Chris Tashima

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1960-03-24 (64 years old)

Place of Birth Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Chris Tashima

Biography

Chris Tashima is an award-winning American actor and director. He has starred in numerous independent feature films, most notably as the romantic lead opposite Joan Chen, Allison Sie, Kelly Hu and Autumn Reeser, in Eric Byler's Americanese which won a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble Cast at SXSW. He was awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role, at the inaugural Love International Film Festival, for his portrayal of Papa Nakaji in Tim Savage's World War II family drama Under the Blood Red Sun produced by Dana Satler Hankins. He portrayed real-life educator/activist Shigeo Yoshida in the 442nd RCT origin story Go For Broke from producer/screenwriter Stacey Hayashi. Most recently, he played the hard-nosed Uncle Bob in the generational family comedy No No Girl from writer/director Paul Daisuke Goodman--for which he received two nominations at the Austin Revolution Film Festival, and he plays Hiro in Brian M. Tang's action/fantasy short Kodama, receiving its world premiere at SXSW 2023. Tashima received an Academy Award® for directing the dramatic short film Visas and Virtue, a re-telling of the heroic actions of Holocaust rescuer Chiune Sugihara. In addition he co-wrote the screenplay adapting a one-act play by Tim Toyama, and starred as the Humanitarian diplomat Sugihara. He also directed, co-wrote and starred in the WWII Japanese American internment short film Day of Independence which was nominated for a NATAS Northern California Area Emmy®. These two directorial works came from Tashima's own Cedar Grove Productions, an indie entertainment house aiming to "Boldly defy mainstream Hollywood by giving Asian Americans the close-up onscreen."

Known For

Actor

2023
Kodama

as Hiro

2022
No No Girl

as Uncle Bob

2018
Surviving Theater 9

as Professor Cambro

2017
Go for Broke

as Shigeo Yoshida

2014
2013
Real Playing Game

as Mr. Chan

2012
Lil Tokyo Reporter

as Sei Fujii

2012
Model Minority

as Ken Tanaka

2009
Half Kenneth

as Masamichi

2006
Americanese

as Raymond Ding

2003
Day of Independence

as The Umpire

1997
Visas and Virtue

as Chiune 'Sempo' Sugihara

1997
1995
Requiem

as Philip

1991
1987
Overkill

as Nagumo Jr.

1987
Lethal Weapon

as Fire Rescue Attendant (uncredited)

1986
The Karate Kid Part II

as The Rockabilly Club Dancer (uncredited)

1985
Killzone

as Crawford's Men

1985
1984
A Nightmare on Elm Street

as Kid (uncredited)

Director

2003
1997
Visas and Virtue

as Director

1979

Writer

2003
Day of Independence

as Co-Writer

1997
Visas and Virtue

as Co-Writer

1979

Crew

1987
Near Dark

as Carpenter

1979
Investigation of Fear

as Cinematography

Producer

1979

Editor

1979