Teru Shimada
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Teru Shimada (島田輝 ''Shimada Teru'', born Akira Shimada (島田明 ''Shimada Akira''); November 17, 1905 – June 19, 1988) was a Japanese-American actor. A ''
Nikkeijin The Japanese diaspora and its individual members, known as Nikkei (日系) or as Nikkeijin (日系人), comprise the Japanese emigrants from Japan (and their descendants) residing in a country outside Japan. Emigration from Japan was recorded a ...
'' (first-generation Japanese-American), Shimada emigrated to the United States in the early 1930s to follow in the footsteps of his idol
Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man i ...
, where he began acting in theatre before finding a steady career playing supporting roles in Hollywood films. After being interned during
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Shimada found a career resurgence starring opposite
Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
in the 1949 film, '' Tokyo Joe.'' Shimada subsequently appeared in many films and television series throughout the 1950s and 60s. He also appeared in an episode ("And Five of Us are Left") of the 1960s American television series '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' in 1965. That year, he also made a guest appearance on '' Perry Mason'' as Dr. Maseo Tachikawa in "The Case of the Baffling Bug" and as Ito Kumagi in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Capricious Corpse". In 1970, he had had a leading role in an episode of '' Hawaii Five-O'' ("The Reunion"). Arguably his most well-known role came in 1967, when he was cast as Mr. Osato, a
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
agent in the 1967
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film, '' You Only Live Twice''. He later retired in the mid-1970s following appearances in '' Barnaby Jones'' and ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
'' and died in Encino, Los Angeles,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 1988.


Early life

Shimada was born Akira Shimada (JP: 島田明) in the city of
Mito Mito may refer to: Places *Mito, Ibaraki, capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan *Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town *Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town * Mitō, Yamaguchi, a Japanese town * Mito District, a district in the province of Concepción, Per ...
,
Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...
, in the
Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...
of
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. His birth date has been variously reported as both 1905 and 1906. Shimada was intrigued from early childhood by the tales of the entertainers who would visit the home of his artist grandfather, whom he visited frequently and briefly lived with. The young Shimada regularly went to the movies, and idolized cowboy star Tom Mix. After seeing Japanese expatriate actor
Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man i ...
in a Hollywood film, Shimada decided to emigrate to the United States to become an actor. He arrived in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in March 1924, knowing no English, on a student visa. While Shimada ultimately attended two years of college, his determination to become an actor never changed, and he remained in the United States after leaving college (during which time he was technically an illegal alien). He worked for some time as a janitor at the Granada Theatre, where he began taking acting lessons. In the following years, he moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where he supported himself as a hotel clerk and then a pressman for a Japanese-language newspaper.


