
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.
| † | Denotes a lost or presumed lost film. |
Early work
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | O Mimi San | Yorotomo | Charles Miller | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Courtship of O San † | Shotoku | Charles Miller | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Geisha † | Takura | Raymond B. West | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Ambassador's Envoy † | Kamuri | Two reels | |
| 1914 | A Tragedy of the Orient † | Kato | Reginald Barker | Two reels |
| 1914 | A Relic of Old Japan † | Koto | Reginald Barker | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Curse of Caste † | Kato | Reginald Barker | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Village 'Neath the Sea † | Red Elk | Thomas H. Ince Jay Hunt | Two reels |
| 1914 | Star of the North † | Thomas H. Ince Jay Hunt | Two reels | |
| 1914 | The Death Mask † | Running Wolf | Thomas H. Ince | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Hateful God † | Two reels | ||
| 1914 | Nipped † | Taro Kamura | George Osborne | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Vigil † | Kenjiro | George Osborne | Two reels |
| 1914 | Mother of the Shadows † | Running Elk | George Osborne | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Last of the Line | Tiah - Gray Otter's Son | Jay Hunt | Two reels |
| 1914 | The Typhoon | Tokorama | Reginald Barker | |
| 1914 | The Wrath of the Gods | Lord Yamaki | Reginald Barker | |
| 1914 | The Sacrifice † | |||
| 1915 | The Famine † | Horisho | George Osborne | One reel |
| 1915 | The Chinatown Mystery † | Yo Hong | Reginald Barker | Two reels |
Famous Player Lasky Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | After Five † | Oki - the Valet | Cecil B. DeMille Oscar Apfel | |
| 1915 | The Clue † | Nogi | James Neill Frank Reicher | |
| 1915 | The Secret Sin | Lin Foo | Frank Reicher | |
| 1915 | The Cheat | Hishuru Tori (original release) / Haka Arakau | Cecil B. DeMille | |
| 1915 | Temptation † | Opera Admirer | Cecil B. DeMille | |
| 1916 | Alien Souls † | Sakata | Frank Reicher | |
| 1916 | The Honorable Friend † | Makino | Edward LeSaint | |
| 1916 | The Soul of Kura San † | Toyo | Edward LeSaint | |
| 1916 | The Victoria Cross | Azimoolah | Edward LeSaint | |
| 1917 | Each to His Kind † | Rhandah | Edward LeSaint | |
| 1917 | The Bottle Imp † | Lopaka | Marshall Neilan | |
| 1917 | The Jaguar's Claws † | El Jaguar | Marshall Neilan | |
| 1917 | Forbidden Paths | Sato | ||
| 1917 | Hashimura Togo † | Hashimura Togo | ||
| 1917 | The Call of the East † | Arai Takada | George Melford | |
| 1917 | The Secret Game | Nara-Nara | William C. deMille | |
| 1918 | The Hidden Pearls † | Tom Garvin | ||
| 1918 | The Honor of His House † | Count Ito Onato | William C. deMille | |
| 1918 | The White Man's Law | John A. Genghis | James Young | |
| 1918 | The Bravest Way | Kara Tamura | George Melford | |
| 1918 | The City of Dim Faces † | Jang Lung | George 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | His Birthright | Yukio | William Worthington | Incomplete Served as writer |
| 1918 | Banzai † | The American General | One reel | |
| 1918 | The Temple of Dusk † | Akira | James Young | |
| 1919 | A Heart in Pawn † | Tomaya | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Courageous Coward † | Suki Iota | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | His Debt † | Goto Mariyama | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Man Beneath | Dr. Chindi Ashutor | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Gray Horizon † | Yamo Masata | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Dragon Painter | Tatsu - the Dragon Painter | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | Bonds of Honor † | Yamashito / Sasamoto | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Illustrious Prince † | Prince Maiyo | William Worthington | |
| 1919 | The Tong Man † | Luk Chen | William Worthington | |
