was a Japanese actor. He is most famous for playing villains and appeared in many

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 ...

and detective television dramas as a guest. He was a member of

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

's Roman Gekijo Theatre Company. He died of cerebral infarction on June 24, 2006, at the age of 74.

Biography

Kawai voice type is baritone as a voice actor, he has been active since the early days of ateleco, dubbing

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

in western movies, and playing orthodox roles that are the opposite of the villain image shown in period dramas. in particular,

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

's dubbing was almost exclusively done after he was hired because of its "similar mood". he was also in charge of dubbing

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and '' ...

, who appeared in the western film red sun, when Mifune himself asked him to "do it by all

Personality

In private, he was a very friendly and calm person, not to be seen in Edo period dramas (children who were going to walk in the street shouted "He's a bad officer!" Even if he was called out, he never looked disgusting, and he answered by waving with a smile.) Kawai himself said, "Even if the children didn't know my name, they just looked at my face and said, 'He's a bad officer in a Edo period drama!'" I'm very happy as an actor."

Filmography

Films

* ''

Bushido, Samurai Saga , also titled ''Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai'' and ''Cruel Tale of Bushido'', is a 1963 Japanese drama and jidaigeki film directed by Tadashi Imai. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Golde ...

'' (1963) * ''

The Street Fighter ''The Street Fighter'' (Japanese: ザ • ストリート • ファイター, Hepburn: Za Sutorīto Faitā) is a 1974 Japanese martial arts film produced by Toei Company Ltd., originally released in Japan as . It was released in the US by New L ...

'' (1974) * ''

Sister Street Fighter – Fifth Level Fist (aka ''Lethal Woman: Fifth Level Fist'') is a 1976 Japanese martial arts film and an unofficial sequel of sorts to ''The Return of the Sister Street Fighter''. Plot Kiku is the daughter of kimono manufacturers in Kyoto. Her parents desperately w ...

'' (1976) * ''

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 ...

'' (1978) * ''

The Battle of Port Arthur is a 1980 Japanese war film directed by Toshio Masuda. The Japanese title "Ni hyaku san kochi" means 203 Hill. The film depicts the fiercest battles at 203 Hill in the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905. Cast * Tat ...

'' (1980) * '' The Man in White'' (2003)

Television drama

*''

'' (1971~2003) 55 appearances as a Guest *''

Ronin of the Wilderness is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast between 1972 and 1974. It was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's ''Sanjuro'' and the Western genre. The lead star is Toshiro Mifune. The complete DVD box was released in 2007. Plot ...

'' (1972) episode 12,32,65 Guest starring * ''

Kogarashi Monjirō is the main character and title of a Japanese novel by Saho Sasazawa, probably best known in the televised version broadcast during prime-time in 1972–1973, directed by Kon Ichikawa. In 1993, the drama was made into a film, titled '' Kaettekita ...

'' (1972) episode 8 Guest starring * ''

Nemuri Kyōshirō is a series of jidaigeki novels written by Renzaburō Shibata. The stories were originally serialized beginning in May 1956 in the ''Shūkan Shinchō''. The stories take place during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate and the rules of ...

'' (1972 TV series) episode 13 Guest starring * ''

Hissatsu Shiokinin is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was broadcast in 1973. It is the 2nd in the Hissatsu series. Hissatsu Shiokinin is one of the most popular ''jidaigeki'' dramas in Japan. Plot A group of common merchants in Edo city(Tok ...

'' (1972) episode 14 Guest starring *''

The 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 ...

'' (1973) * ''

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 ...

'' (1973~1976) episode 38,61,220 Guest starring * ''

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 ' ...

'' (1977~82) episode 113,144,199,221,245,296,351 Guest starring * ''

Hissatsu Shiokiya Kagyō is a Japanese television ''jidaigeki'' or period drama that was broadcast in 1975–1976. It is the 6th in the Hissatsu series. Kenji Misumi was hospitalized while directing episode 13 where he later died. Plot Nakamura Mondo retired from profess ...

'' (1975) episode 5 Guest starring * ''

Shin Hissatsu Shiokinin is a Japanese jidaigeki or period television drama. It is the tenth in the Hissatsu series. The drama is a sequel to Hissatsu Shiokinin. Shin Hissatsu Shiokinin is one of the most popular Jidaigeki dramas in Japan. Former professional Baseball p ...

'' (1977) episode 19,32, Guest starring * ''

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 '' ...

'' (1978–2002) 28 appearances as a Guest * ''

Akō Rōshi (1979 TV series) is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in 1979. It is based on Jirō Osaragi's novel of the same title. It depicts the story of the revenge of the forty-seven rōnin of Ako against Lord Kira from Hotta Hayato's poin ...

'' (1979) as Fujii Mataemon

Dubbing

* ''

The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).''Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, page ...

'' – Henry "Shaw" Gondorff (

)

References

External links

* Japanese male film actors Male actors from Kanagawa Prefecture 20th-century Japanese male actors 1932 births 2006 deaths {{Japan-film-actor-stub