was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is best known for his voice-over portrayal of

Professor Ochanomizu This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...

in three

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 ...

adaptations of the ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...

'' franchise, and also voiced Dr. Hoshi in ''

Astroganger is a Japanese Super Robot anime series created by Knack Productions. It consisted of 26 episodes and originally aired from October 4, 1972, to March 28, 1973. Plot An alien woman named Maya crash-lands on Earth. Her homeworld was destroyed by ...

'' (1972–1973), Professor Tobishima in ''

Groizer X is an anime series aired from 1976 to 1977. There were 36 episodes. It is also referred to as ''Gloyzer X'' and ''Gloizer X''. Story The Gaira aliens, hidden in the Arctic, plan to conquer Earth. Captured and forced to work for the aliens, ...

'' (1976–1977), and Shin'ichirō Izumi in ''

Tōshō Daimos is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Dōga and animated by Nippon Sunrise, directed by Tadao Nagahama as his last work. It is the third and final installment of the '' Robot Romance Trilogy'', following ''Chōdenji Robo Co ...

'' (1978–1979).

Early life

Hisashi Katsuta was born on 2 April 1927 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 ...

, and was educated at Seigakuin Junior & Senior High School and the Technical Institute for Wireless-Communications (now the

University of Electro-Communications The is a national university in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. It specialises in the disciplines of computer science, the physical sciences, engineering and technology. It was founded in 1918 as the Technical Institute for Wireless-Commun ...

). He had been interested in film and theater since childhood, and he and his elder brother would often see films. He graduated from the Faculty of Theatre in 1949. He became a member of the

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 ...

Drama Club in 1948, and was also a member of the , Mori no Kai, Players Center, Tēbura, Rindō Pro,

Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society The , also known as , is a Sendagaya, Shibuya-based talent management agency and Cooperative, cooperative representing Japanese voice actors. Current members The members of ''Haikyō'', as of this date, are: Male *Wataru Abe *Chō (Yūichi Na ...

, and

Arts Vision , stylized as ARTSVISION, is a Japanese talent agency based in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo that employs many high-profile voice actors. It was founded in 1984 by Sakumi Matsuda. General information Arts Vision was founded by former Tokyo Actor's Con ...

Voice acting career

His voice acting career started in 1948 when he appeared in

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

's 1948 radio adaptation of the

Shi Nai'an Shi Nai'an (, ca. 1296–1372) was a Chinese writer from the Yuan and early Ming periods. ''Shuihu zhuan'' (''Water Margin''), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, is traditionally attributed to him. There are few re ...

novel ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'', and he was contracted to the broadcaster in 1949 before being released in 1954. Katsuta would later become a pioneer in

voice acting in Japan Voice acting in Japan is an industry where actors provide voice-overs as characters or narrators in media including anime, video games, audio dramas, commercials, and dubbing for non-Japanese films and television programs. In Japan, and a ...

. He started dubbing work with the Japanese dub of ''

The Buccaneers ''The Buccaneers'' is the last novel written by Edith Wharton. The story is set in the 1870s, around the time Wharton was a young girl. It was unfinished at the time of her death in 1937 and published in that form in 1938. Wharton's manuscript ...

'', a television drama produced in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1956. He later cited ''

Surfside 6 ''Surfside 6'' is an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recycled ...

'' and ''

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'', both American live-action shows in the 1960s, as two of his most memorable dubbing works. In 1963, he was cast as Dr. Ochanomizu in the anime ''

''. The Ochanomizu character would become Katsuta's own

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

, and he would later reprise his role in both the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

and

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anime adaptations of ''Astro Boy'', as well as the film adaptations ''Hero of Space'' and ''Shinsengumi''. In addition to Dr. Ochanomizu, he also voiced Dr. Hoshi in ''

'', Professor Tobishima in ''

'', and Shin'ichirō Izumi in ''

''. In 1979, Katsuta voiced the fictional depiction of King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

in ''

The Rose of Versailles , also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine '' Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the s ...

'' and a fictional depiction of the Sengoku-era samurai

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

in ''

Manga Sarutobi Sasuke is a 24-episode anime series about the young Sarutobi Sasuke, a legendary ninja. It was first aired from October 9, 1979, to April 29, 1980, on Tokyo 12 Channel (now TV Tokyo), and was later dubbed in several languages. The whole 24-episode ru ...

''. He had minor roles in several anime series, including '' Cat's Eye'', ''

Dororo is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka's childhood memory of his friends pronouncing as ''dororo'' inspired the title of the series. ''Dororo'' was first serialized in Shogakukan's ''W ...

'', ''

Jetter Mars is an anime series directed by Rintaro and written by Osamu Tezuka. Originally planned by Tezuka as a full-color remake of the original anime adaptation of his popular manga series ''Astro Boy'', unfavorable circumstances during the pre-produ ...

'', ''

Katri, Girl of the Meadows is an anime series based on the Finnish novel '' Paimen, piika ja emäntä'' (''The Shepherd, the Servant Girl, and the Hostess'') by Auni Nuolivaara. The series was broadcast originally in Japan in 1984 as part of the children's anthology seri ...

