was a Japanese comedian and film actor, and leader of the comedy group

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

. His nickname was .

Life and career

1931–1962: Childhood and early career

Chōsuke Ikariya was born with the name on November 1, 1931 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. During the war his family moved from their home in

Sumida, Tokyo is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Sumida City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 257,300, and a population density of 18,690 persons per km ...

to the countryside in

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

. There he took up a job as a factory worker as a young man. He also took up playing the double bass, a hint at his performer nature. He got rather good, too, performing in brass bands until he got a regular job with the "Jimmie Tokita & His Mountain Playboys." It was a band that specialised in playing at G.I. bases at the time and had guitarist

Takeshi Terauchi , also known as Terry, was a Japanese instrumental rock guitarist. His preferred guitar was a black Mosrite with a white pickguard. His guitar sound was characterized by frenetic picking, heavy use of tremolo picking and frequent use of his gu ...

. However, during that time in his life he was one of the tallest members of the band, so he stood out. The audience often singled him out for never smiling, picking on him for amusement.

1962–1969: The Drifters

In 1962, Ikariya joined The Drifters, an aspiring pop band that featured comedy routines in its performances of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

music. Members joined and quit the band over the next two years until Ikariya, still persisting, became the leader of the five-member group. The band was able to scrape by though appearing on television afterwards, with Ikariya writing most of the material for the performances. In 1966, The Drifters opened for

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

at the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

Hall in Tokyo, although apparently Ikariya didn't see it as much of an accomplishment as opposed to just another job.

1969–1985: Hachiji dayo, Zenin Shugo

In 1969, a producer from TBS offered Ikariya and his Drifters a regular spot on a weekly show. Ikariya, once again, was skeptical, having learned a lot the hard way. But this program went on to become one of the most popular shows of its time, ''Hachiji dayo, Zenin Shugo!''. Its low-brow humour and slapstick comedy made it popular for children, much to the dismay of parents at the time. After the show was over in 1985, Ikariya virtually left the Drifters and all members went on to pursue their own goals.

Acting career

After appearing in the 1987 Taiga drama ''

Dokuganryu Masamune was a regional ruler of Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful ''daimyō'' in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made al ...

'', he started his acting career in earnest. Ikariya had won the public's adoration by then and played a variety of fatherly roles on television and in movies. His part in the drama ''Odoru Daisōsasen'', which later went on to inspire two movies, though, led him to what was the peak in his career - an Academy Award. In 1990, he appeared in the

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 ...

film ''

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 ...

''. Ikariya won a Japan Academy Award in 1999 for the film ''Odoru Daisōsasen /

Bayside Shakedown is a Japanese police comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was developed by Ryoichi Kimizuka and stars Oda Yūji, Toshirō Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya, Miki Mizuno, and Y ...

''.

Death

Chōsuke Ikariya died on March 20, 2004 at the age of 72 of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

of the

lymph nodes A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that includ ...

Awards and nominations

*In 1999, Chōsuke Ikariya won the

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

of Best Supporting Actor for his performance of ''Heihachiro Waku'' in the movie ''Bayside Shakedown.''

Filmography

Movies

*''Yume wa yoru hiraku'' (1967) - Apache *''Nani wa naku tomo zen'in shûgô!!'' (1967) *''Tenamonya yurei dochu'' (1967) - Doeman Togashi *''Dorifutazu desu yo! Zenshin zenshin matazenshin (1967) *''Dorifutazu desu yo! Totte totte torimakure (1967) *''Dorifutazu desu yo! Bôken bôken mata bôken'' (1968) *''Ii yu dana zenin shûgô!!'' (1969) *''Miyo-chan no tame nara zen'in shûgô!!'' (1969) - Chôkichi *''Dorifutazu desu yo! Zenin totsugeki'' (1969) *''Dorifutazu desu yo! Tokkun tokkun mata tokkun'' (1969) *''Onsen gerira dai shogeki'' (1970) *''Kigeki migimuke hidari!'' (1970) *''Kigeki kinô no teki wa kyô mo teki'' (1971) *''Za.Dorifutazu no kamo da!! Goyo da!!'' (1975) - Chokichi Ikari *''Seigida! Mikatada! Zeninshugo!!'' (1975) - Chotaro ikari *''

'' (1990) - The crying demon *''

My Sons is a 1991 Japanese film directed by Yōji Yamada. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony. Synopsis The children of old-fashioned patriarch of a family in Iwate Province gather to observe the first anniversary of their mo ...

'' (1991) - Jirō Katō *''Nagareita shichinin'' (1997) - Kihachi Mita *'' Odoru daisosasen – The Movie'' (1998) - Heihachiro Waku *''39 keihô dai sanjûkyû jô'' (1999) - Patient *''Go-Con! Japanese Love Culture'' (2000) - Chef *''Kawa no nagare no yō ni'' (2000) - Morishita *''Shiawase kazoku keikaku'' (2000) - Yuko's father *''

Bayside Shakedown 2 is the second film based on the popular Bayside Shakedown TV series, known for its unique and humorous depiction of the Japanese police force while avoiding the conventions that define most police dramas. The movie was released in the summer of ...

'' (2003) - Heihachiro Waku *''My Lover Is a Sniper: The Movie'' (2004) - Gantaro Endoji (final film role)

TV Dramas

*''

'' (1987) -

Oniniwa Yoshinao also known as Oniniwa Sagetsusai was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period who served Date clan. He was deeply trusted by Date Terumune and Date Masamune. Yoshinao at the age of 73, bravely fought to let Masamune go during the Battle of Hi ...

*''

'' (1997, TV Movie) - Heihachiro Waku *''When the Saints Go Marching In'' (1998) *''Yomigaeru kinrō'' (1999) - Mogi *''Black Jack II'' (2000, TV Movie) *''Namida o fuite'' (2000) - Yuichiro Murata *''Shiroi Kage'' (2001) - Yoshizou Ishikura *''Gakkō no sensei'' (2001) - Chochiro asakura *''Psycho Doctor'' (2002) - Famous psychologist *''Anata no tonari ni dare ka iru'' (2003) - Goro Kazuma *''

Good Luck!! is a 2003 Japanese television drama starring Takuya Kimura. The story revolves around an up-and-coming pilot, Hajime Shinkai, and portrays his interactions with others as he progresses along the road to becoming a captain. As is common in many J ...

'' (2003)

References

External links

*
Official Agency Page

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ikariya, Chosuke 1931 births 2004 deaths Deaths from lymphoma Japanese bass guitarists Japanese comedians Comedians from Tokyo Male actors from Tokyo Deaths from cancer in Japan 20th-century Japanese musicians 20th-century bass guitarists 20th-century comedians 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors