Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa, born Kintarō Hayakawa on June 10, 1886 in Minamibōsō, Chiba, Japan, emerged as one of the most groundbreaking Asian stars of early Hollywood, capturing the imaginations of audiences on both sides of the Pacific. After a dramatic childhood that included a failed attempt at a naval career and even a suicide attempt, he migrated to the United States where, according to some accounts, he studied political economics at the University of Chicago before turning to acting in Little Tokyo. His stage debut in The Typhoon (1914) impressed producer Thomas H. Ince, leading to a lucrative contract with Famous Players–Lasky and catapulting him to fame with the sensational The Cheat (1915). Known for his broodingly handsome looks and a commanding presence, Hayakawa quickly became a matinée idol, earning up to $5,000 per week and later $2 million a year through his own Haworth Pictures Corporation, which produced more than twenty‑three films between 1918 and 1921. Despite his commercial success, he faced persistent type‑casting as the exotic villain or forbidden lover, a reflection of the racial attitudes of the era, and he continuously fought to portray more nuanced Japanese characters. After leaving Hollywood in 1922 because of rising anti‑Japanese sentiment, he toured Broadway, Europe, and Japan, even performing for royalty in London, before returning to American screens with Daughter of the Dragon (1931). His later career peaked with the Oscar‑nominated performance as Colonel Saito in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and memorable roles in Swiss Family Robinson (1960) and The Big Wave (1961). Beyond acting, Hayakawa was a film producer, writer, and later a Zen master, dedicating his final years to teaching, painting, and writing his autobiography Zen Showed Me the Way. He passed away in Tokyo on November 23, 1973, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire Asian‑American performers and scholars alike.