Tetsu Komai

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

April 23, 1894

died

August 10, 1970

place of birth

Kumamoto, Japan

also known as

Tetsuo Komai · 駒井哲

total credits

47 movies

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Tetsu Komai (駒井哲 Komai Tetsu) (April 23, 1894 – August 10, 1970), also known as Tetsuo Komai, was a Japanese-American actor, known for his minor roles in Hollywood films. Born in Kumamoto, Kyushu, Komai had small parts in over 50 films from the 1920s until the mid-1960s. In his early films, Tetsu, who was usually called on to play Chinese characters, was often described with derogatory terms such as "Chinaman,". He played the villain in many of his films.

He immigrated to the United States in December 1907, arriving at the Port of Seattle; he lived in Seattle for several years after this initial immigration. During the Second World War, the actor, his wife, and their children were interned with groups of other Japanese-Americans and Japanese resident aliens at the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona from August 27, 1942 to November 3, 1945.

He died in Gardena, California of congestive heart failure, aged 76. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bette Davis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Known For

Filmography

47 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

The Letter
7.3

The Letter

1940as Head Boy
Island of Lost Souls
6.9

Island of Lost Souls

1932as M`ling
The Night Walker
6.6

The Night Walker

1964as Gardener
Tokyo Joe
6.1

Tokyo Joe

1949as Lt. Gen. 'The Butcher' Takenobu (uncredited)
China Seas
6.2

China Seas

1935as Malay Pirate (uncredited)
Sundown
5.6

Sundown

1941as Kuypens' Shenzi Aide (uncredited)
Adventures of Captain Marvel
6.4

Adventures of Captain Marvel

1941as Chan Lai
The Real Glory
6.3

The Real Glory

1939as Alipang
Old Ironsides
6.4

Old Ironsides

1926as Pirate (uncredited)
The Princess Comes Across
6.3

The Princess Comes Across

1936as Kawati
History Is Made at Night
6.6

History Is Made at Night

1937
Now and Forever
6.8

Now and Forever

1934as Hotel Manager Mr. Ling
East of Borneo
5.8

East of Borneo

1931as Hrang the Raftsman
Isle of Fury
5.5

Isle of Fury

1936as Kim Lee
The Singing Marine
5.3

The Singing Marine

1937as Chang
The Criminal Code
6.1

The Criminal Code

1931as Convict
Japanese War Bride
6.0

Japanese War Bride

1952as Japanese servant
Mr. Wu
5.8

Mr. Wu

1927as Executioner (uncredited)
Four Frightened People
5.9

Four Frightened People

1934as Native Chief
Bulldog Drummond
6.5

Bulldog Drummond

1929as Chong
Klondike Annie
6.3

Klondike Annie

1936
Torchy Blane in Chinatown
7.0

Torchy Blane in Chinatown

1939as Lem Kee (uncredited)
Shanghai Bound
10.0

Shanghai Bound

1927as Scarface
Radio Patrol
10.0

Radio Patrol

1932as Valet (uncredited)
Tell It to the Marines
6.5

Tell It to the Marines

1926as Hangchow Leader
Daughter of the Dragon
5.3

Daughter of the Dragon

1931as Lao (uncredited)
White Woman
5.8

White Woman

1933
Roar of the Dragon
6.5

Roar of the Dragon

1932as Messenger on Horseback
Prestige
7.0

Prestige

1932as Sergeant
Chinatown Nights
4.4

Chinatown Nights

1929as Woo Chung, Riley's principal henchman
The Woman from Moscow
8.0

The Woman from Moscow

1928as Groom
East Is West
5.3

East Is West

1930as Hop Toy
China Passage
6.3

China Passage

1937as Wong (uncredited)
Hong Kong Nights
5.7

Hong Kong Nights

1935as Wong
Oil for the Lamps of China
7.2

Oil for the Lamps of China

1935as Ho
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
5.3

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

1930
Moran of the Marines
7.0

Moran of the Marines

1928as Sun Yat
Roaming Lady
7.0

Roaming Lady

1936as General Fang
Border Devils
6.0

Border Devils

1932as The General
The Sea Wolf
8.0

The Sea Wolf

1930as Igo - Waiter in Honky Tonk (uncredited)
That Man's Here Again
7.0

That Man's Here Again

1937as Wong
The Secrets of Wu Sin
6.5

The Secrets of Wu Sin

1932as Wu Sin
Welcome Danger
5.0

Welcome Danger

1929as Florist Henchman (uncredited)
West of Shanghai
5.8

West of Shanghai

1937as General Mah
Streets of Shanghai
9.0

Streets of Shanghai

1927as Chang Ho
War Correspondent
5.5

War Correspondent

1932as Fang
East is West
10.0

East is West

1930as Hop Toy