James Katsuyuki Taenaka (妙中克之 ''Taenaka Katsuyuki''; born November 27, 1964), better known as Jimmy T, is an American film and television actor. He starred opposite the late

Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed what was to be his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the supernatural superhero fi ...

in '' Showdown in Little Tokyo'' (1991) as well as David Carradine and

Daryl Hannah Daryl Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her film debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film ''The Fury (1978 film), The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various films across the ...

in '' Kung Fu Killer'' (2008).

Early life

Taenaka was born in Fort Ord, California and raised in

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

. His parents had immigrated from

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He attended Monterey High School in

. Taenaka was a USA Junior National Judo Champion, and represented

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

at USA Junior National Wrestling Championships.

Career

Taenaka appears on television and film both in Asia and the United States. In

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, he starred in the epic

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

television drama, '' A War Diary'' about the

Japanese occupation of Singapore , officially , was the name for Colony of Singapore, Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II. The Japanese military ...

, where he also received a nomination at the

Asian Television Awards The Asian Television Awards, founded in 1996, is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, it comprises 56 categories across news, documentaries and curre ...

in 2002 for Best Drama Performance by an Actor.

Personal life

Taenaka is married to Lim Li Li.

Filmography

Film

*''

Banting Banting is a town and the seat of Kuala Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. Banting has a population of 93,497. The postal code for Banting is 42700 and is administered by the Zone of 15 and 19 of the Kuala Langat Municipal Council. It is situ ...

'' (2014) *'' Filial Party'' (2014) *'' Dead Mine'' (2012) HBO Asia *' (2010)

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

*'' Ovunque Tu Sia'' (2008) RAI International *'' Dance of the Dragon'' (2008) *'' L'Empire du Tigre'' (2005)

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

*'' The Second Singapore Short Story'' (2004) *'' Tequila - the Movie'' (2002) *'' Fatal Blade'' (2001) *'' Looking Italian'' (1998) *'' Psycho Sushi'' (1997) *'' The Low Life'' (1995) *''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'' (1994)

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

*'' American Yakuza'' (1993) *'' Showdown in Little Tokyo'' (1991)

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Television

* ''Glória'' (2021 TV series)

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Original Series *'' Grisse'' (2018) HBO Asia Series *'' Halfworlds'' (2017) HBO Asia Season 2 (Guest Star) *''

Silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

'' (2017) meWATCH Originals Series *'' BRA'' (2017) MediaCorp TV Series *'' The Pupil'' (2010) MediaCorp TV Series *'' Kung Fu Killer'' (2008) TV Mini-Series RHI Entertainment *'' Calefare'' (2008) MediaCorp TV Series (Guest Star) *'' En Bloc (TV series)'' (2008) MediaCorp TV Series *'' First Mums'' (2005) MediaCorp TV Series *'' Shooting Stars'' (2005) MediaCorp TV Series *'' The Second Singapore Short Story'' (2004) MediaCorp TV Series *''Daddy's Girls'' (2004) MediaCorp TV Episode *''

Machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

'' (2004) MediaCorp TV Movie *'' Like My Own'' (2004) MediaCorp TV Series *'' Singapore Shakes'' (2004) TV Movie *'' Rouge'' (2004)

MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay television channel that was launched on 5 May 1995 as a standalone pay television service. The channel was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History Pre-launch The first incarnation of MTV Asia was launched on ...

- TV Episode *''

Amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

'' (2003) MediaCorp TV Movie *'' One Peep Too Many'' (2002) TV Movie *'' A War Diary'' (2001) MediaCorp TV Series *''

Making Love ''Making Love'' is a 1982 American drama (film and television), drama film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean. The film tells the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality an ...

'' (2000) MediaCorp TV Series *''

Martial Law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

'' (1999) TV Episode CBS *'' Brooklyn South'' (1998) TV Episode CBS *'' JAG'' (1997) TV Episode CBS *'' Cop Files'' (1993) TV Episode Fox TV

Hosting

* Get Drunk In China (2007) Channel News Asia TV Series

References

External links

Jimmy T's official blog
* * * * 1964 births American male film actors American male television actors American male actors of Japanese descent American expatriates in Singapore Living people {{US-screen-actor-1960s-stub