(23 April 1894 – 10 August 1970), also known as Tetsuo Komai, was a Japanese-born American actor, known for his minor roles in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

films.

Biography

Born in

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, Komai had small parts in over 50 films from the 1920s until the mid 1960s. In his early films, Tetsu, who was usually called on to play Chinese characters, was often described with derogatory terms such as "

Chinaman ''Chinaman'' () is an offensive term referring to a Chinese man or person, or widely a person native to geographical East Asia or of perceived East Asian ethnicity. The term is noted as having pejorative overtones by modern dictionaries. Its ...

,". He played the

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

in many of his films. Komai emigrated to the United States in December 1907, arriving at the Port of Seattle; he lived in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

for several years after this initial immigration. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, following the signing of

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, 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 fo ...

, the actor, his wife, and their children were interned with groups of other Japanese-Americans and Japanese resident aliens at the Gila River War Relocation Center in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

from August 27, 1942 to November 3, 1945.''Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II''; ''U.S., Final Accountability Rosters of Evacuees at Relocation Centers, 1942-1946''. He died on 10 August 1970 at the age of 76 in

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 census. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the ...

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Partial filmography

* ''

The Unchastened Woman ''The Unchastened Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film starring vamp Theda Bara, directed by James Young, the former husband of Clara Kimball Young, and released by start-up studio Chadwick Pictures. The film is based on a 1915 Bro ...

'' (1925) * '' Old Ironsides'' (1926) - Pirate (uncredited) * '' Tell It to the Marines'' (1926) - Hangchow Leader (uncredited) * '' Shanghai Bound'' (1927) - Scarface * '' Streets of Shanghai'' (1927) - Chang Ho * ''

Detectives A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

'' (1928) - Chin Lee * '' Moran of the Marines'' (1928) - Sun Yat * '' The Woman from Moscow'' (1928) - Groom * '' Manchu Love'' (1929) * '' Chinatown Nights'' (1929) - Woo Chung (uncredited) * ''

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who ...

'' (1929) - Chong * '' Welcome Danger'' (1929) - Florist Henchman (uncredited) * '' New York Nights'' (1929) - Waiter (uncredited) * ''

King of Jazz King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

'' (1930) - Emcee, Japanese Version * '' The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1930) - Chang (uncredited) * '' The Sea Wolf'' (1930) - Igo, Waiter in Honky Tonk (uncredited) * '' East Is West'' (1930) - Hop Toy * ''Oriente es Occidente'' (1930) - Hop Toy * ''

The Criminal Code ''The Criminal Code'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code Romance film, romantic Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, base ...

'' (1930) - Convict (uncredited) * ''La mujer X'' (1931) - Bit Role (uncredited) * '' East of Borneo'' (1931) - Hrang the Raftsman (uncredited) * '' Daughter of the Dragon'' (1931) - Lao (uncredited) * ''

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

'' (1931) - Sergeant * '' She Wanted a Millionaire'' (1932) - Charlie * '' Border Devils'' (1932) - The General * '' Radio Patrol'' (1932) - Valet (uncredited) * '' The Texas Bad Man'' (1932) - Yat Gow * ''

Roar of the Dragon ''Roar of the Dragon'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Howard Estabrook and released on July 8, 1932. The film stars Richard Dix, Gwili Andre, Edward Everett Horton, Arline Judge, and Za ...

'' (1932) - Messenger on Horseback (uncredited) * ''

War Correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

'' (1932) - Fang * ''

The Mask of Fu Manchu ''The Mask of Fu Manchu'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code film directed by Charles Brabin. Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard (playwright), John Willard, it was based on the List of works by Sax Rohmer, 1 ...

'' (1932) - Swordsman (uncredited) * '' The Secrets of Wu Sin'' (1932) - Wu Sin * ''

The Bitter Tea of General Yen ''The Bitter Tea of General Yen'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama (film and television), drama war film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, and featuring Nils Asther and Walter Connolly. Based on the 193 ...

'' (1932) - General Yen's Messenger (uncredited) * '' Island of Lost Souls'' (1932) - M'ling * ''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 Detective fiction, detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would go on to become one of the most well-known detective ...

