was a Japanese actor with more than 30 films to his credit. He has also appeared in numerous television shows, especially ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. ''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...

'', in which he specializes in

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

s, and in ''

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

''. In addition, he is a stage and voice actor with prominent roles in narration, dubbing, and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

Career

Mutsumi's film debut was in the 1955 film ''Saranohanano Tōge''. Another early film appearance was in the 1963

Kōji Wakamatsu was a Japanese film director who directed such pink films as and . He also produced Nagisa Ōshima's controversial film '' In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976). He has been called "the most important director to emerge in the pink film genre," an ...

sex film ''Amai Wana'', in which he co-starred with

Tamaki Katori was a Japanese actress best known for her appearances in "pink film" during the 1960s and early 1970s. Katori was the star of ''Flesh Market'' (1962), the first of these softcore pornographic films made in Japan. With over 600 film credits betwee ...

. The 1965 ''Ken Ki'' with ''jidaigeki'' superstar Raizo Ichikawa was a move to the mainstream. Mutsumi had a voice role in the 1966 ''

War of the Gargantuas is a 1966 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Referred by film historian Stuart Galbraith IV as a "quasi–sequel" to '' Frankenstein vs. Baragon'', the film was a Japanese-American co-production; ...

''. Films that received attention outside Japan include ''

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is a 1974 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho–Eizo, it is the 14th film of the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and features ...

'' (1974), ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects ...

'' (1975) and ''

The War in Space ''The War in Space'', released in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction film produced and released by Toho Studios in 1977. Plot In 1988, sightings of UFOs are reported all over America. UN scientist Professor Schmidt heads an investigation ...

'' (1977). He also appeared in the 1992

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

film '' Minbo''. Mutsumi was a frequent guest star on television dramas and he often played villain roles. He has appeared in ''

Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliates from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 ep ...

'', ''

Mighty Jack is a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 on ...

'', ''

Daichūshingura (Dai Chushingura) is a Japanese television dramatization of the events of the Forty-seven Ronin. The first episode aired on January 5, 1971, and the 52nd and final episode appeared on December 28 of the same year. The NET network broadcast it in t ...

'', ''

Ōedo Sōsamō and are long-running prime time television ''jidaigeki'' programs that originally aired from 1970 to 1992. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo (Tokyo 12 Channel). The title literally translates as " Oedo Dragnet" ("New Oedo Dragnet" for the seco ...

'', ''

Fireman A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

'', ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It was serialized in Futabasha's manga magazine '' Weekly Manga Action'' from September 1970 to April 1976, with its chapters collected in 28 ' volumes. ...

'', ''

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 ' ...

'', ''

Ultraman 80 is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show produced by Tsuburaya Productions which aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System channel from April 2, 1980, to March 25, 1981, lasting a total of 50 episodes. After going off the air in 1981, the network still aired ...

'', ''

Uchuu Keiji Sharivan is a Japanese Tokusatsu television show and the second installment in Toei Company, Toei's Metal Hero Series Metaseries, franchise and aired on TV Asahi from March 4, 1983 to February 24, 1984. It served as a direct sequel to its predecessor, '' ...

'', '' Shadow Warriors'', ''

Ōoka Echizen is a Japanese prime-time television ''jidaigeki'' series. From March 16, 1970 to March 15, 1999, 402 episodes and 15 seasons were broadcast. Also, a two-hour special aired on March 20, 2006, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the '' Nation ...

'', ''

Sanbiki ga Kiru! , also known as ''Three for the Kill!'' or ''The Lethal Three'' is a group of seven television ''jidaigeki'' series broadcast by TV Asahi in Japan. The show aired in the Thursday evening eight o'clock time slot. Characters The title characters are ...

'', and ''

Moeyo Ken is a novel by Japanese author Ryōtarō Shiba. It dramatizes the life of Hijikata Toshizō, a member of the Shinsengumi, active in Japan during the ''bakumatsu'' (the end of the Tokugawa shogunate). The novel was initially serialized from 1 ...

''. Long-running series that he appeared in multiple times include ''

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 ...

'' (5), ''

Tokusatsu Saizensen is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror med ...

'' (5), ''

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-' ...

'' (5), and ''

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 Tokugawa Yoshimune, Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa ''shōgun''. The program s ...

'' (4). Mutsumi was cast in many voice parts. He narrated ''

Mirrorman is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra ...

'', '' Hissatsu Shikakenin'', and '' Shōjo Commando IZUMI''. He dubbed Dr. Richard Kimble, the

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer; March 27, 1931 – February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen a ...

role, in '' The Fugitive''. Mutsumi also voiced Janssen's O'Hara in ''

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury ''O'Hara, U.S. Treasury'' (titled onscreen as ''O'Hara, United States Treasury'') is an American crime drama television series starring David Janssen and broadcast by CBS during the 1971–72 television season. Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited ...

'', and

Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934), also known as Rusty Tamblyn, is an American film and television actor and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor ...

's Dr. Stewart in ''

''. He portrayed Crystal Bowie in the 1982 anime ''

Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

''.

Personal life

Mutsumi was born on September 11, 1934, in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

. A blog post in June 2022 reported that he died on June 5, 2021, at the age of 86.

Filmography

* ''Saranohanano Tōge'' (1955) * ''Amai Wana'' (1963) * '' Red Lion'' (1969) * ''

The Militarists is a 1970 Japanese film directed by Hiromichi Horikawa. Release ''The Militarists'' had a roadshow release in Japan on 11 August 1970 where it was distributed by Toho. It received general release 12 September 1970 in Japan. The film was Toho's ...

'' (1970) * '' Alleycat Rock: Female Boss'' (1970) * ''

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

'' (1971) * ''

'' (TV series, 1971) * ''

'' (TV series, 1973) * ''

'' (1974) * '' Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell'' (1974) * '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity'' (1974) * '' ESPY'' (1974) * ''

'' (1975) * '' New Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Boss's Head'' (1975) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie'' (1982)(Voice) * ''

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

'' (TV series, 1983) * '' Hissatsu Masshigura!'' (TV series, 1986) * ''

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 with the highest viewing rating of 47.8%. The drama was adapted from the novel ...

'' (TV series, 1987) * '' Minbo'' (1992) * '' Flower and Snake 3'' (2010)

References

External links

*
睦五朗
(''Mutsumi Gorō'') at JMDB
Gorō Mutsumi at allcinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutsumi, Goro 1934 births 2021 deaths Japanese male actors Male actors from Kobe