Career


1930s

Shimada's first professional acting role was as a valet in a Los Angeles production of Hale Hamilton's play ''Dear Me'' in 1929. He enrolled in acting courses at the studio of Katherine Hamil, and subsequently starred in a student production of ''The Flower of Edo'', a one-act play about Japan. In June 1931, he headlined a class show in Los Angeles's Jinnistan Grotto theater, performing scenes from Melchior Lengyel's play ''The Typhoon''. As the American film industry shifted to
sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
s, Shimada took English and speech classes, while supporting himself through odd jobs as a butler, gardener, clerk, and dishwasher. He first broke into films with a brief role in ''
The Night Club Lady ''The Night Club Lady'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Adolphe Menjou, Mayo Methot and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher.Backer p.187 It was followed by a sequel '' The Circus Queen Murder'' in 1933 wi ...
'' (1932), directed by
Irving Cummings Irving Caminsky (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director. Career Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''Diplomacy''. His Broadway, performances included ''In the Long R ...
. Shortly afterward, he auditioned for
Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...
. Shimada later recalled that in his first interview with the great director, DeMille stated that he was looking for a "young, strong husky man who can climb a rope" for his Pacific Island epic, ''
Four Frightened People ''Four Frightened People'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Mary Boland, and William Gargan. It is based on the 1931 novel by E. Arnot Robertson. Plot The ...
'', and he invited Shimada to climb a rope hanging in his office. After demonstrating his athletic prowess, Shinada was hired to play a "''sakai''" native guide, one who clambered up the tall palms to get food and scan the horizon. He sailed to
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
with the cast and crew for several weeks of filming. After his work with DeMille, Shimada was hired for numerous extra roles and bit parts, mainly uncredited, as houseboys and valets. He was cast as a martial artist in the 1934 potboiler ''
Charlie Chan's Courage ''Charlie Chan's Courage'' (1934) is the fifth film in which Warner Oland played detective Charlie Chan. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film ''The Chinese Parrot,'' based upon the novel by Earl Derr Biggers''.'' Both are considered lost films. ...
.'' In ''Midnight Club'', made shortly after, he was a member of a gang of jewel thieves, and he then played a gangster henchman in ''
Public Hero ﹟1 ''Public Hero ﹟1'' is a 1935 American crime film starring Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, Chester Morris and Joseph Calleia. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production was directed by J. Walter Ruben. Plot Undercover FBI agent Jeff Crane is planted in t ...
''. He appeared briefly the Claudette Colbert- Louise Beavers version of the film ''Imitation of Life'' (1934) and in Mae West's film, '' Klondike Annie'' (1936). Yearning for better roles, Shimada's was cast in his first featured part as a comic Yokohama teahouse proprietor in ''Oil for the Lamps of China'' (1935), swiftly followed by a role as a showy servant in ''
Revolt of the Zombies ''Revolt of the Zombies'' is a 1936 American horror film directed by Victor Halperin, produced by Edward Halperin, and stars Dean Jagger and Dorothy Stone (actress), Dorothy Stone. One of the earliest zombie films, it was initially conceived as a ...
'' (1936). That same year, he played his first serious part, in the independently produced film ''White Legion''. The film dramatizes the adventures of a group of heroic doctors who travel to Panama during the building of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
in search of a cure for
yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
. Shimada's character Dr. Nogi (based on the celebrated Japanese-born bacteriologist
Hideyo Noguchi , also known as , was a prominent Japanese bacteriologist who in 1911 discovered the agent of syphilis as the cause of progressive paralytic disease. Early life Noguchi Hideyo whose childhood name was Seisaku Noguchi was born to a family of farme ...
) has special powers to resist pain and treat illness. Shimada's last prewar role of importance was in the 1939 thriller ''
Mr. Moto's Last Warning ''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand. Plot The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...
'', in which his character was a decoy who impersonated the eponymous Japanese spy (played, ironically, by a non-Japanese, Austrian-born actor Peter Lorre).


