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Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa

Known For Acting
Birthday Jun 10, 1889
Died Nov 23, 1973 (84)
Birthplace Nanaura, Chiba, Japan
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Aug 08, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
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. Betwee ... n 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

Headshots

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Filmography

The Daydreamer

The Daydreamer

1966

as The Mole (voice)

The Love Goddesses

The Love Goddesses

1965

as (archive footage)

The Big Wave

The Big Wave

1961

as The Old Man

Hell to Eternity

Hell to Eternity

1960

as General Matsui

Swiss Family Robinson

Swiss Family Robinson

1960

as Kuala, Pirate Chief

Green Mansions

Green Mansions

1959

as Runi

The Geisha Boy

The Geisha Boy

1958

as Mr. Sikita

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai

1957

as Col. Saito

House of Bamboo

House of Bamboo

1955

as Inspector Kito

Three Came Home

Three Came Home

1950

as Colonel Michio Suga

Tokyo Joe

Tokyo Joe

1949

as Baron Kimura

Running Hollywood

Running Hollywood

1932

as Sessue Hayakawa

Daughter of the Dragon

Daughter of the Dragon

1931

as Ah Kee

The Great Prince Shan

The Great Prince Shan

1924

as Prince Shan

Sen Yan’s Devotion

Sen Yan’s Devotion

1924

as Sen Yan

The Vermilion Pencil

The Vermilion Pencil

1922

as Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan

The First Born

The First Born

1921

as Chan Wang

Where Lights Are Low

Where Lights Are Low

1921

as T''Su Wong Shih

An Arabian Knight

An Arabian Knight

1920

as Ahmed

Li Ting Lang

Li Ting Lang

1920

as Li Ting Lang

The Devil's Claim

The Devil's Claim

1920

as Akbar Khan / Hassan

The Man Beneath

The Man Beneath

1919

as Dr. Chindi Ashutor

The Tong Man

The Tong Man

1919

as Luk Chen

The Courageous Coward

The Courageous Coward

1919

as Suki Iota

A Heart in Pawn

A Heart in Pawn

1919

as Tomaya

Bonds of Honor

Bonds of Honor

1919

as Yamashito / Sasamoto

The Dragon Painter

The Dragon Painter

1919

as Tatsu - the Dragon Painter

The Honor of His House

The Honor of His House

1918

as Count Ito Onato

The City of Dim Faces

The City of Dim Faces

1918

as Jang Lung

The White Man's Law

The White Man's Law

1918

as John A. Genghis

The Bravest Way

The Bravest Way

1918

as Kara Tamura

The Temple Of Dusk

The Temple Of Dusk

1918

as Akira

Banzai

Banzai

1918

as The American General

Hidden Pearls

Hidden Pearls

1918

as Tom Garvin

His Birthright

His Birthright

1918

as Yukio

The Call of the East

The Call of the East

1917

as Arai Takada

The Secret Game

The Secret Game

1917

as Nara-Nara

The Bottle Imp

The Bottle Imp

1917

as Lopaka

Forbidden Paths

Forbidden Paths

1917

as Sato

The Honorable Friend

The Honorable Friend

1916

as Makino

The Cheat

The Cheat

1915

as Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau]

The Clue

The Clue

1915

as Nogi

The Secret Sin

The Secret Sin

1915

as Lin Foo

Temptation

Temptation

1915

as Opera Admirer

The Wrath of the Gods

The Wrath of the Gods

1914

as Lord Yamaki

O Mimi san

O Mimi san

1914

as Yorotomo

The Last of the Line

The Last of the Line

1914

as Tiah - Gray Otter's Son

The Death Mask

The Death Mask

1914

as Running Wolf

The Typhoon

The Typhoon

1914

as Tokorama

His Birthright

His Birthright

1918

Story

No data available

The First Born

The First Born

1921

Producer

Where Lights Are Low

Where Lights Are Low

1921

Producer

His Birthright

His Birthright

1918

Producer

Organization Category Movie
Venice Film Festival Best Supporting Actor The Bridge on the River Kwai Won
BAFTA Awards Best Supporting Actor The Bridge on the River Kwai Won
Television Credits

Taikouki

as Takeda Shingen

Episodes: 52

First Aired: Jan 03, 1965

Asian Americans

as Self

Episodes: 5

First Aired: May 11, 2020

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
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2024 7 12 23 2
2024 8 14 28 7
2024 9 8 19 4
2024 10 6 15 2
2024 11 4 8 1
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2025 1 6 15 2
2025 2 2 4 1
2025 3 3 3 2
2025 5 1 2 1
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2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 1 3 0
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Trending Rank


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