was a Japanese actor. The grandchild of

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ...

, who was also the first creator of the Ultraman Series, and the third son of

Hajime Tsuburaya was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and cinematographer. The eldest son of Eiji Tsuburaya, he began his career on the 1954 film, ''Godzilla'' and its sequel, '' Godzilla Raids Again'' as an assistant special effects cinematogr ...

who became the second creator of the Ultraman Series after Eiji Tsuburaya's death on January 25, 1970. He was born in

Setagaya, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. The ward calls itself Setagaya City in English. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orch ...

. He became known to ''

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, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

'' series audiences for playing the leading role in ''

Uchuu Keiji Shaider is a tokusatsu television show that aired from March 2, 1984 to March 8, 1985. It is the last of the "Space Sheriff Series" of the broader Metal Hero Series franchise, the previous two being '' Space Sheriff Gavan'' and ''Space Sheriff Sharivan'' ...

'' (''Space Sheriff Shaider'') as Dai Sawamura/Shaider.

Death

Tsuburaya died of liver cancer on July 24, 2001, due to alcoholism developed through the years. He was 37 years old. His best friends, actors

Hiroshi Watari is a Japanese singer, voice actor, and actor. His birth name is Hiroshi Watanabe. His wife is voice actress . In the past, Watari was signed to 81 Produce, Stunt Japan ( スタントジャパン) and Ayers Rock; he is currently signed with Rough. ...

who played the title role in '' Sharivan'' and '' Spielvan'', and

Kenji Ohba , known professionally as is a prolific Japanese actor and former stuntman best known for his roles in the Super Sentai and Metal Heroes series, especially as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in the 1982 TV series '' Space Sheriff Gavan''. He is the presi ...

, who played the title role in '' Space Sheriff Gavan'', attended his funeral.

Movies

* '' Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars'' * '' Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light''

TV

* ''

'' (1984) *''

Sanada Taiheiki is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast on NHK in 1985–1986. It is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel Sanada Taiheiki. The drama focuses on the history of the Sanada clan during the late Sengoku period. The compl ...

'' (1985–86),

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second son. The birth of Hideyori cr ...

*'' Ultra Seven - The Ground of the Earthlings'' (1994) * ''

Ultraman Tiga is a Japanese tokusatsu TV drama and the twelfth show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, ''Ultraman Tiga'' had aired at 6:00pm and aired between September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997, with a total of 52 episodes with five mo ...

'' (1996) * ''

Ultraman Dyna is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show which aired from 5 September 1997 until 28 August 1998. It is a direct sequel to the previous Ultraman series, '' Ultraman Tiga'' and the 13th entry to the ''Ultra Series''. Plot In the year 2017 (seven years aft ...

'' (1997) * ''

Ultraman Gaia is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show and is the 14th show in the Ultra Series. Featuring Chiaki J. Konaka as series composer and produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS TV), ''Ultraman Gaia'' was aired on JNN TV sta ...

'' (1998)

External links

* 1964 births 2001 deaths Male actors from Tokyo People from Setagaya Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from liver cancer Japanese male film actors Tsuburaya Productions Tsuburaya family {{Japan-film-actor-stub