Fedya Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 James Shigeta obituary Those of us who watch TCM all the time will probably remember him best from movies like The Crimson Kimono in which he played a police detective, or the excellent Bridge to the Sun, in which he plays a Japanese diplomat who maries American Carroll Baker just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He also gets murdered in the first of the Die Hard movies when he refuses to open the vault for villain Alan Rickman. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenBaby2 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Aw, that's too bad. I liked him a lot. So handsome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrat Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I am definitely a fan of this handsome actor. It would be great if TCM could run, say, The Crimson Kimono and Flower Drum Song, as a special tribute. It would have to be in September, after Summer Under the Stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SableGamine Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Oh no! Not cutie pie, I love him! He was one of the first Asian-American actors to play well-rounded, dignified roles, and he was always so professional. I loved his voice, as well, it was so smooth. My favorite role of his was in "Bridge to the Sun". He was so underrated, and I'm going to miss him very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SableGamine Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 You know, the fact that this thread doesn't have that many views makes me sad, and tells a lot about how underrated Mr. Shigeta's work is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogiboo Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Oh, snap! Such a good actor and as has been said, a real good looking man. He would've been a top flight star in the current era. Handsome, cool, smooth and a great voice that stands up to those of a Herbert Marshall or James Mason or even Ronald Coleman. I hope he gets one of those memorial promos. Not to get into the whole issue of minorities in Hollywood but so many of the Asian actors we've had in the past century have mostly been character actors for the most part like Keye Luke, Philip Ahn and Mako. But one thing for sure they didn't have their long careers just to be tokens. They lasted and kept on acting almost to the end. R.I.P. Shigeta. I really liked him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM108 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I've just seen Bridge to the Sun for the first time, and although I recognized Shigeta by his face, I didn't realize he was the same actor in one of my (other) favorite films, The Crimson Kimono. Bridge to the Sun was a revelation, as I'd never ever heard of this movie until recording it a week or so ago and finally watching it today. Not only was Shigeta superb, but now I've developed an entirely new level of appreciation for Carroll Baker. The education continues..... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts