was a Japanese actor with more than 30 films to his credit. He has also appeared in numerous television shows, especially ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—''Portrait of Hel ...

'', in which he specializes in

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

s, and in ''

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...

''. In addition, he is a stage and voice actor with prominent roles in narration, dubbing, and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Career

Mutsumi's film debut was in the 1955 film ''Saranohanano Tōge''. Another early film appearance was in the 1963

Kōji Wakamatsu was a Japanese film director who directed such ''pinku eiga'' films as and . He also produced Nagisa Ōshima's controversial film ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976). He has been called "the most important director to emerge in the pink film ...

sex film ''Amai Wana'', in which he co-starred with

Tamaki Katori was a Japanese actress best known for her appearances in " pink film" during the 1960s and early 1970s. Katori was the star of ''Flesh Market'' (1962), the first of these softcore pornographic films made in Japan. With over 600 film credits betwe ...

. The 1965 ''Ken Ki'' with ''jidaigeki'' superstar

Raizo Ichikawa Raizo or Raizō is a Japanese-origin masculine given name. It is uncommon as a surname. People with the name or its variants include: * Raizo Ichikawa, Japanese film and kabuki actor * Raizo Matsuno (松野頼三 Matsuno Raizō; 1917 - 2006), Jap ...

was a move to the mainstream. Mutsumi had a voice role in the 1966 ''

War of the Gargantuas is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film was a Japanese-American co-production; i ...

''. Films that received attention outside Japan include ''

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is a 1974 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho–Eizo, it is the 14th film of the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and features ...

'' (1974), ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda (his final film as a director), written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho ...

'' (1975) and ''

The War in Space ''The War in Space'', released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1977. Plot In Autumn of the year 1988, contact with Space Station Terra is lost while sightings of UFOs are being reported ...

'' (1977). He also appeared in the 1992

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

film ''

Minbo is a 1992 Japanese film by filmmaker Juzo Itami. It is also known by the titles ''Minbo: the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion'', ''The Gangster's Moll'' and ''The Anti-Extortion Woman''. The film was widely popular in Japan and a critical succe ...

''. Mutsumi was a frequent guest star on television dramas and he often played villain roles. He has appeared in ''

Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and i ...

'', ''

Mighty Jack was a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 o ...

'', ''

Daichūshingura (Dai Chushingura) is a Japanese television dramatization of the events of the Forty-seven Ronin. The first episode aired on January 5, 1971, and the 52nd and final episode appeared on December 28 of the same year. The NET network broadcast it in th ...

'', ''

Ōedo Sōsamō and are long-running (1970 to 1992) prime time television ''jidaigeki'' programs that originally aired from 1970 to 1992. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo (Tokyo 12 Channel). The title literally translates as "Oedo Dragnet" ("New Oedo Dragnet" ...

'', ''

Fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...

'', ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and is ...

'', ''

G-Men '75 was a long-running prime-time popular television detective series in Japan. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. A sequel, ''G-Men ' ...

'', ''

Ultraman 80 is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show produced by Tsuburaya Productions which aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System channel from April 2, 1980, to March 25, 1981, lasting a total of 50 episodes. After going off the air in 1981, the network still aired ...

'', ''

Uchuu Keiji Sharivan is the second installment in Toei's Metal Hero Series franchise and aired on TV Asahi from March 4, 1983 to February 24, 1984. It served as a direct sequel to its predecessor, '' Space Sheriff Gavan'' and featured many of the same characters. It ...

'', '' Shadow Warriors'', ''

Ōoka Echizen is a prime-time television ''jidaigeki'' in Japan. From March 16, 1970 to March 15, 1999, 402 episodes and 15 seasons were broadcast. Also, a two-hour special aired on March 20, 2006, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the '' National Geki ...

'', ''

Sanbiki ga Kiru! or ''Three for the Kill!'' is a group of seven television ''jidaigeki'' series broadcast by TV Asahi in Japan. The show aired in the Thursday evening eight o'clock time slot. Characters The title characters are three men who wander throughout Ja ...

'', and ''

Moeyo Ken is a novel by Japanese author Ryōtarō Shiba. It dramatizes the life of Hijikata Toshizō, a member of the Shinsengumi, active in Japan during the ''bakumatsu'' (the end of the Tokugawa shogunate). The novel was initially serialized from 1962 ...

''. Long-running series that he appeared in multiple times include ''

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 ...

'' (5), '' Tokusatsu Saizensen'' (5), ''

Mito Kōmon is a Japanese ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running ''jidaigeki'' in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-''sh ...

'' (5), and ''

Abarenbō Shōgun (Abarenbō Shōgun) was a Japanese television program on the TV Asahi network. Set in the eighteenth century, it showed fictitious events in the life of Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa ''shōgun''. The program started in 1978 under the title '' ...

'' (4). Mutsumi was cast in many voice parts. He narrated ''

Mirrorman is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra ...

'', ''

Hissatsu Shikakenin is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was broadcast in 1972–1973. It was the first in the Hissatsu series and is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel ''Shiokinin Fujieda Baian''. Ken Ogata played Fujieda Baian. Episode 1, ...

'', and '' Shōjo Commando IZUMI''. He dubbed Dr. Richard Kimble, the

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...

role, in '' The Fugitive''. Mutsumi also voiced Janssen's O'Hara in ''

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury ''O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'' (on-screen title is ''O'Hara, United States Treasury'') was an American television crime drama starring David Janssen and broadcast by CBS during the 1971-72 television season. Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited packaged the ...

'', and

Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving Tamblyn, also known as Rusty Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor f ...

's Dr. Stewart in ''

''. He portrayed Crystal Bowie in the 1982 anime '' Cobra''.

Personal life

Mutsumi was born on September 11, 1934 in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

. He died on June 5, 2021, at the age of 86. News of his death did not become public until June 2022.

Filmography

* ''Saranohanano Tōge'' (1955) * ''Amai Wana'' (1963) * '' Red Lion'' (1969) * ''

The Militarists is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Hiromichi Horikawa. Release ''The Militarists'' had a Roadshow theatrical release, roadshow release in Japan on 11 August 1970 where it was distributed by Toho. It received general release 12 September 1970 in ...

'' (1970) * '' Alleycat Rock: Female Boss'' (1970) * ''

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

'' (1971) * ''

'' (TV series, 1971) * ''

'' (TV series, 1973) * ''

'' (1974) * '' Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell'' (1974) * '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (1974) * ''

ESPY An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the form ...

'' (1974) * ''

'' (1975) * '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head'' (1975) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie'' (1982)(Voice) * ''

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 ...

'' (TV series, 1983) * ''

Hissatsu Masshigura! is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in 1986. It is the 26th in the Hissatsu series. Inspired by Video game Super Mario Bros. Cast * Kunihiko Mitamura as Hide * Yoko Akino as Keima no Ogin * Shōfukutei Tsurube ...

'' (TV series, 1986) * ''

Dokuganryū Masamune is a 1987 Japanese historical television series. It is the 25th NHK ''taiga'' drama. The broadcast received an average viewer rating of 39.7 percent in the Kanto area. The drama was adapted from the novel of Sōhachi Yamaoka. Plot Toyotomi Hidey ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * ''

'' (1992) * '' Flower and Snake 3'' (2010)

References

External links

*
睦五朗
(''Mutsumi Gorō'') at JMDB
Gorō Mutsumi at allcinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutsumi, Goro 1934 births 2021 deaths Japanese male actors People from Kobe