James Shigeta
| James Shigeta | |
|---|---|
Shigeta in ABC Television publicity photo (1968)
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| Born |
James Saburo Shigeta June 17, 1929 Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii |
| Died | July 28, 2014 (aged 85) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor Vocalist |
| Years active | 1959–2009 |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Labels | Toho Records, Choreo Records, Decca, Ava Records |
James Saburo Shigeta (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American film and television actor. He was also a standards singer, musical theatre and nightclub performer, and recording artist. He was a Sansei, a third-generation American of Japanese ancestry. 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.
Shigeta often in his early career played romantic male lead roles, which as an actor of Asian descent during his time was almost non-existent. His most successful romantic lead roles were in the films The Crimson Kimono and Bridge to the Sun.
Before his Hollywood career he found success as a singer and performer abroad, especially in Japan and Australia.
Born in the Territory of Hawaii of Japanese ancestry in 1929, Shigeta studied drama at New York University. Before he could fully embark on a business career, Shigeta enlisted to serve in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War where he served for two-and-a-half years, and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
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