(24 October 1931 – 14 March 2014) was a Japanese actor who worked on stage, film, and television from the 1950s to the 2010s. Ken Utsui

Career and death

Born 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 ...

, Utsui entered the Haiyūza theatre troupe in 1952 and was soon selected to star in the film ''Seishun no izumi'' that was produced by Haiyūza. In 1954, he signed a contract with

Shintoho was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big six film studios (which also included Daiei, Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Toei Company, and Toho) during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Toho company fol ...

and starred in 60 films, including the

Super Giant is a Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced between 1957 and 1959 by Shintoho (the non-union branch of Toho). He is also known in Japan as , is known in The United States as ...

series. He moved to

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing ...

in 1963 and starred in another 52 films. From the mid-1960s, he also began to work on television, starring in many television dramas, especially detective series like ''The Guardman'' and ''Sasurai keiji junjōhen'' and some installments of the ''Akai'' series with

Momoe Yamaguchi , known by her maiden name , is a Japanese former singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. Often simply referred to by her given name "Momoe," Yamaguchi is one of the most successful singers in Japanese music, releasing 32 ...

. He died on 14 March 2014 from

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

at the age of 82.Japanese actor Ken Utsui dies at 82

Selected filmography

Film

* '' Ningen gyorai kaiten'' (人間魚雷回天 Ningen gyorai kaiten) (1955) * ''

Revenge of the Pearl Queen is a 1956 Japanese thriller film directed by Toshio Shimura and starring Michiko Maeda. This film was one of the earliest Japanese films featuring nudity. Plot Yoshio Kizaki is framed for murder and theft by his corrupt boss Kenji Asamura. When ...

'' (1956) * '' Senun Ajia no joo'' (戦雲アジアの女王) (1957) * ''

Evil Brain from Outer Space ''Evil Brain from Outer Space'' is a 1964 film edited together for American television from films #7, #8 and #9 of the 1957/1958 Japanese Super Giant film series. Synopsis The film concerns Starman's efforts to save the Earth from the follower ...

'' (1964) * ''

Attack from Space ''Attack from Space'' is a 1965 science fiction compilation film produced for American television. It is the third film, following ''Atomic Rulers of the World'' (1 and 2) and '' Invaders from Space'' (3 and 4), to be comprised from the six instal ...

'' (1964) * ''

Invaders from Space ''Invaders from Space'' is a 1964 film edited together for American television from films #3 and #4 of the 1957 Japanese short film series ''Super Giant''. Plot The story involves the superhero Starman who is sent by the Emerald Planet to protect ...

'' (1964) * ''

Atomic Rulers of the World ''Atomic Rulers of the World'' (or just ''Atomic Rulers'') is a 1965 film edited together for American television from films #1 and #2 of the 1957 Japanese short film series '' Super Giant''. Plot The story involves the superhero Starman (Sup ...

'' (1964) *''

Giant Horde Beast Nezura is a 2020 Japanese crowdfunded ''kaiju'' biopic film directed by Hiroto Yokokawa. The film was based on Daiei's unfinished 1964 ''Gamera'' precursor, '' Giant Horde Beast Nezura'' and stars Yukijirō Hotaru as a character based on the presiden ...

'' (1964) * ''

The Bullet Train (also known as ''Super Express 109'') is a 1975 Japanese action thriller film directed by Junya Satō and starring Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, and Ken Utsui. When a Shinkansen ("bullet train") is threatened with a bomb that will explode automa ...

'' (1975) * ''

Saimin Saimin is a noodle soup dish common in the contemporary cuisine of Hawaii. Traditionally consisting of soft wheat egg noodles served in a hot garnished with diced green onions and a thin slice of , modern versions of saimin include additional t ...

'' (催眠) (1999) * '' Blooming Again'' (2004) * ''

Gokusen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kozueko Morimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''You'' from 2000 to 2007, with its chapters collected in fifteen '' wideban'' volumes. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the grand ...

- The Movie'' (2009) (Ryuichiro Kuroda)

Television

*''

Akai Meiro is a Japanese television series starring Ken Utsui, Momoe Yamaguchi, Yūsaku Matsuda, and Ryoko Nakano. It was broadcast from 1974 to 1975 on the TBS channel. It was the first of the "Akai" series of television dramas. Plot Criminal psycholo ...

'' (1974) – adoptive father * ''Akai Unmei'' (1976) – father of Izumi * ''Akai Shisen'' (1980) – carjack victim and pilot * ''

Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...

'' (1988) –

Naoe Kagetsuna (1509–1577) was an officer under the Uesugi clan in historic Japan.

* ''Onna tachi no Hyakuman goku'' (1988) –

Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又� ...

* ''Nobunaga'' (1991) – Hayashi Michikatsu * '' Aoi'' (2000) –

Mōri Terumoto Mōri Terumoto (毛利輝元, January 22, 1553 – June 2, 1625) was a Japanese ''daimyō''. The son of Mōri Takamoto, and grandson and successor of the great warlord Mōri Motonari, he fought against Oda Nobunaga but was eventually overco ...

* ''

'' (2002–2005) – Ryuichiro Kuroda * ''

Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari Wataru is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Wataru can be written using several kanji characters. Here are some examples: *渉, "ford" *渡, "ferry over" *亘, "extend across" *航, "navigate" *和, "harmony" *亙, "extend acro ...

'' (2006-13) - Daikichi Okakura * ''

Tenchijin is a 2009 Japanese super historical drama television series, and the 48th taiga drama of NHK. It aired every Sunday from January 4 to November 22, 2009, spanning 47 episodes.It is an unusual Taiga Drama as the final episode will be broadcast as ...

'' (2009) – Maeda Toshiie

References

External links

* *
Official profile
(in Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Utsui, Ken Japanese male actors 1931 births 2014 deaths People from Tokyo