Tomisaburo Wakayama
| Tomisaburo Wakayama | |
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 Wakayama appearing as Ogami Ittō in the Lone Wolf and Cub movie series |
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| Born | Masaru Okumura September 1, 1929 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | April 2, 1992 (aged 62) Kyoto, Japan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1991 |
Tomisaburo Wakayama (若山 富三郎 Wakayama Tomisaburo, September 1, 1929 – April 2, 1992), born Masaru Okumura,[1] was a Japanese actor, best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 17th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies.[1][2]
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[edit] Biography
Wakayama was born on September 1, 1929, in Fukagawa, a district in Tokyo, Japan.[1][3] His father was Tohiji Katsu[2] (or Katsutoji Kineya),[4] a noted kabuki performer and nagauta singer,[1] and the family as a whole were kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu, followed their father in the theater.[1] Wakayama tired of this; at the age of 13, he began to study judo, eventually achieving the rank of 4th dan black belt in the art.[1]
In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months.[2] He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with the troupe was over.[1] Wakayama taught judo until Toho recruited him as a new martial arts star in their jidaigeki movies.[1] He prepared for these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpō, iaidō, kendo, and bōjutsu.[1] All this helped him for roles in the television series The Mute Samurai,[4] the 1975 television series Shokin Kasegi,[4] and his most famous role: Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf.
Wakayama went on to star in many films, performing in a variety of roles. It has been estimated that he appeared in between 250 to 500 films.[4] His only roles in American movies were as a baseball coach in The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978) and as a yakuza boss in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989).[4][5]
Wakayama died of acute heart failure on April 2, 1992, in a hospital in Kyoto.[1][4] He was survived by a son, Kiichiro Wakayama (born c. 1965), also an actor.[6]
[edit] Filmography
Wakayama appeared in the following films, amongst others.
[edit] 1955–1969
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[edit] 1970–1979
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[edit] 1980–1991
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Leous, G. (c. 2003): Tomisaburo Wakayama Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Stout, J. (1981): "Tomisaburo Wakayama: The Anti-Hero of Shogun Assassin." Martial Arts Movies (August), 1(2):26–33.
- ^ Boryokugai: Tomisaburo Wakayama (2010). Retrieved on May 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Asiateca: Tomisaburo Wakayama (August 10, 2007). Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Nash, J. R., & Ross, S. R. (1990): The motion picture guide: 1990 annual – The films of 1989. Evanston, IL: Cinebooks. (ISBN 978-0-9339-9729-5)
- ^ Sankei Sports: 若山騎一郎＆仁美凌、熱愛発覚！交際５年 (Japanese) (March 31, 2010). Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
- ^ Cowie, P., & Elley, D. (1977): World Filmography: 1967 (p. 342). London: Tantivy. (ISBN 978-0-4980-1565-6)
- ^ Hong Kong Cinema: Red Peony Gambler (c. 2006). Retrieved on May 24, 2010.
- ^ Desjardins, C. (2005): Outlaw masters of Japanese film (p. 8). London: Tauris. (ISBN 978-1-8451-1086-4)
- ^ a b Maltin, L. (2005): Leonard Maltin's 2006 movie guide. New York: Plume. (ISBN 978-0-4522-8699-3)
- ^ Palmer, B., Palmer, K., & Meyers, R. (1995): The encyclopedia of martial arts movies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. (ISBN 978-0-8108-3027-1)
- ^ Maltin, L. (2002): Leonard Maltin's 2003 movie & video guide. London: Penguin. (ISBN 978-0-4522-8329-9)
[edit] External links
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