World War II and internment

Shimada was taken by surprise by
Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized the secretary of war to prescribe certain ...
and the mass removal of Japanese Americans. He dreamed of relocating to New York and establishing himself in the Manhattan theater world, but was unable to get away from the West Coast in time before resettlement was "frozen" in late March. Instead, in May 1942 he was removed to the
Poston War Relocation Center The Poston Internment Camp, located in Yuma County (now in La Paz County) in southwestern Arizona, was the largest (in terms of area) of the ten American concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II. The sit ...
. Still only in his mid-thirties and fluent in English, Shimada was a rare figure among the Issei in camp. Because of his fame as an actor, he was named production manager of a Nisei drama group, the Poston Drama Guild. The Guild performed in mess halls, putting on skits and comic sketches of camp life, including "Coming to Boilton" and "The Blockhead's Nightmare". In fall 1942, the Guild announced a forthcoming original three-act comedy, "Postonese", depicting life in camp, to be written and directed by Shimada and his fellow actor Wilfred Horiuchi. Shimada took over an entire barrack and designed a stage for the dramatic department. An article in the ''Poston'' ''News-Chronicle'' stated that the stage had "a synchronized platform, footlight, spotlights, ceiling and natural wood furniture." Shimada noted, "We don't know anything about building a stage—it isn't in our line. But we are forced to do it because this is Poston." The group was also forced to construct its own chairs for the theater. However, materials were scarce and the work on the theater was slow. Worse yet, during the hiatus of the construction, the Guild's original actors went into other jobs or began leaving camp, and Shimada was forced to re-cast his show—he thought of recruiting high school students. By early 1943, the little theater was nearly completed. However, one day a fire broke out in a neighboring mess hall, and swept through the barracks and consumed the stage and seats. The entire theater, the product of months of labor, was destroyed almost instantly. Stunned and distraught by the loss, Shimada nonetheless resolved to carry on. Armed with a certificate from the
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
that authorized him to give classes in swimming and lifeguard training, he joined Captain Tetsuo Sakamoto to champion a "build a pool" project. Such a swimming pool, Shimada announced, would "cool off the griddled brains of the old-timers" and would offer all the children in the camp a chance to learn how to swim. Shimada helped recruit a group of volunteers to dig a pool and put up shade around it. (The workers also built a large diving platform—so large, in fact, that it would ultimately be converted for use as a makeshift outdoor stage for skits by the drama group as well). The new pool turned out to be wildly popular. Over the next months, Shimada supervised nineteen lifeguards who held swimming classes and cared for thousands of young Nisei swimmers. They even held a series of water carnivals with races, diving competitions, and talent shows. At the request of John W. Powell, chief of Poston's community management division, Shimada was appointed Unit I Community Activities Coordinator. "Mr. Shimada's proven leadership of the younger men, and his sympathetic understanding of the needs and interests of the older people, will be of great value to the enjoyment and harmony of the residents of Unit I," Powell told the ''Poston News-Chronicle''. In February 1945, Shimada's residence block elected him as a block leader, and he resigned his other positions. While he felt pride in his community activities, Shimada loathed the heat and hardships of Poston and yearned to return to acting. Ironcially, during the war Hollywood had produced numerous films with villainous Japanese characters, but all were played by Chinese or Korean or white actors. Even after the end of World War II and the return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast, the other Nikkei actors who had worked in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s (apart from Sessue Hayakawa) would disappear from view.


Post-war career

In summer 1945, while still confined at Poston, Shimada was cast as a Filipino scout in a war propaganda film for
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, to be entitled ''American Guerilla in the Philippines''. However, once Japan surrendered and the war ended in late summer 1945, the project was shelved indefinitely. Shimada later claimed that he was summoned back to Hollywood by a telegram from Paul Wilkins, former casting director at MGM, and that he swiftly made the trip back from Poston to Culver City in a milk truck, but was unable to find work once he arrived. He thus returned to his previous idea of moving to New York. Once there took up residence at the Cherrie Lane Theatre in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. There he stayed backstage and studied theatrical technique, even as he searched for agents and pounded the pavements for work. After several weeks of searching, Shimada found a golden opportunity. He was cast in ''The First Wife'', a play written by the Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck based on her own story, and performed by The Chinese Theatre, a troupe of Chinese actors that she sponsored. Shimada's role was that of Yuan, a young Chinese man who returns to his family in China after spending several years studying in the United States, and clashes with his wife because of her traditional ways. To obscure his Japanese origins, Shimada was billed under a Chinese-sounding name, "Shi Ma-Da". After a run in New York, he joined the show for an extended tour of the United States, and remained with the production for two years. When the show played
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
in February 1946, local critic Gilbert Cosulich described Shimada's lead performance as "intelligently though a bit stiffly portrayed."


