Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa was a Japanese actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. He established himself as a villainous mainstay of the silent era with his appearances in "The Typhoon" (1914) and C.B. DeMille's "The Cheat" (1915). After his appearance in the latter, Hayakawa became the first person of Asian descent to reach star status in Hollywood film (his wife, Tsuri Aoki, also acted in silent films).

After a lengthy stay in Europe, Hayakawa made a US comeback as a character player, earning acclaim and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance as a steely-eyed Japanese officer in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957).