James Saito
{{Short description|Japanese-American actor}}
{{Infobox person
|name = James Saito
|caption = James Saito in New York City
|image = File:JAMES SAITO.jpg
|birth_name =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|education = University of California, Los Angeles
|occupation = Actor
|years_active = 1976–present
}}
James Saito is an American actor.
Saito is best known as the original Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dr. Chen in the ABC series Eli Stone, Harry Kim in the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe, and Kenji in Modern Love. Saito received an OBIE for his performance in DURANGO at the Public Theater in NY. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences{{cite web |title=Academy Invites 819 To Membership |url=https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-invites-819-membership |publisher=The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=9 January 2021 |date=June 30, 2020}} and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Early life
Saito's parents are of Japanese descent. He graduated from Hamilton High in LA and the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in theater. He later studied acting with actress Uta Hagen at HB Studio, located in New York City. He was in the last group of students who studied with Sanford Meisner on the island of Bequia in the Grenadines and then continued with Meisner in North Hollywood.
Career
Saito also appeared in the movies Life of Pi, Big Eyes, Wilson, While We're Young, I Think I Love My Wife, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Devil's Advocate, Henry Fool, Home Alone 3, Pearl Harbor, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Hot Dog…The Movie.
Saito's TV credits include The Company You Keep Grey's Anatomy, Altered Carbon, Prodigal Son, Broad City, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Elementary, Instinct, Iron Fist, The Deuce, Paterno, House of Cards, Madam Secretary, Hawaii Five-0, Person of Interest, 30 Rock, One Life to Live, Too Big to Fail, Blue Bloods, Rubicon, The Unit, Heroes and Villains as Tokugawa Ieyasu, As the World Turns, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City, The Young and the Restless, Blood & Orchids, MacGyver, Hart to Hart, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, M*A*S*H, Law & Order, Miami Vice, and Farewell to Manzanar.
Saito appeared as Bob Lin in the film Love Hard, released in November 2021 by Netflix.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/darren-barnet-harry-shum-jr-james-saito-mikaela-hoover-heather-mcmahan-love-hard-1234597847/|title=Darren Barnet, Harry Shum Jr., James Saito, Mikaela Hoover and Heather McMahan Join 'Love Hard'|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=October 15, 2020|publisher=Deadline|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 30, 2021}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1980
|Eddie | |
| rowspan=2|1984
|Kendo | |
| The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
|Masado Banzai, Buckaroo's Father |Scenes deleted |
| 1987
|Beyond the Next Mountain |Sniper | |
| 1989
|Mortal Sins |Park Sung | |
| 1990
|Voiced by David McCharen |
| 1993
|Japanese Soldier | |
| rowspan=2|1995
|Nemura | |
| Die Hard with a Vengeance
|Korean Proprietor | |
| rowspan=3|1997
|Mr. Deng | |
| The Devil's Advocate
|Takaori Osumi | |
| Home Alone 3
|Korean Mob Boss | |
| 1999
|Paul Cheng | |
| rowspan=2|2000
|Executive Oki |Short film |
| Aloha
|James |Short film |
| rowspan=3|2001
|Japanese Aide #1 | |
| Love the Hard Way
|Akiri | |
| Another Bed
|Bruce |Short film |
| 2003
|Roy / Groper | |
| 2006
|Line Boss | |
| rowspan=2|2007
|Mr. Yuni | |
| Ghosts of the Heartland
|John Lu | |
| 2012
|Older Insurance Investigator | |
| 2013
|From the Rough |Won-Sik | |
| rowspan=2|2014
|Dr. Nagato | |
| Big Eyes
|Judge | |
| rowspan=2|2017
|Warren Kudo | |
| The Only Living Boy in New York
|James | |
| rowspan=2|2019
|Minister Kishido | |
| Always Be My Maybe
|Harry | |
| 2020
|Hank | |
| 2021
|Bob Lin | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=2|1976
|Richard Wakatsuki |TV movie |
| rowspan="2"|Baa Baa Black Sheep
|Third commando |Episode: "Up for Grabs" |
| 1977
|Ensign Kira |Episode: "Divine Wind" |
| 1977-1981
|South Korean Soldier / Park |3 episodes |
| 1978
|Kai |Episode: "Bell's in Love" |
| rowspan=2|1979
|The Paper Chase |Student #1 |Episode: "The Apprentice" |
| Lou Grant
|Steve Nakajima |Episode: "Hype" |
| rowspan=2|1980
|Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb |Lieutenant Tatsuo Yamato |TV movie |
| The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
| |TV movie |
| rowspan=7|1981
|Japanese Sergeant |Episode: "The Last Ten Days" |
| Soap
|Hiro |1 episode |
| The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
|Steven Chiu |Episode: "The Roller Disco Karate Kaper" |
| The Two Lives of Carol Letner
|Professor |TV movie |
| The Incredible Hulk
|Viet Interpreter |Episode: "Viet" |
| The Fall Guy
|Police Officer |Episode: "Japanese Connection" |
| Bosom Buddies
|The Man |Episode: "All You Need Is Love" |
| rowspan=2|1982
|Kelly Kim |Episode: "The Hand-Painted Thai" |
| Tales of the Gold Monkey
|Japanese Lieutenant |Episode: "Once a Tiger..." |
| rowspan=2|1983
|Sam Chow |Episode: "On the Pad" |
| Girls of the White Orchid
|Officer #1 |TV movie; alternative title Death Ride to Osaka |
| 1983-1984
|Reporter |2 episodes |
| rowspan=4|1984
|Yamahiro |Episode: "The Dog Who Knew Too Much" |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King
|Ronnie Quan |Episode: "The Mole" |
| T.J. Hooker
|Lab Technician |Episode: "Hot Property" |
| Charles in Charge
|Chinese Food Delivery Man |Episode: "Pilot" |
| rowspan=6|1985
|Joe Ching |Episode: "Chinatown Memories" |
| Covenant
|Cabbie |TV movie |
| MacGyver
|Ming |Episode 1.2: "The Golden Triangle" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents
|Anesthesiologist #1 |Episode: "Night Fever" |
| Crazy Like a Fox
|Chinese Henchman |Episode: "Year of the Fox" |
| Miami Vice
|Howie Wong |Episode: "Golden Triangle: Part 2" |
| rowspan=3|1986
|Halehone |TV movie |
| The Young and the Restless
|Roy Namaguchi |2 episodes |
| The A-Team
|Kwai Li |Episode: "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" |
| rowspan=2|1987
|Bob Ashahina |Episode: "Days of Swine and Roses" |
| Airwolf
|Tim Shimizu |Episode: "X-Virus" |
| rowspan=3|1988
|Miami Vice |Ma Sek |Episode: "Heart of Night" |
| C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf
| |TV movie |
| War and Remembrance
|Operations Officer (Yamato) |TV Miniseries; Episode: "Part 3" |
| 1989
|Johnny Chen |Episode: "Tongs" |
| rowspan=3|1990
|General Loctuck |Episode: "Power Play |
| Top Cops
|Johnny Kai |Episode: "Paul LeBoeuf/Johnny Kai" |
| True Blue
| |Episode: "Chinatown" |
| 1992
|Tony Chiu |TV movie |
| 1994
|Mr. Tanaka |Episode: "Scoundrels" |
| 1994-1995
|Detective Chang |2 episodes |
| 1995
|Nogami |Episode: "The 37s" |
| rowspan=2|1996
|Taro (voice) |Episode: "Bushido" |
| The Tomorrow Man
|Dr. Lorechi |TV movie |
| 1999
|Korean Man |Episode: "Ex and the City" |
| rowspan=2|2000
|Drug Tester |Episode: "Blank Relay" |
| Law & Order
|Yoshi Yoshimura |Episode: "Dissonance" |
| rowspan=2|2001
| |2 episodes |
| The Atlantis Conspiracy
|Police Officer |TV movie |
| 2002
|Sgt. Yee |Episode: "The Long Guns" |
| 2004
|Mr. Miyazaki |Episode: "Great Barrier" |
| 2005
|Captain Wong |Episode: "Thank You, I Love You" |
| 2006
|Kano Yamamoto |2 episodes |
| 2008
|Episode: "Shogun" |
| 2008-2009
|Dr. Frank Chen |Main cast |
| 2009
|Chu |Episode: "Chaos Theory" |
| rowspan=2|2010
|Mooney |Episode: "The Truth Will Out" |
| Blue Bloods
|Dennis Eng |Episode: "Chinatown" |
| rowspan=2|2011
|Chinese Official |TV movie |
| One Life to Live
|Judge Lee |9 episodes |
| rowspan=2|2012
|Chef |Episode: "Leap Day" |
| Person of Interest
|Glen |Episode: "Bury the Lede" |
| 2013
|David Toriyama |Episode: "Ho'onani Makuakane" |
| 2014
|Japanese Foreign Minister Shimbakura |Episode: "Just Another Normal Day" |
| 2016
|Dr. Krebs |Episode: "Chapter 50" |
| 2017
|Kim |2 episodes |
| rowspan=4|2018
|Doctor |TV movie |
| Instinct
|Haru Onishi |Episode: "Heartless" |
| Marvel's Iron Fist
|Episode: "The City's Not for Burning" |
| Elementary
|Dr. Ken Fukata |Episode: "Uncanny Valley of the Dolls" |
| rowspan=3|2019
|Trang |Episode: "Bitcoin & the Missing Girl" |
| Modern Love
|Kenji Inouye |Episode: "The Race Grows Sweeter" |
| Prodigal Son
|Dr. Higa |Episode: "The Surgeon" |
| rowspan=3|2020
|Tanaseda Hideki |
| Grey's Anatomy
|Hershel Roberts |Episode: "Sing It Again" |
| Dash & Lily
|Arthur Mori |
| 2023
| Joseph | Main role |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0756839}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saito, James}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Obie Award recipients
Category:American male actors of Japanese descent
Category:20th-century American male actors