Sessue Hayakawa

Personal Info

Birthday

June 10, 1889

Day of Death

1973-11-23

(84 years old)

Place of Birth

Nanaura, Chiba, Japan

Also Known As

早川雪洲

Kintarō Hayakawa

早川金太郎

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.

Known For

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Taikouki

Swiss Family Robinson

The Geisha Boy

Green Mansions

Hell to Eternity

Three Came Home

House of Bamboo

Filmography

2019
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
as (archive footage)
2007
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
2002
Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making
as Self (archive)
1967
Lover's Duet
as Tajima
1966
The Daydreamer
as The Mole (voice)
1964
The Frozen Moment
as Self
1961
The Big Wave
as The Old Man
1960
Swiss Family Robinson
as Kuala, Pirate Chief
Hell to Eternity
as General Matsui
1959
John Gunther's High Road
as Self
Green Mansions
as Runi
1958
The Geisha Boy
as Mr. Sikita
The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant
as Self
1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai
as Col. Saito
1955
House of Bamboo
as Inspector Kito
1953
47 Vendettas
as Sakon Tachibana
1950
The Motherland Far Far Away
as Joe Hayami
Three Came Home
as Colonel Michio Suga
1949
Tokyo Joe
as Baron Kimura
1947
Quartier chinois
as Tchang
1946
Le Cabaret du Grand Large
as Professeur Wang
1943
Le Soleil de minuit
as Matsui
1942
Gambling Hell
as Ying Tchaï
1938
Tempête sur l'Asie
as Prinz Ling
1937
Forfaiture
as Prince Hu-Long
Yoshiwara
as Ysamo, Kuli
The Daughter of the Samurai
as Iwao Yamato
1932
Running Hollywood
as Sessue Hayakawa
1931
Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks
as Self
Daughter of the Dragon
as Ah Kee
1924
I Have Killed
as Hideo
Sen Yan’s Devotion
as Sen Yan
The Great Prince Shan
as Prince Shan
1923
The Battle
as Le Marquis Yorisaka
1922
Night Life in Hollywood
as Self
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
as Self
The Vermilion Pencil
as Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan
1921
The Swamp
as Wang
Where Lights Are Low
as T''Su Wong Shih
Black Roses
as Yoda
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
as Himself
The First Born
as Chan Wang
1920
An Arabian Knight
as Ahmed
Li Ting Lang
as Li Ting Lang
The Devil's Claim
as Akbar Khan / Hassan
1919
The Tong Man
as Luk Chen
Bonds of Honor
as Yamashito / Sasamoto
The Dragon Painter
as Tatsu - the Dragon Painter
The Man Beneath
as Dr. Chindi Ashutor
The Courageous Coward
as Suki Iota
A Heart in Pawn
as Tomaya
1918
The Temple Of Dusk
as Akira
Banzai
as The American General
His Birthright
as Yukio
The City of Dim Faces
as Jang Lung
The Bravest Way
as Kara Tamura
The White Man's Law
as John A. Genghis
The Honor of His House
as Count Ito Onato
Hidden Pearls
as Tom Garvin
1917
The Secret Game
as Nara-Nara
The Call of the East
as Arai Takada
Forbidden Paths
as Sato
The Bottle Imp
as Lopaka
Each to His Kind
as Rhandah
1916
The Victoria Cross
as Azimoolah
The Soul of Kura San
as Toyo
The Honorable Friend
as Makino
1915
Temptation
as Opera Admirer
The Cheat
as Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau]
The Secret Sin
as Lin Foo
The Clue
as Nogi
After Five
as Oki - the Valet
1914
The Last of the Line
as Tiah - Gray Otter's Son
The Typhoon
as Tokorama
The Death Mask
as Running Wolf
The Wrath of the Gods
as Lord Yamaki
O Mimi san
as Yorotomo