Biography

Sôjin Kamiyama was born on January 30, 1884 in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He was an actor, known for Seven Samurai (1954), The Crimson City (1928) and The Sea Beast (1926). He was married to Ura Mita. He died on July 28, 1954 in Tokyo, Japan.

Sojin (The Chinese Parrot 1927), George Kuwa (The House Without a Key 1926) and the Korean actor E.L. Park (Behind That Curtain 1929) are the only Asian actors to portray the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan on film. Kuwa and Sojin were both Japanese.

This Japanese actor was usually cast in villainous roles in silent films ("Old San Francisco," "The Thief of Baghdad"), but not always: He was only one of two Asian actors to play Charlie Chan. Limited English and a thick accent limited his appearences in U.S. sound films, but he did make an impressive appearence near the end of his life in Kurasawa's "The Seven Samurai."

In addition to his film career, he also performed as a stage magician.

Child: Edward (c. 1909)