James Saito is an American actor who is best known as the original Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dr. Chen in the ABC series Eli Stone, Joseph in The Company You Keep (TV series). His credits also feature Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe, Love Hard, Dash & Lily, and Altered Carbon, as well as Amazon’s Modern Love. His film work includes Life of Pi, Big Eyes, and The Thomas Crown Affair, alongside numerous other film and TV appearances. He is a member of Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Early life Saito's parents are of Japanese descent. He graduated from Hamilton High in LA and the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in acting. He later studied acting with actress Uta Hagen at HB Studio, located in New York City. He was in the last group of students who studied with Sanford Meisner on the island of Bequia in the Grenadines and then continued with Meisner in North Hollywood.
Career Saito launched his acting career in 1976 with the landmark television film Farewell to Manzanar.Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he became a familiar face on television, guest-starring in classic series such as , M*A*S*H, Hart to Hart ,The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series), The Greatest American Hero, MacGyver, and Miami Vice.
In 1990, Saito portrayed the iconic villain Shredder (Oroku Saki) in the original live-action film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His film career expanded with roles films including Hot Dog... The Movie (1984), To Be the Best (1993) alongside Anthony Hopkins, Henry Fool (1997), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Home Alone 3 (1997), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), and Pearl Harbor (2001). He later appeared in I Think I Love My Wife (2007), director Ang Lee's Academy Award-winning Life of Pi (2012), director Tim Burton's Big Eyes (2014), While We're Young (2015), and Wilson (2017).
On television, Saito appeared in procedural dramas and hit series including Law & Order, Sex and the City, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, 30 Rock, Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, House of Cards, The Deuce, Elementary, Iron Fist, Broad City, Grey's Anatomy, The Terror and Prodigal Son. He played Dr. Chen as a main cast member in the ABC series Eli Stone (2008–2009) and portrayed Tokugawa Ieyasu in the BBC docudrama series Heroes and Villains (2008).
As a stage actor, Saito received an Obie Award in 2007 for his performance in Julia Cho's play Durango at The Public Theater in New York City.
In recent years, Saito has starred in several streaming and network projects. He played Harry Kim in the popular Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe (2019), Kenji in the Amazon anthology series Modern Love (2019), and Latching in the Netflix miniseries Dash & Lily (2020), as well as appearing in Altered Carbon. In November 2021, he featured as Bob Lin in the Netflix film Love Hard, and later joined the cast of the ABC drama series The Company You Keep (2023) as Joseph Nishimura.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1980The IdolmakerEddie1984Hot Dog…The MovieKendoThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th DimensionMasado Banzai, Buckaroo's FatherScenes deleted1987Beyond the Next MountainSniper1989Mortal SinsPark Sung1990Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe ShredderVoiced by David McCharen1993Silent CriesJapanese Soldier1995The HuntedNemuraDie Hard with a Vengeance Korean Proprietor1997Henry FoolMr. DengThe Devil's AdvocateTakaori OsumiHome Alone 3Korean Mob Boss1999The Thomas Crown AffairPaul Cheng2000UselessExecutive OkiShort filmAlohaJamesShort film2001Pearl HarborJapanese Aide #1Love the Hard WayAkiriAnother BedBruceShort film2003Robot StoriesRoy / Groper2006Brother's ShadowLine Boss2007I Think I Love My WifeMr. YuniGhosts of the HeartlandJohn Lu2012Life of PiOlder Insurance Investigator2013From the RoughWon-Sik2014While We're YoungDr. NagatoBig EyesJudge2017WilsonWarren KudoThe Only Living Boy in New YorkJames2019Long ShotMinister KishidoAlways Be My MaybeHarry2020TigertailHank2021Love HardBob Lin2026California ScenarioBill
