Sessue Hayakawa
Biography
Sessue Hayakawa (June 10, 1889 – November 23, 1973) was a Japanese and American Issei (Japanese immigrant) actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. He was one of the highest paid stars of his time; making $5,000 a week in 1915, and $2 million a year via his own production company during the 1920s. He starred in over 80 movies and has two films in the U.S. National Film Registry. His international stardom transitioned both silent films and talkies. Of his English-language films, Hayakawa is probably best known for his role as Colonel Saito in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, for which he received a nomination for Academy Award Best Supporting Actor in 1957. He also appeared as the pirate leader in Disney's Swiss Family Robinson in 1960. In addition to his film acting career, Hayakawa was a theatre actor, film and theatre producer, film director, screenwriter, novelist, martial artist, and an ordained Zen master. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sessue Hayakawa, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Col. Saito
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Inspector Kito
House of Bamboo
Makino
The Honorable Friend
Opera Admirer
Temptation
Jang Lung
The City of Dim Faces
Self
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
General Matsui
Hell to Eternity
Mr. Sikita
The Geisha Boy
Prince Hu-Long
Forfaiture
Runi
Green Mansions
Kuala, Pirate Chief
Swiss Family Robinson
Baron Kimura
Tokyo Joe
Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau]
The Cheat
Patrouille blanche
Matsui
Le Soleil de minuit
Malaria
Professeur Wang
Le Cabaret du Grand Large
Tchang
Quartier chinois
Akbar Khan / Hassan
The Devil's Claim
Tatsu - the Dragon Painter
The Dragon Painter
Colonel Michio Suga
Three Came Home
Ah Kee
Daughter of the Dragon
Lord Yamaki
The Wrath of the Gods
Self
John Gunther's High Road
Luk Chen
The Tong Man
(archive footage)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
Tiah - Gray Otter's Son
The Last of the Line
Ysamo, Kuli
Yoshiwara
Self
The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant
Tokorama
The Typhoon
The Mole (voice)
The Daydreamer
Sessue Hayakawa
Running Hollywood
Running Wolf
The Death Mask
Iwao Yamato
新しき土
Nogi
The Clue
Joe Hayami
遙かなり母の国
Nara-Nara
The Secret Game
Yukio
His Birthright
Tomoyuki Yamashita
悲劇の将軍 山下奉文
レ・ミゼラブル あゝ無情 第一部 神と悪魔
レ・ミゼラブル あゝ無情 第二部 愛と自由の旗
Self
The Frozen Moment
Lopaka
The Bottle Imp
Ying Tchaï
Macao, l'enfer du jeu
Suki Iota
The Courageous Coward
Dr. Chindi Ashutor
The Man Beneath
Prinz Ling
Tempête sur l'Asie
Arai Takada
The Call of the East
Prince Shan
The Great Prince Shan
Sakon Tachibana
女間者秘聞 赤穂浪士
Himself
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
Azimoolah
The Victoria Cross
Le Marquis Yorisaka
La Bataille
Tajima
純情二重奏
The Old Man
The Big Wave
Akira
The Temple Of Dusk
Lin Foo
The Secret Sin
T''Su Wong Shih
Where Lights Are Low
Chan Wang
The First Born
Ahmed
An Arabian Knight
Yamashito / Sasamoto
Bonds of Honor
Sato
Forbidden Paths
Tom Garvin
Hidden Pearls
Count Ito Onato
The Honor of His House
Li Ting Lang
Li Ting Lang
Wang
The Swamp
John A. Genghis
The White Man's Law
Yoda
Black Roses
Yorotomo
O Mimi san
Sen Yan
Sen Yan’s Devotion
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Hideo
J'ai tué!
Self
Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks
Tomaya
A Heart in Pawn
Kara Tamura
The Bravest Way
The American General
Banzai
Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan
The Vermilion Pencil
Self
Night Life in Hollywood
Oki - the Valet
After Five
Self (archive)
Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making
Escape to Paradise/Water Birds
Toyo
The Soul of Kura San
Rhandah
Each to His Kind
日本敗れず
Kenji
太陽は東より
Yo Hong
The Chinatown Mystery
Goto Mariyama
His Debt
Nikki / Prince
The Beggar Prince
Prince Maiyo
The Illustrious Prince
Vasco Lopez
The Brand of Lopez
Hashimura Togo
Hashimura Togo
Tai Leung
Five Days to Live
El Jaguar
The Jaguar's Claws
Sakata
Alien Souls
Marquis Yorisaka
The Danger Line
Yamo Masata
The Gray Horizon
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
96
Gender
Male
Birthday
1889-06-10
Place of Birth
Nanaura, Chiba, Japan
Also Known As
早川雪洲