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

• 2023Kodama — Hiro
• 2022No No Girl — Uncle Bob
• 2018Surviving Theater 9 — Professor Cambro
• 2017Go for Broke — Shigeo Yoshida
• 2014Under the Blood-Red Sun — Papa Nakaji
• 2013Real Playing Game — Mr. Chan
• 2012Lil Tokyo Reporter — Sei Fujii
• 2012Model Minority — Ken Tanaka
• 2009Half Kenneth — Masamichi
• 2006Americanese — Raymond Ding
• 2003Day of Independence — The Umpire, Co-Writer, Director
• 2002Barrier Device — Actor in Diamond Jeweler Commercial (uncredited)
• The Shield — Chris Yamamoto (scenes deleted)
• Independent Lens — Director, Writer
• 1998Lani Loa: The Passage — Bong
• 1997Strawberry Fields — Mark
• 1997Visas and Virtue — Chiune 'Sempo' Sugihara, Director, Co-Writer
• Vital Signs — Surgeon
• 1995Requiem — Philip
• 1991The Perfect Weapon — Bag Man
• 1988Barry Manilow: Big Fun on Swing Street — Carpenter
• Fun House — Carpenter
• 1988Liberace: Behind the Music — Carpenter
• Unsolved Mysteries — Stunt Coordinator (segment "Brandon Lee")
• 1987Good Morning, Vietnam — Carpenter
• 1987Lethal Weapon — Fire Rescue Attendant (uncredited)
• 1987Near Dark — Carpenter
• 1987Overkill — Nagumo Jr.
• 1986Chisai Samurai — Director
• 1986Night of the Creeps — Extra (uncredited)
• Pee-wee's Playhouse — Carpenter
• 1986The Karate Kid Part II — The Rockabilly Club Dancer (uncredited)
• 1985Generation — Gang Extra (uncredited)
• 1985Killzone — Crawford's Men
• 1985Moving Violations — Parade Extra (uncredited)
• 1985Not My Kid — Student (uncredited)
• 1985Once Bitten — Dream Sequence Extra (uncredited)
• Sara — Concert Goer (uncredited)
• 1985Savage Dawn — Extra (uncredited)
• 1985Scandal Sheet — (uncredited)
• 1985The Hour of the Ox — James
• The Mechanical Universe — Freefall Rider (segment "Magic Mountain")
• 1985The Sure Thing — Frat Guy at Punch Bowl (uncredited)
• 1st & Ten — Reporter (uncredited)
• 1984A Nightmare on Elm Street — Boy in Nancy's English Class (uncredited)
• 1984Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo — Club Patron (uncredited)
• Highway to Heaven — Camper's Dad (uncredited)
• St. Elsewhere — Technician (uncredited)
• The Fall Guy — Bar Patron (uncredited)
• 1979Investigation of Fear — Writer, Cinematography, Producer, Editor, Director

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 2020Searching for Anna May Wong — Self