- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames Saburo Shigeta
- Height5′ 10¾″ (1.80 m)
- Hawaiian-born James Shigeta was, for a time, the biggest East Asian U.S. star the country had known for decades. His up-and-down career reflected the country's changing interest in films with East Asian themes, but, when called upon, he filled both A-movie starring roles and minor T.V. guest appearances with the same cool and classy style. An aspiring song-and-dance man early in his career, he had a series of romantic leading roles in the late fifties, culminating in his most important one, the lead in Ross Hunter's glitzy production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, Flower Drum Song (1961). Supporting parts followed, his last showy turn coming again from Ross Hunter, with star billing and his own production number in the ill-fated musical remake of Lost Horizon (1973). Along the way, there have been many notable T.V. guest appearances showcasing Shigeta's facility with both sympathetic and villainous roles. His status as the foremost East Asian leading man of twentieth century U.S. film will endure undiminished by an erratic career.- IMDb Mini Biography By: David Durrett
- RelativesBarbara Sato(Sibling)
- The first Asian-American to crack the old Hollywood studio star system, albeit briefly, groomed as a romantic leading man.
- Enlisted in the Marine Corps at the beginning of the Korean War. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
- Speaks fluent Japanese, French and Italian.
- Upon his death, he was laid to rest at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, Plot: Section C12TT, Row 300, Site 312.
- The Monday, September 1, 2014, issue of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported by Rob Shikina that services were held on Sunday, August 31, 2014, at Hosoi Garden Mortuary in Nuuanu and also reported that "Shigeta, a Marine during the Korean War, will be inurned in a private ceremony Tuesday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl".
- I think an actor's life is necessarily self-involved. And that's what I would like to get away from.
- I have never personally referred to myself as a star. When asked I always say, 'I'm an actor, a working actor.' I think the term 'star' is a vastly overused expression. That term has been used in reference to me but it is not of my own choice.
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