Christopher Inadomi Tashima (born March 24, 1960) 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 and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company

Cedar Grove Productions Cedar Grove Productions is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in media and theatre arts representing the Asian Pacific American community. Media projects are educational, with Visual Communications ( ...

and

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

of its

Asian American theatre Asian American theatre is theatre written, directed or acted by Asian Americans. From initial efforts by four theatre companies in the 1960s, Asian-American theatre has grown to around forty groups today. Early productions often had Asian themes ...

company, Cedar Grove OnStage. Tashima directed, co-wrote, and starred in the 26-minute film '' Visas and Virtue'' for which he and producer

Chris Donahue Chris Donahue (born John Christopher Donahue) is an American film and television producer. He began his career as a producer in television news and documentaries, then transitioned to narrative film and television at the American Film Institute ...

won the 1998

Academy Award for Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...

Personal

Tashima was born on the East Coast, while his father ( Judge A. Wallace Tashima) attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

, but grew up in California. He lived in Pasadena, where he began Suzuki Method violin at age 6. His family moved to Berkeley, where he lived for nine years, attending

The College Preparatory School The College Preparatory School (CPS or College Prep) is a four-year private high school in Oakland, California. The school's motto is ''Mens Conscia Recti'', a Latin phrase adapted from Virgil's ''Aeneid'' that means "a mind aware of what is r ...

. He returned to Southern California, graduating from John Marshall High School (1978). He attended

UC Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge ...

(

Porter College Benjamin F. Porter College, known colloquially as Porter College, is a residential college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It is located on the lower west side of the university, south of Kresge College and north of Rachel Carson Col ...

), where he studied film production. He also attended

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, and took additional filmmaking courses at

Visual Communications (VC) Visual Communications (also known as VC) –– is a community-based non-profit media arts organization based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1970 by independent filmmakers Robert Nakamura, Alan Ohashi, Eddie Wong, and Duane Kubo, who were st ...

. He started his acting career at East West Players in 1985. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge

A. Wallace Tashima Atsushi Wallace Tashima (born June 24, 1934) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central Distric ...

. He currently resides in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Actor

Tashima stars as the romantic lead opposite

Joan Chen Joan Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a Chinese-American actress and film director. In China, she performed in the 1979 film and came to the attention of American audiences for her performance in the 1987 film '' The Last Emperor''. She is also ...

Eric Byler Eric Byler (born January 15, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist. Personal life Byler identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, H ...

's ''

Americanese ''Americanese'' is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Eric Byler and starring Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Kelly Hu, Ben Shenkman, Autumn Reeser, and Joan Chen. It is based on the novel '' American Knees'' by Shawn Wong, concerning ...

'', an unreleased feature from IFC First Take. The film won two awards after its world premiere at the

SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...

, including a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding

Ensemble Cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...

. He has also appeared in

Sherwood Hu Sherwood Xuehua Hu (; born 1967), is a Chinese American theatre director and film director. Early life and education Hu was born in Shanghai in 1967, to Hu Weimin (; 1932-1989), a theatre director, and Gu Menghua (). His sister Hu Xuelian () ...

's '' Lani Loa - The Passage'' (1998) with

Angus Macfadyen Angus Macfadyen (born 21 September 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in ''Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in '' Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the '' ...

, and

Rea Tajiri Rea Tajiri is a Japanese American video artist, filmmaker and screenwriter, known for her personal essay film '' History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige'' (1991). Early life Tajiri was born in 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. Tajiri's father, Vin ...

's '' Strawberry Fields'' (1997) with

Suzy Nakamura Suzy Nakamura (born December 2, 1968) is an American actress and improv comedian. She is known for her many guest appearances on sitcoms such as ''According to Jim'', ''Half and Half'', ''8 Simple Rules'', ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''How I Me ...

