James Yaegashi is a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

actor based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

James Yaegashi was born in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

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 The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...

. He moved to New York with his wife in 1998.

Career

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 Portrayals of East Asians in American film and theatre has been a subject of controversy. These portrayals have frequently reflected an ethnocentric perception of East Asians rather than realistic and authentic depictions of East Asian cultures, c ...

. 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. Yaegashi first entered the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

with a minor role in '' Daredevil'', but had a more notable role when he was cast as Robert Minoru in the

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

original series '' Runaways'' based on the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

series. 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 ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...

' and '' GTA IV: The Lost and Damned''.

Personal life

Yaegashi is married with two children. He is also bilingual.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yaegashi, James American male actors of Japanese descent Male voice actors from Yokohama Japanese emigrants to the United States Year of birth missing (living people) 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 American film actors of Asian descent 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