James Yaegashi
James Yaegashi | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 10, 1972 |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri–Kansas City |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | Tami Schuch |
| Children | 2 |
James Yaegashi (born December 10, 1972) is a Japanese American actor based in New York.
Early life
[edit]James Yaegashi was born in Yokohama and raised in Yamagata to an American mother and a Japanese father. Upon graduating high school, he moved to America and majored in acting and directing at University of Missouri–Kansas City. He moved to New York with his wife in 1998.[1]
Career
[edit]He has acted in various stage productions, including as Mr. Yunioshi in a stage production of Breakfast at Tiffany's; a role that had historically been played in yellowface. Of the character Yaegashi said "He’s a real character, for starters. The film...made so many changes to the story...Yunioshi is a Nisei, a Japanese American from California. In the movie, Mickey Rooney played him as if he was fresh off the boat." He ultimately felt it was necessary to play the character to portray ethnic characters in a positive light.[2] Yaegashi first entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a minor role in Daredevil, but had a more notable role when he was cast as Robert Minoru in the Hulu original series Runaways based on the Marvel Comics series.[3] In 2004, he voiced the Chinese Triad leader, Wu Zi Mu, in the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He later also voiced an undercover police officer called Charlie in GTA IV and GTA IV: The Lost and Damned.
Personal life
[edit]James Yaegashi is married with two children.[1][4] He is also bilingual.[4]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Thomas Crown Affair | Crown Acquisitions Executive | |
| 1999 | Spin the Bottle | Cole | |
| 2000 | Lisa Picard Is Famous | Alex | |
| 2001 | Thirteen Conversations About One Thing | Legal Assistant | |
| 2007 | Superheroes | James | |
| 2007 | Noise | Japanese Businessman | |
| 2008 | The Collective | The Janitor | |
| 2011 | Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty | — | Director |
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Police Technician | |
| 2024 | Civil War | Commercial Corporal |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Cashmere Mafia | Frederic | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Rick | Episode: "Unity Node" |
| 2016 | Daredevil | Leader | Episode: "Regrets Only" |
| 2017–2019 | Runaways | Robert Minoru | Main cast |
| 2019 | New Amsterdam | Ethan Kimura | Episode: "The Karman Line" |
| 2021 | The Blacklist | Alexander Frayne | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Mech Cadets | Captain Skip Tanaka (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2024 | Fallout | Leon Von Felden | Episode: "The Beginning" |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | ATF Special Agent Marcus Cole | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Take Me Out | Takeshi Kawabata | Broadway |
| 2005 | A Naked Girl on the Appian Way | Bill Lapin | Broadway |
| 2013 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | I. Y. Yunioshi | Broadway |
| 2014 | The Oldest Boy | Father | Off-Broadway |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Wu Zi Mu / "Woozie" |
| 2005 | Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition | Tomoya (Tokyo) |
| 2007 | BioShock | Dr. Yi Suchong |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Charlie / The Crowd of Liberty City |
| 2014 | BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea | Yi Suchong / Bartender |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Davies, Kate (November 11, 2010). "Interview Part Two: James Yaegashi, Director of Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty". blogspot. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Yamamoto, J.K. (March 29, 2013). "Meet Mr. Yaegashi — The New Yunioshi". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Dinh, Christine (February 9, 2017). "'Marvel's Runaways' Sets Remaining Cast For Television Project With Hulu". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Lemon, Brendan (November 24, 2014). "James Yaegashi Tells His Stories". Lincoln Center Theater. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
- American male actors of Japanese descent
- Male voice actors from Yokohama
- Japanese emigrants to the United States
- University of Missouri–Kansas City alumni
- Living people
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male video game actors
- American male voice actors
- Japanese male film actors
- Japanese male television actors
- Japanese male video game actors
- Japanese male voice actors
- Japanese people of American descent
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century Japanese male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century Japanese male actors