James Shigeta

Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = James Shigeta

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imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1933|06|17
location = Hawaii, U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Actor
spouse =
goldenglobeawards = Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer-Male
1960

Infobox Musical artist
Name = James Shigeta
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias = Jimmy Shigeta
Instrument = Voice, Piano
Voice_type = Baritone
Genre = Traditional pop, Musical theatre
Occupation = Singer
Actor
Years_active =
Label = Toho, Choreo, Decca, Ava
Associated_acts = Charles K. Davis Axel Stordahl
URL =

James Shigeta (born June 17 1933) is an American film and television actor. He is also a standards singer, musical theatre and nightclub performer, and recording artist. He is a Sansei or third-generation American of Japanese ancestry.

Biography

Early life

Born in Hawaii of Japanese ancestry, Shigeta studied drama at New York University. While studying, he entered and won first prize on Ted Mack's television talent show, "Original Amateur Hour". Before he could fully embark on a business career, Shigeta enlisted to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He moved to Japan and starred in four Japanese musical films. While there, he also recorded a best selling record. [ [http://www.nancy-kwan.com/fds.html Flower Drum Song ] ]

Career

Shigeta first came on screen in the U.S., in 1959 as Detective Joe Koajku in "Crimson Kimono." He was cast in two more feature films before being awarded a Golden Globe Award for the most promising male newcomer. [ [http://imdb.com/name/nm0793363/awards James Shigeta - Awards ] ] Yet, it was not until he was cast in the 1961 theatrical version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song" that he received notability in Hollywood. He starred opposite actress Nancy Kwan as Wang Ta, a prospective fiancée. After the success of "Flower Drum Song", Shigeta guest starred in television shows such as "Perry Mason", "Medical Center", and "Little House on the Prairie". He also continued starring in films. In 1988, he played the ill-fated corporate executive Joseph Yoshinobo Takagi in the action adventure film "Die Hard". He has lent his voice to Disney's 1998 animated film "Mulan" and a 2005 episode of "". Also in 2005, Shigeta received a "Visionary Award" from the Asian American theatre organization, East West Players, at their annual anniversary gala in Los Angeles. [ [http://www.nancy-kwan.com/updates.html News Updates] on Nancy Kwan website]

In 2006, Shigeta was among the actors, producers and directors interviewed in the documentary "The Slanted Screen," directed by Jeff Adachi, about the representation of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

*imdb name|0793363|James Shigeta
*tvtome person|id=33213|name=James Shigeta
* [http://goldsea.com/Personalities2/Shigetaj/shigetaj.html GoldenSea Asian American Profile]
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=65302&mod=bio New York Times Movie Biography]
* [http://www.nichibeitimes.com/articles/artsent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1152215640&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3& Nichi Bei Times Q&A]