Chris Tashima
Born: 1960-03-24 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Known For: Acting
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."
Filmography
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
- Under the Blood-Red Sun as Papa Nakaji
2013
- Real Playing Game as Mr. Chan
2012
- Lil Tokyo Reporter as Sei Fujii
- Model Minority as Ken Tanaka
2009
- Half Kenneth as Masamichi
2006
- Americanese as Raymond Ding
2003
- Day of Independence as The Umpire
2002
- The Shield as Chris Yamamoto (scenes deleted)
- Barrier Device as Actor in Diamond Jeweler Commercial (uncredited)
1999
- Independent Lens ... (Director)
1998
- Lani Loa: The Passage as Bong
1997
- Visas and Virtue as Chiune 'Sempo' Sugihara
- Vital Signs as Surgeon
- Strawberry Fields as Mark
1995
- Requiem as Philip
1991
- The Perfect Weapon as Bag Man
1988
- Unsolved Mysteries as Stunt Coordinator (segment "Brandon Lee")
- Fun House ... (Carpenter)
- Liberace: Behind the Music ... (Carpenter)
- Barry Manilow: Big Fun on Swing Street ... (Carpenter)
1987
- Lethal Weapon as Fire Rescue Attendant (uncredited)
- Good Morning, Vietnam ... (Carpenter)
- Overkill as Nagumo Jr.
- Near Dark ... (Carpenter)
1986
- The Karate Kid Part II as The Rockabilly Club Dancer (uncredited)
- Pee-wee's Playhouse ... (Carpenter)
- Night of the Creeps as Extra (uncredited)
1985
- Once Bitten as Dream Sequence Extra (uncredited)
- Killzone as Crawford's Men
- Moving Violations as Parade Extra (uncredited)
- Savage Dawn as Extra (uncredited)
- The Sure Thing as Frat Guy at Punch Bowl (uncredited)
- Not My Kid as Student (uncredited)
- Sara as Concert Goer (uncredited)
- Generation as Gang Extra (uncredited)
- The Mechanical Universe as Freefall Rider (segment "Magic Mountain")
- Scandal Sheet as (uncredited)
- The Hour of the Ox as James
1984
- Highway to Heaven as Camper's Dad (uncredited)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street as Boy in Nancy's English Class (uncredited)
- 1st & Ten as Reporter (uncredited)
- Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo as Club Patron (uncredited)
1982
- St. Elsewhere as Technician (uncredited)
1981
- The Fall Guy as Bar Patron (uncredited)
1979
- Investigation of Fear ... (Writer)