is a Japanese musician, singer and movie actor. As of 2012, he is the only male actor to have received both the

Japan Record Award is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...

and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Early life

Terao was born in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

(

Kanagawa prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

) in Japan, son of the actor and film director

Jūkichi Uno (real name ; 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese actor. In 1950, he formed the with Osamu Takizawa and others. Personal life He is the father of musician Akira Terao. Filmography Honours *Medals of Honor (Japan), Medal wi ...

. He attended schools Wako Gakuen,

Hosei University Daini Senior High School is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of la ...

, and graduated from the vocational school

Bunka Gakuin is a Japanese vocational school. It opened in 1921 as the first co-educational school in Japan. Alumni * Hisae Imai * Takako Irie * Liu Chi-hsiang * Yoko Mizuki * Akiko Santo * Akira Terao *Mitsu Yashima * Guan Zilan Guan Zilan (; January ...

Career

Singing career

In 1966, he debuted as a bassist of a

group sounds , often abbreviated as GS, is a genre of Japanese rock music which became popular in the mid to late 1960s and initiated the fusion of Japanese '' kayōkyoku'' music and Western rock music. Their music production techniques were regarded as playi ...

band called '' The Savage'' (ザ・サベージ). His solo debut album came out in 1970. As a singer, Terao is known mostly for the 1981 hit song and the album it was part of named , which sold 1.6 million copies in Japan.

Acting career

As an actor, he debuted in ''

The Sands of Kurobe is a 1968 Japanese drama film directed by Kei Kumai. It was Japan's submission to the 41st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. Produced by its stars Toshiro Mifune and Yujiro Ish ...

'', a film directed by

Kei Kumai was a Japanese film director from Azumino, Nagano prefecture. After his studies in literature at Shinshu University, he began work as a director's assistant. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for his first film, '' Nihon r ...

in 1968. In 1985, Terao worked under director

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

in ''

Ran Ran, RaN and ran may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa * "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea * '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) * ...

''. Five years later he appeared as "I" in Kurosawa's ''

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

''. He has worked with director

Takashi Koizumi Takashi Koizumi (小泉堯史 ''Koizumi Takashi'') (born November 6, 1944, in Mito) is a Japanese film director. After graduating from Waseda University, he served as an assistant director for Akira Kurosawa for many years. Filmography Awards ...

in '' After the Rain'' and '' The Professor's Beloved Equation''. As for dramas, Terao has acted with

Kazunari Ninomiya , often called , is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor, presenter and radio host. He is a member of the Japanese idol group Arashi. His career began in the entertainment industry after joining the Japanese talent agency Johnny & As ...

in ''Yasashii Jikan'' as well as in the latest

Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...

-helmed drama, ''Change'' (spring 2008). He won the award for best actor at the 47th

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

for ''

Half a Confession is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony. Summary Respected inspector Soichiro Kaji is imprisoned for killing his wife, Keiko, who, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, r ...

''. The promotional agencies to which he has belonged are

Horipro is a large Japanese talent agency. History It was founded in 1960 as Hori Productions (ホリプロダクション ''Hori Purodakushon'') and changed to its present name in 1990. Horipro has two locations in the United States: Nashville and ...

Ishihara International Productions, Inc. is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Shinobu Ishihara (1879–1963), physician ** Ishihara test, a test to determine colourblindness * Daisuke Ishihara (born 1971), former football player * Fujio Ishihara (born 1933 ...

and his current personal agency ''Terao Music Offices'' (寺尾音楽事務所).

Personal life

He was married to

Bunjaku Han (Chinese: Fàn Wénquè) was a Japanese-speaking Taiwanese people, Taiwanese actress who lived and worked in Japan. Career She was mostly known as a character actress. She became famous playing an unfortunate half-Japanese, half African-America ...

from 1973 to 1974 (ending in divorce). His current wife is Mayumi Hoshino. Terao is known for wearing sunglasses and for his expressions of

nihilism Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by Ivan ...

. Because he has two moles on one cheek, he has the nickname of "hoppe" (ボッペ), meaning "cheek".