'', ''

Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...

'', ''

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'', ''

Marine Boy ''Marine Boy'' was one of the first color anime cartoons to be shown in a dubbed form in the U.S., and later in Australia and the United Kingdom. It was originally produced in 1965 in Japan as by Minoru Adachi and animation company Japan ...

'', ''

Megazone 23 is a four-part Japanese cyberpunk original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The series debuted in 1985. It ...

'', ''

Musashi no Ken is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Motoka Murakami that focuses on kendo. It was serialized by Shogakukan in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' between April 1981 and October 1985. ''Musashi no Ken'' received the 1984 Shog ...

'', ''

Oishinbo is a long-running Japanese cooking manga series written by and drawn by . The manga's title is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for delicious, ''oishii'', and the word for someone who loves to eat, ''kuishinbo''. The series depicts the ...

'', ''

Perman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist duo Fujiko Fujio about a clumsy boy, Mitsuo Suwa, who is chosen to apprentice to a powerful superhero to save the world along with other superheroes. The manga series ...

'', '' Shin Jungle Taitei: Susume Leo!'', ''

The Monster Kid is a shōnen manga and anime series by Fujiko A. Fujio named after its protagonist. The first series was broadcast on TBS from April 21, 1968 to March 23, 1969. The second series was broadcast on TV Asahi from September 2, 1980 to S ...

'', and ''

Voltes V , popularly known as simply ''Voltes V '' (pronounced as "Voltes Five") is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Dōga and animated by Nippon Sunrise (formerly known as Soeisha). It is the second installment of the '' Robot R ...

''. Katsuta was taught by "veteran voice actors" and felt that he wanted to teach voice actors, and after being a lecturer in several voice acting schools, he started a voice acting class in April 1982, which in April 1987 would later become the , where he would be dean.Profile
of Katsuta Voice Actor Academy He later published a book on voice acting, , and later credited the fact that

has a history as his reason for authoring the book. He also published , an autobiography that feature thirty-two voice actors with a prominent impact on Japanese culture. He was one of three winners of the Synergy Award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards on 7 March 2009.

Death

Katsuta died of senility on 21 February 2020, at the age of 92 in a hospital in

Ōme, Tokyo is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 131,895 in 63,917 households, and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Ō ...

; he was survived by his wife .

Filmography

Animation

;1963 *''

'',

;1965 *''

'', MandiProfile
at GamePlaza~Haruka ;1967 *''

'', Mantarō Suwa ;1968 *', at least sixteen minor characters *', narrator ;1969 *''

'', Shinsuke *''

'', boss, subordinate *'' Ninpū Kamui Gaiden'', Shoya ;1970 *''Bakuhatsu Gorō'', Aozora Gakuen Principal ;1971 *', Sōsaku Suzuki ;1972 *''

'', Dr. Hoshi *', Papa ;1975 *''

Don Chuck Monogatari is a Japanese 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. Howev ...

'' ;1976 *''

3000 Leagues in Search of Mother is a Japanese animated television series directed by Isao Takahata that aired in 1976. It is loosely based on a small part of the Italian novel ''Heart (novel), Heart'' (') created by Edmondo De Amicis, i.e., a monthly tale (''racconto mensi ...

'', Fosco *''

'', Professor Tobishima ;1977 *''

'', Dr. Kawashimo *''

Lupin the Third Part II ''Lupin the 3rd Part II'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment. Part of the Lupin III, ''Lupin III'' franchise, it is the second anime television adaptation of the Lupin III (manga), ''Lupin III'' manga series cre ...

'', Los Angeles Police Station Chief *''

'', General Dange *''

Yakyū-kyō no Uta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. It follows Yūki Mizuhara, a young woman who wants to do veterinary medicine at college but instead she became a baseball player. It was originally serialized in th ...

'', Owner ;1978 *', Edo *''

'', Shin'ichirō Izumi ;1979 *''

'',

*''

'',

*'' Undersea Super Train: Marine Express'', Dr. Narzonkopf ;1980 *''

'',

;1983 *'' Cat's Eye'', Director Takeoka ;1984 *''

'', Elias Lilack *''

Lupin III Part III ''Lupin the 3rd Part III: The Pink Jacket Adventures'', also known simply as is a Japanese anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment. Part of the ''Lupin III'' franchise, it is the third anime television adaptation of the ''Lupin ...

'', Count Goan ;1985 *''

'', Ueda-sensei ;1988 *''

'', Chairman Futaki ;1990 *', Takuwan Taoist ;2003 *''

'',

Film

;1982 *''

: Demon Sword'', President of Akumajuku

Dubbing

*'' ER'', Dr. Jim McNulty (

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' an ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Katsuta, Hisashi 1927 births 2020 deaths Arts Vision voice actors Japanese educators Japanese male voice actors Male voice actors from Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society voice actors University of Electro-Communications alumni