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."
2023
as Hiro
2022
as Uncle Bob
2018
as Professor Cambro
2017
as Shigeo Yoshida
2014
as Papa Nakaji
2013
as Mr. Chan
2012
as Sei Fujii
2012
as Ken Tanaka
2009
as Masamichi
2006
as Raymond Ding
2003
as The Umpire
1998
as Bong
1997
as Chiune 'Sempo' Sugihara
1997
as Mark
1995
as Philip
1991
as Bag Man
1987
as Nagumo Jr.
1987
as Fire Rescue Attendant (uncredited)
1986
as The Rockabilly Club Dancer (uncredited)
1985
as Crawford's Men
1985
as James
1984
as Kid (uncredited)