Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa (1886–1973) was a Japanese actor who became one of Hollywood’s first major Asian stars. His silent-film fame, especially for The Cheat (1915), challenged and also reflected racial stereotypes in American cinema.

The Cheat (1915 film): A Cecil B. DeMille silent film starring Hayakawa as a wealthy Japanese man who marks a woman with a branding iron. Hayakawa’s role as Haka Arakau made him an international star and exposed racialized portrayals to controversy.
Cecil B. DeMille: An American film director and producer known for lavish historical epics and early Hollywood features. DeMille directed The Cheat, the film that made Hayakawa a star.
Chiba Prefecture: A Japanese prefecture on the eastern side of Honshu, bordering Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Hayakawa was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1886.
Yellowface: The practice of non-Asian performers using makeup or other devices to portray Asian characters. The Cheat’s casting and characterization belong to a Hollywood tradition that shaped Asian roles.
The Dragon Painter: A 1919 silent drama starring Hayakawa as a Japanese artist who believes his paintings depict dragons. This film gave Hayakawa a leading role in a story centered on Japanese characters and settings.
Marin Sais: An American silent-film actress who appeared in films including The Cheat. Sais played the woman whose debt and branding drive Hayakawa’s role in The Cheat.
University of Chicago: A private research university in Chicago, founded in 1890. Hayakawa studied political science there after arriving in the United States.
Asian American cinema: Films made by or centered on Asian Americans and their experiences in the United States. Hayakawa’s career is an early landmark in the history of Asian American screen representation.
The Bridge on the River Kwai: A 1957 war film in which Hayakawa plays Colonel Saito, a Japanese commander overseeing Allied prisoners. His later career included an acclaimed performance that earned an Academy Award nomination.
Mary Pickford: A Canadian-American silent-film star and producer, widely known as “America’s Sweetheart.” Pickford’s celebrity offers a comparison for the scale of Hayakawa’s early screen fame.

Linked from 1 page