is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is .

Biography

Kobayashi attended

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...

but left before graduating. He became an actor at

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

and made his film debut with "Ueru Tamashii" directed by

Yuzo Kawashima was a Japanese film director, most famous for making tragi-comic films and satires. Career Kawashima was born in Mutsu, Aomori in the Shimokita Peninsula. From his youth, he suffered from a paralysis that affected his right leg and arm. He was ...

in 1956. He solidified his popularity with such films as ''Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite'' (''A Farewell to Southern Tosa'') and starred in the '' Wataridori series'' and "Senpūji" ("Whirlwind Child") film series. Kobayashi, along with Yujiro Ishihara and others, formed the core of Nikkatsu Action's golden age. Kobayashi produced and starred detective tv drama series ''Target Men'' in 1971. In 1972, he left Nikkatsu and signed with Toei film. There he starred in many yakuza films, including

Battles Without Honor and Humanity , also known in the West as ''The Yakuza Papers'', is a Japanese yakuza film series produced by Toei Company. Inspired by a series of magazine articles by journalist Kōichi Iiboshi that are based on memoirs originally written by real-life yaku ...

series. In 1989, Kobayashi made his director debut with ''Haru kuru Oni''.

Marriage

Kobayashi was married to popular singer

Misora Hibari is the debut album of Japanese singer-songwriter Sachiko Kanenobu, released on September 1, 1972 by URC (Underground Record Club) Records. Joni Mitchell, Donovan and Pentangle were among Kanenobu's influences. The songs have been described a ...

in 1962, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later in 1964. He remarried actress

Kyōko Aoyama is a very common feminine Japanese given name. Not to be confused with Kiyoko. Possible writings The final syllable "ko" is typically written with the kanji character for child, 子. It is a common suffix to female names in Japan. The first sy ...

in 1967, and she later died in 2020.

Music

Kobayashi debuted in 1958 with the single ''Onna wo Wasurero''. He sang some of the theme songs from his movies such "Gitā o Motta Wataridori" ("The Guitar-toting Rambler") and "Ginza Maitogai" ("Ginza's Whirlwind Child"), which became hits. In addition to those songs, he also performed the song "Jidōsha Shō Ka" ("Auto Show Song") (which, in 2005, was featured in

Asahi Breweries is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo. In 2019, the group had revenue of JPY 2.1 trillion. Asahi's business portfolio can be segmented as follows: alcoholic beverage business (4 ...

' "Cocktail Partner" commercial) and comical songs like "Koi no Yamanotesen" ("The

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban ...

of Love") and a few songs of the

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ''ryūkōka'' music, p ...

variety, such as "Mukashi no Namae de Dete imasu" ("I'm Going by My Old Name"),"Tsuite kuru kai" ("Will you follow me?") and "Atsuki Kokoroni" in 1986.

Selected filmography

;Films * '' Shori-sha'' (1957) cameo * '' Kawakami Tetsuharu monogatari sebangō 16'' (1957) * ''

Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate is a 1957 Japanese comedy film directed by Yūzō Kawashima with a screenplay by Kawashima, Shōhei Imamura and Keiichi Tanaka. It was voted the fifth best Japanese film of all time in a poll of 140 Japanese critics and filmmakers conducted by ...

'' (1957) * ''

Rusty Knife is a 1958 action Japanese film directed by Toshio Masuda. ''Rusty Knife'' was part of the Nikkatsu film studio's wave of Japanese ''noir'' films, made in order to compete with popular American and French films at the Japanese box office. The fil ...

'' (1958) * '' Young Breasts'' (1958) * '' Zesshō'' (1958) *Wataridori Series ** ''

The Wandering Guitarist is a 1959 Japanese action and yakuza film directed by Buichi Saitō. It stars Akira Kobayashi. The Wandering Guitarist is the first film of Akira Kobayashi and Buichi Saitō's ''Wataridori series''. The film made Akira Kobayashi star and he gain ...

'' (1959) ** ''Kuchibue ga Nagareru Minatomachi'' (1960) ** ''Naked Youth -A Story of Cruelty'' (1960) ** ''Sword and Devotion'' (1960) ** ''The Spook Cottage'' (1960) ** ''The Rambler under the Southern Cross'' (1961) ** ''Ōunabara wo Yuku Wataridori'' (1961) ** ''Kitakikōyori Wataridori Kitae Kaeru'' (1962) * ''

Kanto Wanderer is a 1963 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Akira Kobayashi, Chieko Matsubara, Daizaburo Hirata and Hiroko Itō. It was a programme picture produced by the Nikkatsu Company to fill out the second half of a double bil ...

'' (1963) * ''

Our Blood Will Not Forgive is a 1964 Japanese film by the noted filmmaker Seijun Suzuki. It stars Akira Kobayashi and Hideki Takahashi as two brothers who seek revenge on the yakuza for the death of their father. Cast * Akira Kobayashi as Ryōta Asari * Hideki Takahashi a ...

'' (1964) * ''

The Flower and the Angry Waves is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki. Synopsis A young yakuza in love with the girl who's to marry his clan ''oyabun'', kidnaps the girl before fleeing with her. In Tokyo, he hides under the identity of a worker while the young woman ...

'' (1964) * ''

Black Tight Killers , literally - "If you touch me, danger" is a 1966 Japanese film directed by Yasuharu Hasebe and based on the novel by Michio Tsuzuki. Synopsis Daisuke Honda, a war photographer in Vietnam, meets Yuriko Sawanouchi, a stewardess on his plane bac ...

'' (1966) * ''

Retaliation Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

'' (1968) * ''Zoro Me no San Kyōdai'' (1972) * '' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War'' (1973) * '' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics'' (1974) * ''

Bannai Tarao is the name of a set of Japanese mysteries (the first, , being made in 1946), featuring a detective of the same name who could take on seven different faces, in similar fashion to the protagonists of later series '' 7-Color Mask'', '' Rainbowman ...

'' (1978) * '' Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode'' (1974) * ''Conquest'' (1982) * ''Haru kuru oni '' (1989) (Directed) * ''Shura noDensetsu'' (1992) * ''Don he no Michi'' (2003) ;Television * ''Target Men'' (1971) * ''Tabigarasu Jiken Cho'' (1980) * ''Gennosuke Yonaishicho'' (1981) * ''Ryūkyū no Kaze'' (1993) * ''Netafurishiteiru Otokotachi'' (1995)

Golf

He is a professional golf player. He belongs to the

International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS, also known as ISPS Handa) is a Japanese non-profit organization known for its sponsorship of golf tournaments worldwide, including the PGA Seniors Championship and LPGA Women's Australian Open. ISPS Handa is a member of the Tokyo Sports ...

References

External links

Official website
* * * 1938 births Living people Japanese male actors Japanese male singers Musicians from Setagaya Meiji University alumni {{Japan-actor-stub