Advertisement in Moving Picture World, May 1919.

Sessue Hayakawa (June 10, 1886 – November 23, 1973) was one of the first Asian actors and filmmakers to gain great fame and success in the United States. He starred in both English-language and Japanese-language films. His career peaked during the silent film period but continued on and eventually thrived in the talkie era, culminating with an Academy Award-nominated performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957.

Key
Denotes a lost or presumed lost film.

Early work

Year Title Role Director Notes
1914O Mimi SanYorotomoCharles MillerTwo reels
1914The Courtship of O San ShotokuCharles MillerTwo reels
1914The Geisha TakuraRaymond B. WestTwo reels
1914The Ambassador's Envoy KamuriTwo reels
1914A Tragedy of the Orient KatoReginald BarkerTwo reels
1914A Relic of Old Japan KotoReginald BarkerTwo reels
1914The Curse of Caste KatoReginald BarkerTwo reels
1914The Village 'Neath the Sea Red ElkThomas H. Ince
Jay Hunt
Two reels
1914Star of the North Thomas H. Ince
Jay Hunt
Two reels
1914The Death Mask Running WolfThomas H. InceTwo reels
1914The Hateful God Two reels
1914Nipped Taro KamuraGeorge OsborneTwo reels
1914The Vigil KenjiroGeorge OsborneTwo reels
1914Mother of the Shadows Running ElkGeorge OsborneTwo reels
1914The Last of the LineTiah - Gray Otter's SonJay HuntTwo reels
1914The TyphoonTokoramaReginald Barker
1914The Wrath of the GodsLord YamakiReginald Barker
1914The Sacrifice
1915 The Famine HorishoGeorge OsborneOne reel
1915The Chinatown Mystery Yo HongReginald BarkerTwo reels

Famous Player Lasky Films

Year Title Role Director Notes
1915After Five Oki - the ValetCecil B. DeMille
Oscar Apfel
1915The Clue Nogi James Neill
Frank Reicher
1915The Secret SinLin FooFrank Reicher
1915The CheatHishuru Tori (original release) / Haka ArakauCecil B. DeMille
1915Temptation Opera AdmirerCecil B. DeMille
1916Alien Souls SakataFrank Reicher
1916The Honorable Friend MakinoEdward LeSaint
1916The Soul of Kura San ToyoEdward LeSaint
1916The Victoria CrossAzimoolahEdward LeSaint
1917Each to His Kind RhandahEdward LeSaint
1917The Bottle Imp LopakaMarshall Neilan
1917The Jaguar's Claws El JaguarMarshall Neilan
1917Forbidden PathsSato
1917Hashimura Togo Hashimura Togo
1917The Call of the East Arai TakadaGeorge Melford
1917The Secret GameNara-NaraWilliam C. deMille
1918The Hidden Pearls Tom Garvin
1918The Honor of His House Count Ito OnatoWilliam C. deMille
1918The White Man's LawJohn A. Genghis James Young
1918The Bravest WayKara TamuraGeorge Melford
1918The City of Dim Faces Jang LungGeorge Melford

Haworth Pictures Corporation

Sessue Hayakawa is costumed as the Prince of the Island of Desire in a publicity still for the 1920 silent fantasy film The Beggar Prince.
Year Title Role Director Notes
1918His BirthrightYukioWilliam WorthingtonIncomplete
Served as writer
1918Banzai The American GeneralOne reel
1918The Temple of Dusk AkiraJames Young
1919A Heart in Pawn Tomaya William Worthington
1919The Courageous Coward Suki IotaWilliam Worthington
1919His Debt Goto MariyamaWilliam Worthington
1919The Man BeneathDr. Chindi AshutorWilliam Worthington
1919The Gray Horizon Yamo MasataWilliam Worthington
1919The Dragon PainterTatsu - the Dragon PainterWilliam Worthington
1919Bonds of Honor Yamashito / SasamotoWilliam Worthington
1919The Illustrious Prince Prince MaiyoWilliam Worthington
1919The Tong Man Luk ChenWilliam Worthington
1920The Beggar Prince Nikki / PrinceWilliam Worthington
1920The Brand of Lopez Vasco LopezJoseph De Grasse
1920The Devil's ClaimAkbar Khan / HassanCharles Swickard
1920Li Ting LangLi Ting LangCharles Swickard
1920An Arabian Knight AhmedCharles Swickard
1921The First BornChan WangServed as producer
1921Black Roses Yoda Colin CampbellServed as producer
1921Where Lights Are Low Tsu Wong ShihColin CampbellServed as producer
1921The SwampWangColin CampbellServed as producer and writer
1922Five Days to Live Tai LeungNorman Dawn
The Vermilion Pencil Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan

European, American and Japanese Films

Year Title Role Director Notes
1923La Bataille Le Marquis YorisakaHimself
Édouard-Émile Violet
French film
Served as producer
1924The Great Prince Shan Prince ShanA. E. ColebyBritish film
The Danger Line Marquis YorisakaÉdouard-Émile VioletAmerican film
Sen Yan's Devotion Sen YanA. E. ColebyBritish film
J'ai tué!Hideo - l'antiquaire japonais
1929The Man Who Laughed LastEarly talking film for Sessue Hayakawa [1]
1931Daughter of the DragonAh KeeLloyd CorriganAmerican film
1932Taiyo wa higashi yoriKenji
1934Bakugeki hikôtai
1935Tojin OkichiTownsend Harris
Kuni o mamoru mono: NichirenNichiren
1937The Daughter of the SamuraiIwao YamatoArnold Fanck
Mansaku Itami
German-Japanese Film
YoshiwaraYsamo, KuliMax OphülsFrench film
The CheatPrince Hu-LongMarcel L'HerbierFrench film
1938Storm Over AsiaLe prince LingRichard OswaldFrench film
1942Patrouille blancheHalloway
Macao, l'enfer du jeuYing Tchaï
1943MalariaSaïdiJean GourguetFrench film
The Midnight SunMatsuiBernard-RolandFrench film
1946Le Cabaret du grand largeProfesseur Wang
1947Quartier chinoisTchang

Final Films

Year Title Role Director Notes
1949Tokyo JoeBaron KimuraStuart Heisler
1950Three Came HomeCol. Mitsuo SugaJean Negulesco
Harukanari haha no kuniJoe Hayami
Re mizeraburu: kami to akuma
Re mizeraburu: kami to jiyu no hata
1953Onna kanja himon - Akô rôshiSakon Tachibana
Kurama Tengu to Katsu KaishûAwanokami Katsu
1954Nihon yaburezu
1955House of BambooInsp. KitaSamuel FullerDubbed by Richard Loo
1957The Bridge on the River KwaiColonel SaitoDavid LeanNomination - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1958The Geisha BoyMr. SikitaFrank Tashlin
1959Green MansionsRuniMel Ferrer
1960Hell to EternityGen. MatsuiPhil Karlson
Swiss Family RobinsonKuala, Pirate ChiefKen Annakin
1961The Big WaveThe Old ManTad Danielewski
1966The DaydreamerThe MoleJules BassVoice role
1967Junjô nijûsôTajima

Appearances as himself

Year Title Notes Ref(s)
1918United States Fourth Liberty Loan Drive
1922Night Life in Hollywood
1931Around the World in 80 Minuteswith Douglas Fairbanks
1932Running Hollywood

Television appearances

Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1958Kraft Television Theatre
1958Studio One
1958Wagon TrainSakae Ito
1959The Steve Allen Show
1961-1962Here's Hollywood
1963Route 66Takasuka
1965TaikōkiTakeda Shingen

Bibliography

  • Miyao, Daisuke (2007). Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-3969-4. OCLC 470908395.

References

  1. "Stockton Evening and Sunday Record 12 Oct 1929, page 14". Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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