| 1920 | The Beggar Prince † | Nikki / Prince | William Worthington | |
| 1920 | The Brand of Lopez † | Vasco Lopez | Joseph De Grasse | |
| 1920 | The Devil's Claim | Akbar Khan / Hassan | Charles Swickard | |
| 1920 | Li Ting Lang | Li Ting Lang | Charles Swickard | |
| 1920 | An Arabian Knight † | Ahmed | Charles Swickard | |
| 1921 | The First Born | Chan Wang | Served as producer | |
| 1921 | Black Roses † | Yoda | Colin Campbell | Served as producer |
| 1921 | Where Lights Are Low † | Tsu Wong Shih | Colin Campbell | Served as producer |
| 1921 | The Swamp | Wang | Colin Campbell | Served as producer and writer |
| 1922 | Five Days to Live † | Tai Leung | Norman Dawn | |
| The Vermilion Pencil † | Tse Chan / The Unknown / Li Chan |
European, American and Japanese Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | La Bataille † | Le Marquis Yorisaka | Himself Édouard-Émile Violet | French film Served as producer |
| 1924 | The Great Prince Shan † | Prince Shan | A. E. Coleby | British film |
| The Danger Line † | Marquis Yorisaka | Édouard-Émile Violet | American film | |
| Sen Yan's Devotion † | Sen Yan | A. E. Coleby | British film | |
| J'ai tué! | Hideo - l'antiquaire japonais | |||
| 1929 | The Man Who Laughed Last | Early talking film for Sessue Hayakawa [1] | ||
| 1931 | Daughter of the Dragon | Ah Kee | Lloyd Corrigan | American film |
| 1932 | Taiyo wa higashi yori | Kenji | ||
| 1934 | Bakugeki hikôtai | |||
| 1935 | Tojin Okichi | Townsend Harris | ||
| Kuni o mamoru mono: Nichiren | Nichiren | |||
| 1937 | The Daughter of the Samurai | Iwao Yamato | Arnold Fanck Mansaku Itami | German-Japanese Film |
| Yoshiwara | Ysamo, Kuli | Max Ophüls | French film | |
| The Cheat | Prince Hu-Long | Marcel L'Herbier | French film | |
| 1938 | Storm Over Asia | Le prince Ling | Richard Oswald | French film |
| 1942 | Patrouille blanche | Halloway | ||
| Macao, l'enfer du jeu | Ying Tchaï | |||
| 1943 | Malaria | Saïdi | Jean Gourguet | French film |
| The Midnight Sun | Matsui | Bernard-Roland | French film | |
| 1946 | Le Cabaret du grand large | Professeur Wang | ||
| 1947 | Quartier chinois | Tchang |
Final Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Tokyo Joe | Baron Kimura | Stuart Heisler | |
| 1950 | Three Came Home | Col. Mitsuo Suga | Jean Negulesco | |
| Harukanari haha no kuni | Joe Hayami | |||
| Re mizeraburu: kami to akuma | ||||
| Re mizeraburu: kami to jiyu no hata | ||||
| 1953 | Onna kanja himon - Akô rôshi | Sakon Tachibana | ||
| Kurama Tengu to Katsu Kaishû | Awanokami Katsu | |||
| 1954 | Nihon yaburezu | |||
| 1955 | House of Bamboo | Insp. Kita | Samuel Fuller | Dubbed by Richard Loo |
| 1957 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Colonel Saito | David Lean | Nomination - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1958 | The Geisha Boy | Mr. Sikita | Frank Tashlin | |
| 1959 | Green Mansions | Runi | Mel Ferrer | |
| 1960 | Hell to Eternity | Gen. Matsui | Phil Karlson | |
| Swiss Family Robinson | Kuala, Pirate Chief | Ken Annakin | ||
| 1961 | The Big Wave | The Old Man | Tad Danielewski | |
| 1966 | The Daydreamer | The Mole | Jules Bass | Voice role |
| 1967 | Junjô nijûsô | Tajima |
Appearances as himself
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | United States Fourth Liberty Loan Drive | ||
| 1922 | Night Life in Hollywood | ||
| 1931 | Around the World in 80 Minutes | with Douglas Fairbanks | |
| 1932 | Running Hollywood |
Television appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Kraft Television Theatre | |||
| 1958 | Studio One | |||
| 1958 | Wagon Train | Sakae Ito | ||
| 1959 | The Steve Allen Show | |||
| 1961-1962 | Here's Hollywood | |||
| 1963 | Route 66 | Takasuka | ||
| 1965 | Taikōki | Takeda Shingen |
Bibliography
- Miyao, Daisuke (2007). Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-3969-4. OCLC 470908395.
References
- ↑ "Stockton Evening and Sunday Record 12 Oct 1929, page 14". Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
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