''Tokyo Joe''

In 1949, Shimada was recruited back to Hollywood by Robert Lord, who had joined leading man
Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
to form the production company Santana Productions. The two started work on ''Tokyo Joe'', a new motion picture starring Bogart that would be set in Occupation-era Japan, and sought Japanese actors to play in it. The producers located
Sessue Hayakawa , known professionally as , was a Japanese actor and a matinée idol. He was a popular star in Hollywood during the silent film era of the 1910s and early 1920s. Hayakawa was the first actor of Asian descent to achieve stardom as a leading man i ...
, by then long absent from Hollywood and living in France, and he agreed to make a comeback role as the main villain. Meanwhile, Lord remembered Teru Shimada from ''Oil for the Lamps of China'', on which he had been a writer, and sought him out as well. Shimada's first appearance in ''Tokyo Joe'' is near the beginning of the film. Bogart's character Joe Barrett, who had run a bar in Tokyo before the war, comes back to occupied Japan after 7 years away to take care of some unfinished business. He visits his bar, though it is formally off limits to Allied personnel. There Bogart's Joe is reunited with his old friend and partner Ito, played by Shimada, who now runs the "joint". While Shimada's role was originally intended to be small, as work on the film progressed he was given increasingly more to do. In fact, in the final film, Joe and Ito have a friendly judo match, and Ito succeeds in flooring his opponent. Shimada later stated that ''Tokyo Joe'' had been his most enjoyable film experience, as even people who did not know his name recognized him as the man who had beaten Bogart in a fair fight.


1950s

Shimada's performance in ''Tokyo Joe'' led to a revival of his career in Hollywood. Soon after, he was cast as a brutal Japanese officer in Fox's ''
Three Came Home ''Three Came Home'' is a 1950 American post-war film directed by Jean Negulesco, based on the memoirs of the same name by writer Agnes Newton Keith. It depicts Keith's life in North Borneo in the period immediately before the Japanese invasi ...
'' and a villainous captain of a Chinese junk in ''
Smuggler's Island ''Smuggler's Island'' is a 1951 American Technicolor film noir adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig starring Jeff Chandler and Evelyn Keyes Chandler called the film one of his favourites because "I played myself". Around this time Chandler t ...
''. In ''
The Bridges at Toko-Ri ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'' is a 1954 American war film about the Korean War and stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Strauss. The film, which was directed by Mark Robson, was produced by Paramount Pictur ...
'' he plays a man who brings his wife and children to a Japanese bath and is surprised to find William Holden and his family already in the tub. In ''
House of Bamboo ''House of Bamboo'' is a 1955 American film noir shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller, and starring Robert Ryan. The other co-screenwriter was Harry Kleiner. The cinematographer was Joseph MacDonald. Plot ...
'' (1955) Shimada played the uncle of Yoshiko Yamaguchi's lead character—the film also offered him his first chance to work together with his childhood idol Sessue Hayakawa. During this period, Shimada auditioned for the role of Sakini, an Okinawan interpreter, in the 1956 film version of the hit play ''The Teahouse of the August Moon'', but was disappointed when Caucasian Hollywood star
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
was awarded the role. One notable Shimada role during this period was in the low-budget feature ''Battle of the Coral Sea'' (1959). In it he plays Commander Mori, a Japanese naval officer of integrity who is tasked with interrogating his American prisoners. Abandoning torture, he tries using psychological methods to gain information from his captives. Mori displays sympathy for his victims but does not allow his feelings to interfere with his duty and loyalty to Japan. A more positive role for Shimada was in independent producer Sam Fuller's 1959 drama ''
Tokyo After Dark ''Tokyo After Dark'' is a 1959 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Norman T. Herman, written by Norman T. Herman and Marvin Segal, and starring Michi Kobi, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Dubov, ...
.'' There Shimada plays Sen-Sei, a blind instructor and mentor to the geisha Sumi who is a master of the Japanese musical instrument called the ''koto'' (in fact performed by
Kimio Eto (surname Etō, born 1924 in Ōita – died 24 December 2012) was a blind Japanese musician who played the ''koto''. He began musical training at the age of eight with the renowned master Michio Miyagi. When he was eleven, he composed his first ...
). Sumi brings her American boyfriend Bob, who has been accused of murder and is on the lam, to hide at Sen-Sei's house. Sen-Sei has a lengthy conversation with Bob, explains to him with kindness how badly he's been behaving, and persuades him to show faith in Japanese justice and his financée's love by surrendering himself to the authorities, rather than letting himself be smuggled out of the country. In addition to his film roles, Shimada worked steadily in TV dramas during the "
Golden Age of Television The first Golden Age of Television is an era of television in the Television in the United States, United States marked by its large number of live productions. The period is generally recognized as beginning in 1947 with the first episode of th ...
". Most notably, he played a lead role in ''The Kotaro Suto Story''. In "The Pearl", an episode of the anthology series ''
The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...
'', he appeared as a Japanese fisherman who finds a valuable pearl, but attempts to conceal this fact from his Japanese wife (played by Young). The program was so successful that "An Innocent Conspiracy", another episode with the same characters, was presented the following season. Shimada enjoyed the challenge of playing opposite Young, an experienced actress and former Oscar-winner, though he was generally ambivalent about working in television.


