James shigeta biography

James shigeta biography: James Saburo Shigeta was an American

His portrayal of a Japanese diplomat victimized over his marriage to an American woman won critical praise, leading to his biggest role yet, the lovelorn Wang Ta in the feature film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Flower Drum Song. Shigeta appeared in numerous TV series throughout the '60s and '70s, landing a recurring role as Dr.

James Shigeta. References [ change change source ]. The New York Times.

James shigeta biography: James Shigeta. Actor: Die Hard. Hawaiian-born

Retrieved July 31, Other websites [ change change source ]. This short article about an actor or group of actors from the United States can be made longer. Their agent at the time gave them the non-ethnic sounding stage names of "Guy Brion" for Shigeta, and "Charles Durand" for Davis. Shigeta did not speak Japanese until Toho Studios in Tokyo invited him to be a musical star under his real name in Japan.

When movies began to open up for him, Shigeta took acting lessons from seasoned dialogue coach Leon Charles. Shigeta first came on screen in the U. Shigeta's character was groundbreaking for the s, an Asian American detective played by an Asian American actor with regular American speech patterns, rather than a non-Asian made up to pass as Asian who speaks in broken English.

Shigeta guest starred in many television shows, beginning with Alcoa Premiere inas a Korean War era Chinese Communist who tortured star Lloyd Bridges. From toShigeta had recurring appearances on the TV hospital drama Medical Centerin which he alternately appeared as the Resident Doctor and Doctor Osaka, for seven episodes. He played the role of Chief Resident in the series 2-hour pilot U.

He also continued starring in films. Inhe played the ill-fated corporate executive Joe Takagi in the action film Die Hard. InShigeta was among the actors, producers and directors interviewed in the documentary The Slanted Screendirected by Jeff Adachiabout the representation of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood. Shigeta died in his sleep on July 28,at age 85 in West HollywoodCalifornia.

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James shigeta biography: James Saburo Shigeta was an American

Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American actor — Shigeta in a publicity photo for Bridge to the Sun HonoluluTerritory of HawaiiU. Los AngelesCaliforniaU. Musical artist. Early life and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Singing career [ edit ]. Acting [ edit ].

Awards and honors [ edit ]. Death [ edit ]. Filmography [ edit ]. Film [ edit ]. Television [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Hawaii Herald. Archived from the original on June 24, Retrieved March 14, The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 8, Retrieved July 19, Weekend Edition. He studied at New York University, specializing in drama and English.

During the Korean War, he served in the Marine Corps, fighting in Korea for two and a half years before returning home as a sergeant. Shigeta's talent caught attention when he won first prize on the talent show 'Original Amateur Hour. Under this pseudonym, James began performing in nightclubs, including iconic venues such as the 'Mocambo' and the 'Players Club' in Los Angeles.

Despite achieving some success, he initially had little luck in the film industry. Interestingly, Shigeta did not speak Japanese until 'Toho Studios' from Tokyo offered him a career as a music star in Japan using his real name. He spent several years in Japan and achieved success in radio, television, theater, cinema, and the music industry.

He was known as the 'Japanese Frank Sinatra.