movie
6.8
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
as Det. Whoo
1994 Movie
6.0
China Cry
as Dr. Sung
1990 Movie
3.4
Cage
as Tin Lum Yin
1989 Movie
Slaying the Dragon
1988 Movie
7.8
Die Hard
as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
1988 Movie
6.4
The Renegades
as Jimmy Lee
1982 Movie
2.0
Tomorrow's Child
as Donald Shibura
1982 Movie
5.7
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
as Field Marshal Abehata
1980 Movie
Samurai
as Takeo Chisato
1979 Movie
6.6
Midway
as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
1976 Movie
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
as David Lao
1976 Movie
Matt Helm
as Tom McCauley
1975 Movie
Series
Series
Series credits linked with James Shigeta.
8.8
Avatar: The Last Airbender
as Old Wanderer (voice) • 1 eps
2005 Series
6.0
Threat Matrix
as Kang Sok-Joo • 1 eps
2003 Series
7.2
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
as Inspector Mantjur (voice) • 1 eps
1996 Series
5.8
Cybill
as Mr. Matsuzaki • 1 eps
1995 Series
8.0
Babylon 5
as Taro Isogi • 1 eps
1994 Series
7.1
seaQuest DSV
as Vietnamese President Chi • 2 eps
1993 Series
6.7
Renegade
1 eps
1992 Series
7.3
Beverly Hills, 90210
as Ben Sosna • 3 eps
1990 Series
6.2
Jake and the Fatman
as Mr. Koso Nakasone • 1 eps
1987 Series
7.5
Murder, She Wrote
as John Sukahara • 1 eps
1984 Series
7.6
Airwolf
as Colonel Tranh Van Zung • 1 eps
1984 Series
5.0
Masquerade
as Makko • 1 eps
1983 Series
6.1
The Hitchhiker
as Nishi • 1 eps
1983 Series
6.2
Matt Houston
as Lin Ha • 1 eps
1982 Series
6.5
T. J. Hooker
as Chow Duc Khan • 1 eps
1982 Series
6.7
Simon & Simon
3 eps
1981 Series
7.3
Magnum, P.I.
as Richard Enoka • 1 eps
1980 Series
6.3
The Love Boat
as Bud's Father • 1 eps
1977 Series
7.1
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1 eps
1977 Series
6.8
Once an Eagle
as Lin Tso-Han • 7 eps
1976 Series
7.5
Ellery Queen
as Stephen Yang • 1 eps
1975 Series
7.0
S.W.A.T.
1 eps
1975 Series
7.6
The Rockford Files
as Clement Chin • 1 eps
1974 Series
6.2
Police Woman
1 eps
1974 Series