1960s

During the 1960s, Shimada worked primarily in television guest spots, including one in the adventure series ''Journey to the Center of the Earth''. According to one of the show's actors, it was a difficult experience, as Shimada had trouble pronouncing English words, and was berated on the set by the show's producer, Irwin Allen. He also played a few film roles. He had a small part in
James Clavell James Clavell (born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell; 10 October 1921 – 7 September 1994) was an Australian-born British (later naturalized American) writer, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is best ...
's drama ''The Sweet and the Bitter'' (filmed in 1962 but not released until 1967). He also played a supporting role as a Japanese landlord in the 1966 drama '' Walk, Don't Run''. The film, set in Tokyo at the time of the
1964 Olympics 1964 Olympics refers to both: *The 1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Ba ...
, would become chiefly notable in film history as the final role of Hollywood star
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
. Shimada made a different kind of notable film appearance as the narrator of the documentary "My Garden Japan", a film tour of notable public and private gardens around Japan that was screened regularly at the United Nations Pavilion at Montreal's Expo 67 World's Fair. He also had a small but memorable role in the Adam West-starring ''Batman'' (1966), a feature film version of the television series of the same name. Shimada played a Japanese delegate to the "United World Security Council" (a thinly-veiled analogue for the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
), whose mind is invariably swapped with one of his foreign colleagues.


''You Only Live Twice''

It was at this time, in early 1967, that Shimada won the role for which he would be best known, that of Mr. Osato in the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''You Only Live Twice''. Mr. Osato, an independently wealthy and well-respected Japanese businessman, runs Osato Chemicals, a chemical and engineering company that is in fact a front for the international crime syndicate
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
. When Bond (
Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
) comes to see him, the suave Osato politely warns him, "You should give up smoking. Cigarettes are very bad for your chest." Mr. Osato wishes Bond well as he departs his office, then waits a few seconds, turns to his "Confidential Secretary" Helga Brandt (
Karin Dor Karin Dor (, born Kätherose Derr; 22 February 1938 – 6 November 2017) was a German actress. She was famous to international audiences for her role as Bond girl Helga Brandt in the James Bond film '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) and her appea ...
) and utters the succinct icy command: "Kill him!" Shimada acted the role with relish, and received positive media attention for it. Shooting took place in Japan, and Shimada returned to his homeland for the first time in nearly 50 years. Fuji TV filmed a program recording Shimada's visit to his childhood home of Mito.


Later career

In his later years, Shimada appeared on a number of episodes of popular television series, including ''I Spy'', ''
Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...
'', '' Have Gun – Will Travel'', ''
The Doris Day Show ''The Doris Day Show'' is an American sitcom which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air for five seasons and 128 episodes. The series is remembered for its multiple format and cast change ...
'', and ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
''. One of his most notable appearances was in ''Hawaii Five-O''. Shimada played Mr. Shigato, a millionaire Japanese businessman accused by three former prisoners of war of being the officer responsible for extreme physical and mental cruelty toward them during World War II.


