James Saito


James Tomio Saito is a Japanese-American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television.

Career

He is known for his physical portrayal of The Shredder in the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the character was voiced by David McCharen. Saito also appeared in films like The Devil's Advocate, Home Alone 3, Pearl Harbor, and Die Hard with a Vengeance. His TV credits include M*A*S*H, MacGyver, Law & Order, Miami Vice and Sex and the City.
In 2008, he played Tokugawa Ieyasu in Shogun, as part of the BBC's Heroes and Villains series, It is probably the role he is best known for to British Audiences, his performance as "the Julius Caesar of Japan" was well received by audiences.
Saito has appeared in numerous stage productions, with early career work at the Asian-American theatre company East West Players in Los Angeles. On Broadway he has appeared in The King and I, and David Henry Hwang's Golden Child. He won an Obie Award in 2007 for his performance in Julia Cho's Durango at The Public Theater in New York City.
In 2015, Saito appeared in a new play, The World of Extreme Happiness, by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, in a co-production with the Goodman Theatre at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City.
Saito starred in the regular supporting role of Dr. Chen in the ABC drama Eli Stone.
In February 2019, it was announced that Saito was cast in the main role of Tanaseda Hideki for the second season of Netflix's science-fiction series, Altered Carbon.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Farewell to ManzanarRichard WakatsukiTV Movie
1976Baa Baa Black SheepThird commandoEpisode: "Up for Grabs"
1977Baa Baa Black SheepEnsign KiraEpisode: "Divine Wind"
1977M*A*S*HSouth KoreanEpisode: "Comrades in Arms" Pt.1/Pt.2
1978The Paper ChaseKaiEpisode: "Bell's in Love"
1978M*A*S*HKorean SoldierEpisode: "Dear Comrade"
1979The Paper ChaseStudent #1Episode: "The Apprentice"
1979Lou GrantSteve NakajimaEpisode: "Hype"
1980'Lieutenant Tatsuo YamatoTV Movie
1980The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love StoryTV Movie
1981The WaltonsJapanese SergeantEpisode: "The Last Ten Days"
1981SoapHiro1 episode
1981The Misadventures of Sheriff LoboSteven ChiuEpisode: "The Roller Disco Karate Kaper"
1981The Two Lives of Carol LetnerProfessorTV Movie
1981The Incredible HulkViet InterpreterEpisode: "Viet"
1981M*A*S*HParkEpisode: "Communication Breakdown"
1981The Fall GuyPolice OfficerEpisode: "Japanese Connection"
1981Bosom BuddiesThe ManEpisode: "All You Need Is Love"
1982The Greatest American HeroKelly KimEpisode: "The Hand-Painted Thai"
1982Tales of the Gold MonkeyJapanese LieutenantEpisode: "Once a Tiger..."
1983The RenegadesSam ChowEpisode: "On the Pad"
1983Girls of the White OrchidOfficer #1TV Movie
1983-1984Knots LandingReporter2 episodes
1984Hart to HartYamahiroEpisode: "The Dog Who Knew Too Much"
1984Scarecrow and Mrs. KingRonnie QuanEpisode: "The Mole"
1984T.J. HookerLab TechnicianEpisode: "Hot Property"
1984Charles in ChargeChinese Food Delivery ManEpisode: "Pilot"
1985Street HawkJoe ChingEpisode: "Chinatown Memories"
1985CovenantCabbieTV Movie
1985MacGyverMingEpisode: "The Golden Triangle"
1985Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAnesthesiologist #1Episode: "Night Fever"
1985Crazy Like a FoxChinese HenchmanEpisode: "Year of the Fox"
1985Miami ViceHowie WongEpisode: "Golden Triangle: Part 2"
1986Blood & OrchidsHalehoneTV Movie
1986The Young and the RestlessRoy Namaguchi2 episodes
1986The A-TeamKwai LiEpisode: "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair"
1987Hill Street BluesBob AshahinaEpisode: "Days of Swine and Roses"
1987AirwolfTim ShimizuEpisode: "X-Virus"
1988Miami ViceMa SekEpisode: "Heart of Night"
1988'TV Movie
1988War and RemembranceOperations Officer TV Miniseries; Episode: "Part 3"
1989Gideon OliverJohnny ChenEpisode: "Tongs"
1990CounterstrikeGeneral LoctuckEpisode: "Power Play
1990Top CopsJohnny KaiEpisode: "Paul LeBoeuf/Johnny Kai"
1990True BlueEpisode: "Chinatown"
1992To Be the BestTony ChiuTV Movie
1994Law & OrderMr. TanakaEpisode: "Scoundrels"
1994-1995New York UndercoverDetective Chang2 episodes
1995'NogamiEpisode: "The 37s"
1996GargoylesTaro Episode: "Bushido"
1996The Tomorrow ManDr. LorechiTV Movie
1999Sex and the CityKorean ManEpisode: "Ex and the City"
2000Strangers with CandyDrug TesterEpisode: "Blank Relay"
2000Law & OrderYoshi YoshimuraEpisode: "Dissonance"
2001100 Centre Street2 episodes
2001The Atlantis ConspiracyPolice OfficerTV Movie
2002Third WatchSgt. YeeEpisode: "The Long Guns"
2004'Mr. MiyazakiEpisode: "Great Barrier"
2005StarvedCaptain WongEpisode: "Thank You, I Love You"
2006As the World TurnsKano Yamamoto2 episodes
2008Heroes and VillainsIeyasu TokugawaEpisode: "Shogun"
2008-2009Eli StoneDr. Frank ChenMain cast
2009The UnitChuEpisode: "Chaos Theory"
2010RubiconMooneyEpisode: "The Truth Will Out"
2010Blue BloodsDennis EngEpisode: "Chinatown"
2011Too Big to FailChinese OfficialTV Movie
2011One Life to LiveJudge Lee9 episodes
201230 RockChefEpisode: "Leap Day"
2012Person of InterestGlenEpisode: "Bury the Lede"
2013Hawaii Five-0David ToriyamaEpisode: "Ho'onani Makuakane"
2014Madam SecretaryJapanese Foreign Minister ShimbakuraEpisode: "Just Another Normal Day"
2016House of CardsDr. KrebsEpisode: "Chapter 50"
2017The DeuceKim2 episodes
2018PaternoDoctorTV Movie
2018InstinctHaru OnishiEpisode: "Heartless"
2018Marvel's Iron FistYu-TiEpisode: "The City's Not for Burning"
2018ElementaryDr. Kumal WazirEpisode: "The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz"
2019Modern LoveKenji InouuyeEpisode: "The Race Grows Sweeter"
2019Prodigal SonDr. HigaEpisode: "The Surgeon"
2020Altered CarbonTanaseda HidekiMain role
2020Grey's AnatomyHershel RobertsEpisode: "Sing It Again"