Sessue Hayakawa
Known for Acting · 100 credits
- Born
- 1889-06-10
- Died
- 1973-11-23
- Place of birth
- Nanaura, Chiba, Japan
- Also known as
- 早川雪洲 · Kintarō Hayakawa · 早川 金太郎
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
TV Shows (3)
Movies (97)
The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
as Col. Saito
The Motherland Far Far Away
1950
as Joe Hayami
Green Mansions
1959
as Runi
The Battle
1923
as Le Marquis Yorisaka
Swiss Family Robinson
1960
as Kuala, Pirate Chief
Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks
1931
as Self
Hashimura Togo
1917
as Hashimura Togo
House of Bamboo
1955
as Inspector Kito
His Birthright
1918
as Yukio
Le Cabaret du Grand Large
1946
as Professeur Wang
Alien Souls
1916
as Sakata
Forbidden Paths
1917
as Sato
The Geisha Boy
1958
as Mr. Sikita
47 Vendettas
1953
as Sakon Tachibana
Tokyo Joe
1949
as Baron Kimura
The Daughter of the Samurai
1937
as Iwao Yamato
Le Soleil de minuit
1943
as Matsui
Forfaiture
1937
as Prince Hu-Long
Tempête sur l'Asie
1938
as Prinz Ling
Three Came Home
1950
as Colonel Michio Suga
Kurama Tengu and Katsu Kaishū
1953
as Awanokami Katsu
Daughter of the Dragon
1931
as Ah Kee
Patrouille blanche
1942
The Cheat
1915
as Hishuru Tori [Haka Arakau]
An Arabian Knight
1920
as Ahmed
The Illustrious Prince
1919
as Prince Maiyo
The Danger Line
1924
as Marquis Yorisaka
The Daydreamer
1966
as The Mole (voice)
Hell to Eternity
1960
as General Matsui
The Chinatown Mystery
1915
as Yo Hong
The Soul of Kura San
1916
as Toyo
Five Days to Live
1922
as Tai Leung
A Heart in Pawn
1919
as Tomaya
The Honor of His House
1918
as Count Ito Onato
His Debt
1919
as Goto Mariyama
The Gray Horizon
1919
as Yamo Masata
The Jaguar's Claws
1917
as El Jaguar
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20)
1921
as Himself
The First Born
1921
as Chan Wang
Li Ting Lang
1920
as Li Ting Lang
O Mimi san
1914
as Yorotomo
The Bottle Imp
1917
as Lopaka
I Have Killed
1924
as Hideo
Sen Yan’s Devotion
1924
as Sen Yan
The Courageous Coward
1919
as Suki Iota
Banzai
1918
as The American General
Yoshiwara
1937
as Ysamo, Kuli
The Wrath of the Gods
1914
as Lord Yamaki
The Dragon Painter
1919
as Tatsu - the Dragon Painter
The Brand of Lopez
1920
as Vasco Lopez
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
2019
as (archive footage)
Running Hollywood
1932
as Sessue Hayakawa
Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making
2002
as Self (archive)
The Honorable Friend
1916
as Makino
Night Life in Hollywood
1922
as Self
日本敗れず
1954
Escape to Paradise/Water Birds
1960
The Tong Man
1919
as Luk Chen
The City of Dim Faces
1918
as Jang Lung
The Secret Game
1917
as Nara-Nara
The Devil's Claim
1920
as Akbar Khan / Hassan
The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant
1958
as Self
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
2007
as Self (archive footage)
The Typhoon
1914
as Tokorama
After Five
1915
as Oki - the Valet
Les Miserables I: God and the Devil
1950
The White Man's Law
1918
as John A. Genghis
The Call of the East
1917
as Arai Takada
Lover's Duet
1967
as Tajima
Each to His Kind
1917
as Rhandah
Gambling Hell
1942
as Ying Tchaï
Hidden Pearls
1918
as Tom Garvin
The Temple Of Dusk
1918
as Akira
The Last of the Line
1914
as Tiah - Gray Otter's Son
Where Lights Are Low
1921
as T''Su Wong Shih
The Great Prince Shan
1924
as Prince Shan
The Sun Rises from the East
1932
as Kenji
John Gunther's High Road
1959
as Self
Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom
1950
The Big Wave
1961
as The Old Man
The Vermilion Pencil
1922
as Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan
The Beggar Prince
1920
as Nikki / Prince
The Secret Sin
1915
as Lin Foo
Quartier chinois
1947
as Tchang
The Man Beneath
1919
as Dr. Chindi Ashutor
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
1922
as Self
The Bravest Way
1918
as Kara Tamura
Malaria
1943
Bonds of Honor
1919
as Yamashito / Sasamoto
The Tragic General: Yamashita Tomoyuki
1953
as Tomoyuki Yamashita
The Swamp
1921
as Wang
The Clue
1915
as Nogi
The Death Mask
1914
as Running Wolf
Black Roses
1921
as Yoda
The Frozen Moment
1964
as Self
Temptation
1915
as Opera Admirer
The Victoria Cross
1916
as Azimoolah
About Sessue Hayakawa
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… With 100 credits spanning from 1914 to 2020, Sessue Hayakawa has appeared in 97 films and 3 TV shows.
Fans searching for Sessue Hayakawa movies, Sessue Hayakawa filmography, or the latest projects starring Sessue Hayakawa can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Sessue Hayakawa Movies
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) — as Col. Saito
- The Motherland Far Far Away (1950) — as Joe Hayami
- Green Mansions (1959) — as Runi
- The Battle (1923) — as Le Marquis Yorisaka
- Swiss Family Robinson (1960) — as Kuala, Pirate Chief
Where to Watch Sessue Hayakawa Films
Most Sessue Hayakawa movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Sessue Hayakawa, check our movies catalogue and browse page.