Sessue Hayakawa

June 10, 1886 born in Minamiboso, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Died on November 23, 1973, Tokyo, Japan

Sessue Hayakawa career began in 1914 with O Mimi San (a short film with Hayakawa starring as Yorotomo ) and concluded in 1967 with Junjo nijuso , with Hayakawa playing a character called Tajima. In between he had 107 acting credits.

Hayakawa started in Japanese cinema, but quickly became a star in Hollywood with films such as The Wrath of the Gods, The Typhoon, and had considerable success with Cecil B. DeMille's 1915 film The Cheat. By 1922 his career in Hollywood had dropped off and he returned to Japanese films, but was back in Hollywood for the Anna May Wong film Daughter of the Dragon (1931) and also appeared in some French films. His later career included Tokyo Joe with Humphrey Bogart in 1949, and Three Came Home with Claudette Colbert in 1950. In David Lean's "epic" The Bridge on the River Kwai, Hayakawa was nominated for a supporting acting Oscar for the 1957 film for his role as the POW camp commander.

Original page Oct 2009

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