Retirement

Shimada retired in his 70s, and lived in Encino. He supported himself by buying and renting out an apartment complex.


Personal life

Shimada never married (on the draft card he was issued in 1940, he listed Anna Snyder as "next-of-kin"). He became a U.S. citizen in 1954, and began receiving Social Security in 1970.


Death

Shimada died on June 19, 1988, at his home in Encino. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery.


Filmography

*''
The Washington Masquerade ''The Washington Masquerade'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and written by John Meehan and Samuel Blythe. The film stars Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley, Diane Sinclair, Nils Asther and Reginald Barlow. The f ...
'' (1932) - Japanese Dignitary (uncredited) *''
The Night Club Lady ''The Night Club Lady'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Adolphe Menjou, Mayo Methot and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher.Backer p.187 It was followed by a sequel '' The Circus Queen Murder'' in 1933 wi ...
'' (1932) - Ito Mura (uncredited) *''
Gabriel Over the White House ''Gabriel Over the White House'' is a 1933 American pre-Code political fantasy film starring Walter Huston as a genial but politically corrupt U.S. President who has a near-fatal automobile accident and comes under divine influence—specifica ...
'' (1933) - Japanese Admiral at Debt Conference (uncredited) *''Midnight Club'' (1933) - Nishi (uncredited) *''
Four Frightened People ''Four Frightened People'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Mary Boland, and William Gargan. It is based on the 1931 novel by E. Arnot Robertson. Plot The ...
'' (1934) - Native *''
Murder at the Vanities ''Murder at the Vanities'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code musical film based on the 1933 Broadway show with music by Victor Young. It was released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen, stars Victor McLaglen, Carl Brisson, Jack ...
'' (1934) - Koto (uncredited) *''
Charlie Chan's Courage ''Charlie Chan's Courage'' (1934) is the fifth film in which Warner Oland played detective Charlie Chan. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film ''The Chinese Parrot,'' based upon the novel by Earl Derr Biggers''.'' Both are considered lost films. ...
'' (1934) - Jiu Jitsu Man *'' Imitation of Life'' (1934) - Japanese Customer in Pancake Shop (uncredited) *'' Bordertown'' (1935) - Law School Graduate (uncredited) *''Let 'em Have It'' (1935) - Chinese Houseboy (uncredited) *'' Public Hero#1'' (1935) - Sam - Sonny's Japanese Houseboy (uncredited) *''
Oil for the Lamps of China ''Oil for the Lamps of China'' is a 1933 novel by Alice Tisdale Hobart Alice Tisdale Hobart (January 28, 1882 – March 14, 1967) born Alice Nourse in Lockport, New York, was an American novelist. Her most famous book, '' Oil for the Lamps of ...
'' (1935) - Tea House Owner (uncredited) *''
The Affair of Susan ''The Affair of Susan'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Zasu Pitts, Hugh O'Connell and Walter Catlett.Lowe p.1968 It is a remake of the 1928 silent film '' Lonesome''. Two lonely people meet at an amusemen ...
'' (1935) - Spieler (uncredited) *''
Revolt of the Zombies ''Revolt of the Zombies'' is a 1936 American horror film directed by Victor Halperin, produced by Edward Halperin, and stars Dean Jagger and Dorothy Stone (actress), Dorothy Stone. One of the earliest zombie films, it was initially conceived as a ...
'' (1936) - Buna *'' White Legion'' (1936) - Dr. Nogi *''
Mr. Moto's Last Warning ''Mr. Moto's Last Warning'' is the sixth in a series of eight films starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. The film is an original story featuring the character created by John P. Marquand. Plot The British Navy in Port Said is making plans for naval ...
'' (1939) - Fake Mr. Moto (uncredited) *'' They Met in Bombay'' (1941) - Japanese Colonel (uncredited) *'' Dragon Seed'' (1944) - Villager (uncredited) *'' Tokyo Joe'' (1949) - Ito *'' Emergency Wedding'' (1950) - Ho (uncredited) *'' The War of the Worlds'' (1953) - Japanese Diplomat (uncredited) *'' The Snow Creature'' (1954) - Subra *''
The Bridges at Toko-Ri ''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'' is a 1954 American war film about the Korean War and stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Strauss. The film, which was directed by Mark Robson, was produced by Paramount Pictur ...
