is a Japanese

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertainer when he took the gold medal at the audition called "Birth of Comedians". Then, he started garnering roles on Japanese TV. Shows he appeared on include

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

's ''Evil Grandmother'' and

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 terrestri ...

's ''RinRinto''. He performs in ''Life Never Stops'' by himself at GyanGyan Theater in

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

. Furthermore, he has had starring roles in major art-house films, including Ota in the

Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the Be ...

's ''

Yi Yi ''Yi Yi'' () is a 2000 Taiwanese drama film written and directed by Edward Yang centering around the struggles of an engineer named NJ (played by Wu Nien-jen) and three generations of his middle-class Taiwanese family in Taipei. The title in C ...

'', the title character in

Jun Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He was first a director of television commercials before adding filmmaking to his creative activities. His most famous film outside Japan was ''Tony Takitani'', an adaptation of a short story by Har ...

's ''

Tony Takitani is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Jun Ichikawa, based on the short story by Haruki Murakami. Inspiration Haruki Murakami was intrigued by the name Tony Takitani when, at a garage sale on Maui, he found a yellow T-shirt that said, "Tony Takitan ...

'' (an adaptation of the

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

short story), the role of Japanese Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

Aleksandr Sokurov Alexander Nikolayevich Sokurov, PAR (russian: link=no, Александр Николаевич Сокуров; born 14 June 1951) is a Russian filmmaker. His most significant works include a feature film, ''Russian Ark'' (2002), filmed in a s ...

's 2005 film, '' The Sun'' and

Inoue Masashige was an important figure during the early Edo period in Japan. As the Daimyo of Takaoka Domain, he played a role in the persecution and eradication of early Kirishitan, Christians in Japan. He was commissioner for the Dutch East India Company in ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

's ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...

''.

Filmography

Films

* ''

Sorekara is a novel written by Natsume Sōseki in 1909, first published in serial form in the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun''. It was translated into English by Norma Moore Field in 1978. Plot The novel starts off with Daisuke, the protagonist, wa ...

'' (1985), Terao * ''

Sorobanzuku is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita. Awards 8th Yokohama Film Festival *Won: Best Screenplay - Yoshimitsu Morita *Won: Best Actress - Narumi Yasuda is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 8th Yokoh ...

'' (1986), Hanazuki * ''

Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy ''aka'' ''Tora-san, Bluebird of Happiness'' is a 1986 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Etsuko Shihomi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy'' is t ...

'' (1986), Train conductor * '' Tora-san Goes North'' (1987), The doctor * ''

Bu Su is a 1987 Japanese film directed by Jun Ichikawa. It is Ichikawa's first feature film. Awards 9th Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various award ...

'' (1987), Kitazaki * '' Tora-san Plays Daddy'' (1987), Police officer * '' Kaisha monogatari: Memories of You'' (1988), Salesman * ''

Shaso is a 1989 Japanese film directed by Toshio Masuda. Cast *Ken Ogata *Yukiyo Toake * Kōichi Satō *Mariko Fuji *Miyuki Imori *Hideko Yoshida *Yōko Nogiwa *Issey Ogata *Eiichiro Funakoshi *Jun Negami *Hōsei Komatsu *Kazuo Kitamura * Takeshi Kat� ...

'' (1989), Hirofumi Takeshita * '' Tora-san Goes to Vienna'' (1989), Travel agency worker * ''

Tora-san, My Uncle is a 1989 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kumiko Goto as his nephew's love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san, My Uncle'' is the 42nd entry in the popular, long-running ''Ot ...

'' (1989), Old man on the train * '' Future Memories: Last Christmas'' (1992), Mysterious man * ''

'' (2000), Ota * ''

'' (2004), Tony Takitani * '' The Sun'' (2005),

* ''

The Homeless Student is a Japanese autobiographical novel by Hiroshi Tamura. The novel was published Wani Books on August 31, 2007 and is licensed in China by Shanghai Translation Publishing House and in Korea by Cine21. The novel was adapted into a two-volu ...