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1968) * ''

Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset a.k.a. ''Torasan and the Painter'' and ''Tora-san's Sunset Glow'' is a 1976 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kiwako Taichi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's S ...

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1985) – Ichimonji Taro Takatora * '' Rock yo shizukani nagareyo'' (1988) * ''

'' (1990) – "I" * ''

Madadayo is a 1993 Japanese comedy-drama film. It is the thirtieth and final film to be completed by Akira Kurosawa. It was screened out of competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Lang ...

'' (1993) - Sawamura * '' After the Rain'' (1999) – Ihei Misawa * '' Letters from the Mountains'' (2002) - Takao Ueda * ''

Casshern ''Casshan'', also known in Japan as , is an anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions founder Tatsuo Yoshida in 1973. The ''Casshern'' franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation titled '' Casshan: Robot Hunter'', and a 2004 ...

'' (2004) – Professor Kotaro Azuma * ''

'' (2004) – Soichiro Kaji * '' Into the Sun'' (2005) – Matsuda * '' The Professor's Beloved Equation'' (2006) - the professor * '' The Hovering Blade'' (2009) – Shigeki Nagamine * ''Fragments of the Last Will'' (2022) – old Ken'ichi Yamamoto

Television

* ''

Kunitori Monogatari is a 1973 Japanese television series. It is the eleventh NHK ''taiga'' drama. Plot The series is set in the Sengoku period. Based on Ryōtarō Shiba`s novel of the same name. The story chronicles the lives of Dosan Saito and Nobunaga Oda. Pro ...

'' (1973) –

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

* ''

Daitokai Series 　was a popular prime-time television detective series in Japan, which ran from 1976 to 1979 for a total of 132 episodes and three seasons, each with its own story arc. The lead star was Tetsuya Watari. The drama won popularity and was followed b ...

'' (1976–1979) – He was in only the 1st and 3rd seasons of the show. * ''

Seibu Keisatsu is a television drama series produced by and broadcast on TV Asahi. Plot The series portrays the Western Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division's Sergeant Keisuke Daimon, played by Tetsuya Watari and his subordinates, dubbed the ...

'' (1979) – Takeshi Matsuda, but prefers to be called 'Rikki' by his colleagues. His character is killed in the line of duty in the 123rd episode of Part I of the show. * ''

Taiyō ni Hoero! , literally ''Roar at the Sun!'', was a long-running prime-time television detective series in Japan, which ran from 1972 to 1986 for a total of 718 episodes. The lead star was Yujiro Ishihara. It also helped further the career of actors such a ...

Part2'' (1986) * ''

Gunshi Kanbei is a 2014 Japanese historical drama television series and the 53rd NHK ''taiga'' drama. The series was broadcast from January 5 to December 21, 2014, and ran a total of 50 episodes. The drama depicts the life of Kuroda Kanbei (played by Junichi ...

'' (2014) – Tokugawa Ieyasu * ''Nobunaga Moyu'' (2016) –

Konoe Sakihisa (1536 – June 7, 1612), son of regent Taneie, was a court noble of Japan. His life spanned the Sengoku, Azuchi–Momoyama, and early Edo periods. He served as kampaku-sadaijin and '' daijō-daijin'', rising to the junior first rank. He was ...

* ''Kohaku'' (2017) – Toshio Arai * ''Rikuoh'' (2017) – Haruyuki Iiyama * ''

Shiroi Kyotō is a 1965 novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. It has been adapted into a film in 1966 and then five times as a television series in 1967, 1978, 1990, 2003, and 2019. The 1966 film was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a S ...

'' (2019) – Professor Azuma

Discography

* '' Reflections'' (1981) * ''Atmosphere'' (1983) * ''Standard'' (1987)

Honours

Medal with Purple Ribbon are medals awarded by the Government of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and we ...

(2008) * Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terao, Akira 1947 births Japanese bass guitarists Japanese male singers Living people People from Yokohama Musicians from Kanagawa Prefecture Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Male bass guitarists