'' (1954) - Japanese Father (uncredited) *''
House of Bamboo ''House of Bamboo'' is a 1955 American film noir shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller, and starring Robert Ryan. The other co-screenwriter was Harry Kleiner. The cinematographer was Joseph MacDonald. Plot ...
'' (1955) - Nagaya (uncredited) *'' Navy Wife'' (1956) - Mayor Yoshida *'' Battle Hymn'' (1957) - Korean Official *''
The Delicate Delinquent ''The Delicate Delinquent'' is an American VistaVision comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, released on June 6, 1957 by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to star Lewis without his longtime partner Dean Martin and marked Lewis' debut as a pro ...
'' (1957) - Togo's Japanese Interpreter (uncredited) *''
Run Silent, Run Deep ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' is a novel by Commander (later Captain) Edward L. Beach Jr. published in 1955 by Henry Holt & Co. The story describes World War II submarine warfare in the Pacific Ocean, and deals with themes of vengeance, endurance, c ...
'' (1958) - Japanese Submarine Commander (uncredited) *''
The Geisha Boy ''The Geisha Boy'' is a 1958 American comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, distributed by Paramount Pictures. Filmed from June 16 to August 7, 1958, it had its first screening in New York City on December 19, 1958. This motion picture featured th ...
'' (1958) - Osakawa, Japanese Detective (uncredited) *''
Tokyo After Dark ''Tokyo After Dark'' is a 1959 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Norman T. Herman, written by Norman T. Herman and Marvin Segal, and starring Michi Kobi, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Dubov, ...
'' (1959) - Sen-Sei *''
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...
'' (1959) - Comm. Mori *'' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'' (1961) - Maj. Samada *''
The Horizontal Lieutenant ''The Horizontal Lieutenant'' is a 1962 American romantic comedy war film, based on the 1961 novel ''The Bottletop Affair'' by Gordon Cotler who was a Japanese interpreter for US Army Intelligence during World War II. It is a military comedy abou ...
'' (1962) - Master of Ceremonies at Show (uncredited) *''
The Prize The Prize may refer to: * ''The Prize'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Irving Wallace ** ''The Prize'' (1963 film), a 1963 film based on the novel * ''The Prize'' (1950 film), a 1950 French film * ''The Prize'' (2011 film), a 2011 Mexican film * * ...
'' (1963) - Japanese Correspondent (uncredited) *'' King Rat'' (1965) - The Japanese General *''
One Spy Too Many ''One Spy Too Many'' starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum is the 1966 feature-length film version of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''s two-part season two premiere " Alexander the Greater Affair". It is the third such feature film that used as its ...
'' (1966) - President Sing-Mok *''
Walk Don't Run ''Walk, Don't Run'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, and Jim Hutton. The film, which was Grant's last film role, is set during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It is a remake o ...
'' (1966) - Mr. Kurawa *''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'' (1966) - Japanese Delegate (uncredited) *'' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) - Mr. Osato *'' The Sweet and the Bitter'' (1967) - Tom Hirata *''The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk'' (1967) - Mr. Pan *''
Which Way to the Front? ''Which Way to the Front?'' is a 1970 American comedy film produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis, which was his first film for Warner Bros. Plot Brendan Byers III is a rich playboy who enlists to fight in the war against the Axis powe ...
'' (1970) - Japanese Naval Officer (uncredited)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimada, Teru 1905 births 1988 deaths People from Mito, Ibaraki Actors from Ibaraki Prefecture Japanese emigrants to the United States Japanese-American internees Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) American male actors of Japanese descent American film actors of Asian descent American male film actors 20th-century American male actors