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James Hiroyuki Liao

American actor (born 1976)


American actor (born 1976)

FieldValue
nameJames Hiroyuki Liao
birth_date
birth_placeNew York City, New York, U.S.
other_namesJames Liao
James Hirouki Liso
Jay Lee
educationJuilliard School (GrDip)
occupationActor
yearsactive2004–present

James Hirouki Liso Jay Lee James Hiroyuki Liao (born February 6, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Roland Glenn in the Fox crime drama series Prison Break (2008), Jay Lee in the police procedural series Unforgettable (2013–2016), and Albert Nguyen in the HBO tragicomedy crime series Barry (2019–2022).

Liao also portrayed Kenji in the video game Ghost of Tsushima (2020) and General Stephen Mori in the DC Universe (DCU) superhero franchise.

Early life, family and education

Liao was born on February 6, 1976, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, where he was also raised. His father is Taiwanese, and his mother is Japanese.

He attended graduate school at the Juilliard School's drama division, finishing in 2004. He studied at the Marjorie Ballentine Studio, where he befriended Amaury Nolasco (they would later perform together in the TV series Prison Break during its fourth season).

Career

Liao played Roland Glenn in season four of Prison Break. He starred in other television roles, such as 24, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Bones, CSI: Miami and Law & Order. He was a recurring character in the TV series Barry. He also starred with Jennifer Aniston in the feature film Management.

His stage work includes playing Song Liling (Butterfly) in Washington DC's Arena Stage production of M. Butterfly.

In 2025, he played U.S. Secretary of Defense General Stephen Mori in the DCU film Superman, reprising the role in the subsequent second season of Peacemaker.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009ManagementAI
2011Battle: Los AngelesLCpl. Steven Mottola
2012FrankenweenieToshiakiVoice
2013Star Trek Into DarknessU.S.S. Vengeance Bridge Officer
2020Lost GirlsMichael Pak
2021Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe OriginsYasuko
2025SupermanGeneral Stephen Mori

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesSource
2004Law & OrderBobby ItoEpisode: "Gaijin"
CSI: MiamiM.E. AssistantEpisode: "MIA/NYC Nonstop"
2005Law & Order: Trial by JuryADA Eddie PerkinsEpisode: "Truth or Consequences"
2007BonesAssistant CoronerEpisode: "The Man in the Mansion"
2007–2008CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationEric 'Precious Ricky' Hong2 episodes
2008The ShieldLlewellyn WangEpisode: "Game Face"
Prison BreakRoland Glenn7 episodes
201024Devon Rosenthal3 episodes
2011HouseLucaEpisode: "Moving On"
2013–2016UnforgettableJay Lee34 episodes
2016NCISBrandon PierceEpisode: "Radio Silence"
HeartbeatRafe TollefsonEpisode: "Sanctuary"
2017PreacherTeddy GunthEpisode: "Viktor"
2017–2018SEAL TeamDr. Lucien3 episodes
2018Iron FistAlbertEpisode: "The Fury of Iron Fist"
ManifestRobEpisode: "Turbulence"
2019–2022BarryAlbert NguyenRecurring; seasons 2–3
2021Cowboy BebopTanakaEpisode: "Cowboy Gospel"
2022The DropoutEdmond KuMiniseries
2022–2024Blue BloodsLieutenant FlemingRecurring
2023Orphan Black: EchoesPaul DarrosMain role
2024Presumed InnocentHerbert KumagaiRecurring
2025Star Trek: Section 31SanTelevision film
PeacemakerGeneral Stephen MoriEpisode: "Full Nelson"
2026IpponmatsuSeason 2

Direct to Video

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Hard LuckChang

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2020Ghost of TsushimaKenjiEnglish voice and motion capture

References

References

  1. "James Liao in Management".
  2. Marks, Peter. (2004-10-10). "Floating on Air With 'Butterfly'". The Washington Post.
  3. "Theater: M. Butterfly".
  4. Chin, Daniel. (July 14, 2025). "How 'Superman' Sets Up the DCU".
  5. Mateo, Alex. (January 15, 2025). "Live-Action One Piece Season 2 Casts Rigo Sanchez, Yonda Thomas, James Hiroyuki Liao".
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