was a Japanese actor. He was born in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In 1951, he signed with Daiei film company. and made his film debut with ''Kamikaze Tokkotai''. Mostly famous later in his career for playing villains, he began acting in the 1950s under the name Shinji Nanbara. He died of a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in Chōfu,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

at age 74.

Selected filmography

Films

*'' Danger Stalks Near'' (1957) – Akama *'' The Human Condition'' (1959) – Gao *'' The Bad Sleep Well'' (1960) – Horiuchi *'' Zero Focus'' (1961) – Kenichi Uhara *''

Love Under the Crucifix is a 1962 Japanese jidaigeki, historical drama film directed by Kinuyo Tanaka, based on Tōkō Kon's novel ''Ogin-sama''. It was the last film Tanaka directed. Plot Set in Azuchi–Momoyama period, late 16th century Japan, the film tells the t ...

'' (1962) - *'' Abashiri Prison'' (1965) – Gonda *''

Branded to Kill is a 1967 Japanese black comedy yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Joe Shishido, Koji Nanbara, Annu Mari and Mariko Ogawa. The story follows contract killer Goro Hanada as he is recruited by a mysterious woman named Misako fo ...

'' (1967) – the Number One Killer *'' Eleven Samurai'' (1967) – Chief Retainer Tatewaki *'' Samurai Banners'' (1969) – Aoki *'' Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman'' (1971) – Kakuzen * Kantō Exile (1971) *'' Wandering Ginza Butterfly'' (1972) – Ōwada * Za Gokiburi - Shimura *'' Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable'' *'' Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance'' (1974) *'' The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf'' (1979) – Isokawa *'' A Taxing Woman's Return'' (1988) – Yoneda *'' Sakura no Sono'' (1990) – Nakamura

Television

*'' Katsu Kaishū (TV series)'' (1974)(Taiga Drama) *'' G-Men '75'' (1977) – Guest, Kimishima *'' Daitsuiseki'' (1978) – Guest’ Genda, Okazaki *'' The Yagyu Conspiracy'' (1978)

Dubbing

*'' Escape from Zahrain'' – Sharif (

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (), was a Russian-born actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'' (19 ...

) *''

Judd, for the Defense ''Judd, for the Defense'' is an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to March 21, 1969. Judd was a shortened surname from Juddinski. Synopsis The show stars Carl Betz, who had pr ...

'' – Clinton Judd (

Carl Betz Carl Lawrence Betz (March 9, 1921 – January 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in a variety of television series, including the CBS soap opera ''Love of Life''; he is best remembered for playing Donn ...

) * ''Sherlock Holmes'' (1984) – Professor Moriarty (

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdo ...

) *'' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' (Movie theater edition) –

Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

*'' Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' (Movie theater edition) – Darth Vader

References

External links

* * 1927 births 2001 deaths Male actors from Yokohama Japanese male film actors {{Japan-film-actor-stub