. He starred opposite

Tamlyn Tomita Tamlyn Naomi Tomita (born January 27, 1966) is a Japanese-American actress and singer. She made her screen debut as Kumiko in ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986) and reprised the character for the streaming series ''Cobra Kai'' (2021). She is also ...

in the 1995

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

short, ''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

'', directed by actress

Elizabeth Sung Elizabeth Fong Sung (; 14 October 1954 – 22 May 2018) was a Chinese-American actress, director, and screenwriter. She was also a revered acting teacher and mentor to young performers and filmmakers in the Asian-Pacific community. Early life a ...

. Tashima also played the real-life historical figure, journalist and civil rights advocate Sei Fujii in George Shaw's and Jeffrey Gee Chin's short film, ''Lil Tokyo Reporter''. He also played GameKeeper (Mr. Chan) in the film '' RPG''. His stage credits include originating roles in

Ken Narasaki Ken Narasaki (born April 4, 1958) is an American playwright and actor. He is the former Literary Manager at East West Players theatre company in Los Angeles. He is the twin brother of civil rights leader Karen Narasaki. Actor Narasaki has appea ...

's ''

No-No Boy ''No-No Boy'' is a 1957 novel, and the only novel published by the Japanese American writer John Okada. It tells the story of a Japanese-American in the aftermath of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Set in Seattle, Wash ...

'',

Chay Yew Chay Yew () is a playwright and stage director who was born in Singapore. He was artistic director of the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago from 2011 to 2020. Career Yew's breakthrough work came from his early plays ''Porcelain'' and ''A La ...

’s ''A Language of Their Own'' (

LA Weekly Theater Award LA Weekly Theater Award was an annual critics' award system established in 1979, organized by the ''LA Weekly'' for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California. Nominees were typically announced in January for E ...

for Ensemble Performance, shared with

Noel Alumit Noël Alumit is an American novelist, actor, and activist.Emmanuel S. Nelson, ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature of the United States''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009. . p. 21. He was identified as one of the Top 100 Influential G ...

, Anthony David and

Dennis Dun Dennis Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American actor. Early life and education Dun is from Stockton, California. He is of Chinese descent. Film and TV Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), ''B ...

) at

Celebration Theatre The Celebration Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company in Los Angeles, founded in 1982. The company is located in West Hollywood, on the west end of Theatre Row, and specializes in works representing the LGBTQ+ experience. History Ce ...

Laurence Yep Laurence Michael Yep (; born June 14, 1948) is an American writer. He is known for his children's books, having won the Newbery Honor twice for his ''Golden Mountain'' series. In 2005, he received the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his ...

's ''

Dragonwings ''Dragonwings'' is a children's historical novel by Laurence Yep, published by Harper & Row in 1975. It inaugurated the ''Golden Mountain Chronicles'' (below) and it is the fifth chronicle in narrative sequence among ten published as of 2012. The ...

'' at

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

– on Tour and at Zellerbach Playhouse, (reprised at Intiman Playhouse by

Seattle Children's Theatre The Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT) is a resident theatre for young audiences in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1975. Its main performances are at the Seattle Center in a 482-seat and a 275-seat theatre, from September through June. SCT also has ...

Alliance Theatre Company The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal ...

in Atlanta, and

Syracuse Stage Syracuse Stage is a professional non-profit theater company in Syracuse, New York, United States. It is the premier professional theater in Central New York. It was founded in 1974 by Arthur Storch, who was its first artistic director. The com ...

Tim Toyama Tim Toyama (born April 28, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois) is a playwright and producer. He is '' Sansei'' (third-generation Japanese American) living in Los Angeles, California. He is co-founder of the Asian American media company Cedar Grove Product ...

's ''Visas and Virtue'', at the Road Theatre Company, and

Wakako Yamauchi Wakako Yamauchi (October 23, 1924 – August 16, 2018) was a Japanese American writer. Her plays are considered pioneering works in Asian-American theater. Biography Yamauchi (née Nakamura) was born in Westmorland, California. Her mother and ...