'' (1933) - Ah Yet (uncredited) * ''

White Woman ''White Woman'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama film directed by Stuart Walker (director), Stuart Walker and starring Carole Lombard, Charles Laughton, and Charles Bickford.''The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Film ...

'' (1933) - Chisholm Servant (uncredited) * '' Four Frightened People'' (1934) - Native Chief * '' Now and Forever'' (1934) - Mr. Ling, Hotel Manager * '' The Oil Raider'' (1934) - Chinese Cook (uncredited) * '' Oil for the Lamps of China'' (1935) - Ho * ''

China Seas The China Seas consist of a series of marginal seas in the Western Pacific Ocean, around China. They are the major components signifying the transition from the continent of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.Pinxian Wang, Qianyu Li, Chun-Feng Li, ''Geol ...

'' (1935) - Malay Pirate (uncredited) * '' Without Regret'' (1935) - General Wu Chen (uncredited) * '' Hong Kong Nights'' (1935) - Wong * '' Escape from Devil's Island'' (1935) - Ah Wong (uncredited) * ''

Klondike Annie ''Klondike Annie'' is a 1936 American Western film starring Mae West and Victor McLaglen. The film was co-written by West from her play ''Frisco Kate'', which she wrote in 1921 and a story written by the duo Marion Morgan and George Brendan Do ...

'' (1936) - Lan Fang (uncredited) * '' Roaming Lady'' (1936) - General Fang * '' The Princess Comes Across'' (1936) - Detective Kawati * '' Isle of Fury'' (1936) - Kim Lee * '' History Is Made at Night'' (1937) - SOS Radio Operator (uncredited) * ''

China Passage ''China Passage'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Edmund Hartmann, Edmund L. Hartmann and J. Robert Bren, based on a story by Taylor Caven. RKO Radio Pictures produced the film, which stars Constance ...

'' (1937) - Wong (uncredited) * '' That Man's Here Again'' (1937) - Wong (uncredited) * '' The Singing Marine'' (1937) - Chang * ''

Outlaws of the Orient An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

'' (1937) - Ho-Feng's Man (uncredited) * '' West of Shanghai'' (1937) - General Ma (uncredited) * '' Torchy Blane in Chinatown'' (1939) - Lem Kee (uncredited) * ''

The Real Glory ''The Real Glory'' is a 1939 Samuel Goldwyn Productions adventure film starring Gary Cooper, David Niven, Andrea Leeds and Broderick Crawford released by United Artists in the weeks immediately following Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Based ...

'' (1939) - Alipang * '' The Letter'' (1940) - Head Boy * '' Adventures of Captain Marvel'' (1941, Serial) - Chan Lai h. 4* '' They Met in Bombay'' (1941) - Captain Chang's First Mate (uncredited) * '' Sundown'' (1941) - Kuypens' Shenzi Aide (uncredited) * '' Green Dolphin Street'' (1947) - Chinese Man (uncredited) * ''

Task Force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

'' (1949) - Japanese Representative (uncredited) * '' Tokyo Joe'' (1949) - Lieutenant General 'The Butcher' Takenobu (uncredited) * '' Japanese War Bride'' (1952) - Japanese Servant * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1958) (Season 3 Episode 37: "The Canary Sedan") - Old Bearded Man * '' Tank Battalion'' (1958) - 'Egg Charlie' * ''

'' (1959) (Season 5 Episode 12: "Specialty of the House") - Lum Fong Ho * '' Tokyo After Dark'' (1959) - Father (uncredited) * ''

The Night Walker ''The Night Walker, or The Little Thief'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher and later revised by his younger contemporary James Shirley. It was first published in 1640. Authorship The play enters ...

'' (1964) - Gardener (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Komai, Tetsu 1894 births 1970 deaths People from Kumamoto Japanese male film actors 20th-century Japanese male actors Japanese emigrants to the United States People from Gardena, California Japanese-American internees Japanese people imprisoned in the United States Actors from Kumamoto Prefecture American male actors of Japanese descent