'' (2008), Ichirō Tamura * '' Library Wars'' (2013), Kurato Tōma * ''Teacher and Stray Cat'' (2015), Kyoichi Morii * ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

'' (2015), Takao Kinoshita * ''

'' (2016),

* ''Magic Kimono'' (2017) (

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n and Japan co production) * ''When Will You Return?'' (2017), Tadashi Ashimura * ''The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan'' (2018), Kazuo Kudō * ''The Manga Master'' (2018),

Kitazawa Rakuten , better known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist and ''nihonga'' artist. He drew many editorial cartoons and comic strips during the years from the late Meiji era through the early Shōwa era. He is considered by many historians to b ...

* '' Sorokin no mita Sakura'' (2019) * ''Hakai no Hi'' (2020) * '' Onoda'' (2021), Yoshimi Taniguchi * '' Deemo: Memorial Keys'' (2022), Nutcracker

Television

* ''

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 ...

'' (1987),

Kokubu Morishige was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku through early Edo period. He was a fifth son of Date Harumune. Morishige, also known by his court title '' Noto no Kami'' 能登守, was the uncle of Date Masamune. He was also the last lord of Matsumori Cas ...

* '' Priceless'' (2012), Shū Zaizen * ''

Smoking Gun The term "smoking gun" is a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act, just short of being caught ''in flagrante delicto''. "Smoking gun" refers to the strongest kind of circumstantial evidence, ...

'' (2014), Shigeru Tasaka * ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (2017), Yutaka Iemori * ''Sakanoue Animal Clinic Story'' (2018), Zenjirō Tokumaru * ''

Manpuku , sometimes romanized as ''Mampuku'', is a Japanese television drama series and the 99th Asadora series, following ''Hanbun, Aoi''. It premiered on 1 October 2018, and concluded on 30 March 2019. The series is based on the lives of Momofuku Andō ...

'' (2018), Kazutaka Gōda * '' Idaten'' (2019),

Hidejirō Nagata , was a politician and cabinet minister in the Empire of Japan, serving as a member of the House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers of the Diet of Japan, twice as a cabinet minister, and also serving twice as mayor of Tokyo. Biography Nagata was ...

* '' Scarlet'' (2019) * ''Yuganda Hamon'' (2019), Kakiuchi * ''Taiyō no Ko'' (2020) * ''

Reach Beyond the Blue Sky is a Japanese historical drama television series starring Ryo Yoshizawa as Shibusawa Eiichi, a Japanese industrialist widely known today as the "father of Japanese capitalism". The series is the 60th NHK taiga drama, premiered on February 14, 2 ...

'' (2021), Minomura Rizaemon * ''Taiga Drama ga Umareta Hi'' (2023) * ''

What Will You Do, Ieyasu? What or WHAT may refer to: * What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb * "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism Film and television * ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava * '' What ...

'' (2023),

Torii Tadayoshi was a Japanese samurai of the mid-Sengoku period. Longtime retainer of Matsudaira Hirotada and later, his son Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Ieyasu was sent to Sunpu Castle to be a hostage to the Imagawa clan, Tadayoshi served alongside Matsudaira Shigeyos ...

Dubbing

* ''

Legend of the Demon Cat ''Legend of the Demon Cat'' () is a 2017 Xianxia fantasy mystery film directed by Chen Kaige, based on the novel ''Śramaṇa Kūkai'' (Japanese: 沙門空海　唐の国にて鬼と宴す) written by Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo, known under the ...

'' (2018), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (

Zhang Luyi Zhang Luyi (born 7 June 1980), also known as Edward Zhang, is a Chinese actor and director. Background and career Zhang first studied film direction at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, before entering Peking University where he obtained ...

)

References

* The Japan Times
"Issey Ogata: Comic chameleon" (6 March 2005)
Retrieved on 11 March 2009.

External links

Official website
* Japanese male actors Living people People from Fukuoka Japanese comedians 1952 births {{Japan-actor-stub