's ''The Memento'' at East West Players.

Director

Tashima won an

with producer

, for '' Visas and Virtue'' (1997), which he directed, co-wrote (adapting the one-act play by Toyama), and starred in. To produce ''Visas and Virtue'', he co-founded Cedar Grove Productions in 1996, with Toyama and Donahue. Tashima directed, co-wrote and acted in ''

Day of Independence ''Day of Independence'' is a 2003 short film, broadcast in 2005 as a half-hour PBS television special. It is a drama, set during the Japanese American internment of World War II, produced by Cedar Grove Productions with Visual Communications as ...

'' (2003), a half-hour

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of e ...

for PBS, produced by

Lisa Onodera Lisa Onodera is an American independent film producer, of such noted films as ''Picture Bride'', '' The Debut'' and '' Americanese''. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended UCLA where she received a degree from the School of Motion Pi ...

, which received a Regional

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Nomination from the

NATAS The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, in the category of Historical/Cultural — Program/Special. His stage directing credits include the world premiere of

Dan Kwong Dan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical, and social issues. His work ...

's ''

Be Like Water ''Be Like Water'' (2008) is a play written by Dan Kwong, originally produced at East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at ...

'' produced by East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage, in September 2008. He has directed several shows with the Grateful Crane Ensemble, including the world premiere of Soji Kashiwagi's ''

Nihonmachi is a term used to refer to historical Japanese communities in Southeast and East Asia. The term has come to also be applied to several modern-day communities, though most of these are called simply " Japantown", in imitation of the common term " ...

: The Place To Be'', presented in San Francisco in 2006.

Professional

Tashima is a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

, in the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, and belongs to the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording a ...

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He is also a stage

set designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly train ...

. He won a 1995

Ovation Award The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

for Best Set Design in a Smaller Theater, for ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'', and a 1992

Drama-Logue Award The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would rece ...

for Scenic Design (shared with Christopher Komuro) for ''

Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'', both at East West Players. Tashima served as producer of the 1990 world premiere of ''Maui, December 7, 1941'', a play by Jon Shirota, based on his novel, "Lucky Come Hawaii." Directed by

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television ...

, the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

comedy was presented at the InnerCity Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and received a nomination from the

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose par ...

, for " Production of the Year."

Community

Honors: * "Japanese American of the Biennium" (shared with Toyama) – Presented by National JACL * "Bridge Builder" Asian American Leadership Award – Presented by

A Magazine ''A. Magazine'' was an East Asian American-focused magazine published by A.Media, Inc., headquartered in Midtown Manhattan and with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.Wan, William.Pop Culture Asian American Magazine Falters" '' Los An ...

, New York, NY * Humanitarian Award – Presented by The "1939" Club, Los Angeles CA * Visionary Award (on behalf of Cedar Grove Productions) – Presented by East West Players, Los Angeles CArepost from Back Stage West, 6/18/98; EWP 32nd Anniversary Awards
/ref> * Community Award – Presented by the Japanese American Service Committee, Chicago IL * Special Recognition Award – Presented by the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Los Angeles CA

References

External links

*
Chris Tashima
on MySpace
In-depth interview of Chris Tashima in Asiance Magazine

Chris Tashima interviewed by Nichi Bei Times
at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Chris Tashima interviewed by Terry Nichols on SanDiegoYuYu.com - 3/1/05

Chris Tashima interviewed by Dennis Amith on asianconnections.com

Q&A with Chris Tashima
from San Diego Asian Film Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Tashima, Chris 1960 births Living people American male film actors American theatre directors of Japanese descent Directors of Live Action Short Film Academy Award winners American film directors of Japanese descent Male actors from Berkeley, California Male actors from Los Angeles People from the San Francisco Bay Area University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California, Santa Cruz alumni Film directors from California American male actors of Japanese descent American film actors of Asian descent