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James Saito

James Saito

Actor · Born March 6, 1955 (71) · Los Angeles, California, USA

​James Tomio Saito (born March 6, 1955) is an American actor, best known for his physical portrayal of Shredder in the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the character was voiced by David McCharen. Saito also appeared in films including The Devil's Advocate, Home Alone 3, Pearl Harbor, and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. His TV credits include MAS*H, MacGyver, Law & Order, and Sex and the City. Saito has appeared in numerous stage productions, with early career work at the Asian American theatre company East West Players in Los Angeles. On Broadway he has appeared in The King and I, and David Henry Hwang's Golden Child. He won an Obie Award in 2007 for his performance in Julia Cho's Durango at The Public Theater in New York City. He starred as Dr. Chen in the ABC drama Eli Stone.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 6, 1955 (71)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
76 on MovieCove · 97 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 32% in 30 days

What are James Saito's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
34%
Self
32%
Morality
12%
Survival
7%
Society
6%
Power
4%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 10 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 3 of 5 analyzed roles.

Mentor
3 of 5
Ally
1 of 5
Shapeshifter
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Contemplative
8
Hopeful
8
Romantic
6
Warm
6
Other
23

How their films linger

Hopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Saito's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 62 of their 76 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Saito's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

97 credits, 76 with a MovieCove page.

  • Breathe(2024)

    as Man · as The Man

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Company You Keep(2023)

    Show 10 episodes · as Joseph Hill

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Blockbuster(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Simon

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows

  • Love Hard(2021)

    as Bob Lin

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Dash & Lily(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Arthur Mori

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The Christmas Bow(2020)

    as Grandpa Joe

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Algorithm: BLISS(2020)

    as Dr. Stein

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Tigertail(2020)

    as Hank

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Little America(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Modern Love(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Kenji

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Prodigal Son(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dr. Stanley Higa

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Always Be My Maybe(2019)

    as Harry

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Long Shot(2019)

    as Minister Kishido

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • New Amsterdam(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Andrew Nomura

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Paterno(2018)

    as Doctor

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Terror(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · as Wilson Yoshida

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Altered Carbon(2018)

    Show 5 episodes · as Tanaseda Hideki

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Deuce(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · as Kim

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Wilson(2017)

    as Warren Kudo

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Iron Fist(2017)

    Show 1 episode · as Yü-Ti

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • The Sea of Trees(2015)

    as Dr. Takahashi

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • While We're Young(2014)

    as Dr. Nagato

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Big Eyes(2014)

    as Judge

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Madam Secretary(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Shimbakura

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Broad City(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Trang

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • From the Rough(2011)

    as Won-Sik

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • House of Cards(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Krebs

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Life of Pi(2012)

    as Older Insurance Investigator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Elementary(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Ken Fukata

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Too Big to Fail(2011)

    as Chinese Official

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Person of Interest(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Glen

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Blue Bloods(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Dennis Eng

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Hawaii Five-0(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as David Toriyama

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Eli Stone(2008)

    Show 26 episodes · as Frank Chen

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Heroes and Villains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • I Think I Love My Wife(2007)

    as Mr. Yuni

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • 30 Rock(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Chef

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Brother's Shadow(2006)

    as Line Boss

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Unit(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Chu

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Starved (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Captain Wong

  • Grey's Anatomy(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Herschel Katano

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Love the Hard Way(2001)

    as Akiri

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Robot Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Roy

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Miyazaki

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Pearl Harbor(2001)

    as Japanese Aide #1

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Atlantis Conspiracy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Police Captain

  • Third Watch(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Sgt. Yee

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Judge Henry Suzuki

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • The Thomas Crown Affair(1999)

    as Paul Cheng

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Strangers with Candy(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Drug Tester

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Henry Fool(1997)

    as Mr. Deng

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sex and the City(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Korean Man

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Home Alone 3(1997)

    as Chinese Mob Boss

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Advocate(1997)

    as Takaori Osumi

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Tomorrow Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Dr. Lorechi

  • Die Hard with a Vengeance(1995)

    as Korean Proprietor

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Hunted(1995)

    as Nemura

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Star Trek: Voyager(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Nogami

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Gargoyles(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Taro (voice)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • New York Undercover(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Chang

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Silent Cries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Japanese Soldier

  • To Be the Best (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · as Tony Chiu

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Tanaka · as Yoshi Yoshimura

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Counterstrike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as General Loctuck

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1990)

    as The Shredder / Oroko Saki

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • True Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mortal Sins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Park Sung

  • War and Remembrance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Operations Officer (Yamato)

  • C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf(1988)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Blood & Orchids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 2 episodes · as Halehone

  • MacGyver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Ming

  • Covenant(1985)

    as Cabbie

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • A Woman of Substance(1984)

    Show as Tony Chiu

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Crazy like a Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Chinese Henchman

  • Charles in Charge(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Chinese Food Delivery Man

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Howie Wong · as Ma Sek

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Airwolf(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Tim Shimizu

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Hot Dog... The Movie(1984)

    as Kendo Yamamoto

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Girls of the White Orchid(1983)

    as Officer #1

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The A-Team(1983)

    Show 1 episode · as Kwai Li

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Tales of the Gold Monkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Renegades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Khan

  • T.J. Hooker(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Lab Technician

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • The Fall Guy(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • The Two Lives of Carol Letner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Professor

  • Beyond the Next Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Actor

  • Hill Street Blues(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Bosom Buddies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb(1980)

    as Lt. Tatsuo Yamato

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story(1980)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Knots Landing(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · as Reporter

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Hart to Hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Incredible Hulk(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Farewell to Manzanar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Richard Wakatsuki

  • M*A*S*H(1972)

    Show 2 episodes · as Park · as South Korean · as South Korean (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • The Waltons(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 97 titles from 1972 to 2024; peak year 2020.

Biggest box office

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

$124M worldwide

Highest rated

Henry Fool (1997)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

Eli Stone (2008)

Film career

19722024

Peak 2020 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting97 of 97: 97 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74th

By decade

1970s6 · acting1980s26 · acting1990s19 · acting2000s13 · acting2010s24 · acting2020s9 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 19 roles
849919

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do James Saito's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 76 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up37
  • 50th to 74th21
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th11

Shape of the crowd

42 of their 76 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved14
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser42
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980)

97th percentile spread · 64% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Life of Pi (2012)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Saito's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles2–39 · median 20 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles4–70 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles37–52 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles31–55 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles4–41 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James Saito work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Saito's MovieCove titles; Brendan Ferguson shares the most, 3.