Television Year Title Role Notes1976Farewell to ManzanarRichard WakatsukiTV movieBaa Baa Black SheepThird commandoEpisode: "Up for Grabs"1977Ensign KiraEpisode: "Divine Wind"1977–1981M*A*S*HSouth Korean Soldier / Park3 episodes1978The Paper ChaseKaiEpisode: "Bell's in Love"1979The Paper ChaseStudent #1Episode: "The Apprentice"Lou GrantSteve NakajimaEpisode: "Hype"1980Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic BombLieutenant Tatsuo YamatoTV movieThe Golden Moment: An Olympic Love StoryTV movie1981The WaltonsJapanese SergeantEpisode: "The Last Ten Days"SoapHiro1 episodeThe Misadventures of Sheriff LoboSteven ChiuEpisode: "The Roller Disco Karate Kaper"The Two Lives of Carol LetnerProfessorTV movieThe Incredible HulkViet InterpreterEpisode: "Viet"The Fall GuyPolice OfficerEpisode: "Japanese Connection"Bosom BuddiesThe ManEpisode: "All You Need Is Love"1982The Greatest American HeroKelly KimEpisode: "The Hand-Painted Thai"Tales of the Gold MonkeyJapanese LieutenantEpisode: "Once a Tiger..."1983The RenegadesSam ChowEpisode: "On the Pad"Girls of the White OrchidOfficer #1TV movie; alternative title Death Ride to Osaka1983–1984Knots LandingReporter2 episodes1984Hart to HartYamahiroEpisode: "The Dog Who Knew Too Much"Scarecrow and Mrs. KingRonnie QuanEpisode: "The Mole"T.J. HookerLab TechnicianEpisode: "Hot Property"Charles in ChargeChinese Food Delivery ManEpisode: "Pilot"1985Street HawkJoe ChingEpisode: "Chinatown Memories"CovenantCabbieTV movieMacGyverMingEpisode 1.2: "The Golden Triangle"Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAnesthesiologist #1Episode: "Night Fever"Crazy Like a FoxChinese HenchmanEpisode: "Year of the Fox"Miami ViceHowie WongEpisode: "Golden Triangle: Part 2"1986Blood & OrchidsHalehoneTV movieThe Young and the RestlessRoy Namaguchi2 episodesThe A-TeamKwai LiEpisode: "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair"1987Hill Street BluesBob AshahinaEpisode: "Days of Swine and Roses"AirwolfTim ShimizuEpisode: "X-Virus"1988Miami ViceMa SekEpisode: "Heart of Night"C.A.T. Squad: Python WolfTV movieWar and RemembranceOperations Officer (Yamato)TV Miniseries; Episode: "Part 3"1989Gideon OliverJohnny ChenEpisode: "Tongs"1990CounterstrikeGeneral Loctuck Episode: "Power Play"Top CopsJohnny KaiEpisode: "Paul LeBoeuf/Johnny Kai"True BlueEpisode: "Chinatown"1992To Be the BestTony ChiuTV movie1994Law & OrderMr. TanakaEpisode: "Scoundrels"1994–1995New York UndercoverDetective Chang2 episodes1995Star Trek: VoyagerNogamiEpisode: "The 37s"1996GargoylesTaro (voice)Episode: "Bushido"The Tomorrow ManDr. LorechiTV movie1999Sex and the CityKorean ManEpisode: "Ex and the City"2000Strangers with CandyDrug TesterEpisode: "Blank Relay"Law & OrderYoshi YoshimuraEpisode: "Dissonance"2001100 Centre Street2 episodesThe Atlantis ConspiracyPolice OfficerTV movie2002Third WatchSgt. YeeEpisode: "The Long Guns"2004Law & Order: Criminal IntentMr. MiyazakiEpisode: "Great Barrier"2005StarvedCaptain WongEpisode: "Thank You, I Love You"2006As the World TurnsKano Yamamoto2 episodes2008Heroes and VillainsIeyasu TokugawaEpisode: "Shogun"2008–2009Eli StoneDr. Frank ChenMain cast2009The UnitChuEpisode: "Chaos Theory"2010RubiconMooneyEpisode: "The Truth Will Out"Blue BloodsDennis EngEpisode: "Chinatown"2011Too Big to FailChinese OfficialTV movieOne Life to LiveJudge Lee9 episodes201230 RockChefEpisode: "Leap Day"Person 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 episodes2018PaternoDoctorTV movieInstinctHaru OnishiEpisode: "Heartless"Marvel's Iron FistYu-TiEpisode: "The City's Not for Burning"ElementaryDr. Ken FukataEpisode: "Uncanny Valley of the Dolls"2019Broad CityTrangEpisode: "Bitcoin & the Missing Girl"Modern LoveKenji InouyeEpisode: "The Race Grows Sweeter"Prodigal SonDr. HigaEpisode: "The Surgeon"2020Altered CarbonTanaseda Hideki Main role season 2Grey's AnatomyHershel RobertsEpisode: "Sing It Again"Dash & LilyArthur MoriRecurring role 2023 The Company You Keep Joseph Main role
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