Akira Terao

Akira Terao
Born	(1947-05-18) May 18, 1947 Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Occupation(s)	Actor, musician
Years active	1964–present

Akira Terao (寺尾 聰, Terao Akira, born May 18, 1947) is a Japanese musician, singer and movie actor. He is the eldest son of actor Jūkichi Uno. Terao is known for wearing sunglasses and for his expressions of nihilism. Because he has two moles on one cheek, he has the nickname of "hoppe" (ボッペ), meaning "cheek". He attended schools Wako Gakuen, Hosei University Daini Senior High School, and graduated from the vocational school Bunka Gakuin.The promotional agencies to which he has belonged are, in order, Horipro, Ishihara International Productions, Inc., and Terao Ongaku Jimusho (寺尾音楽事務所), literally "Terao Music Offices," his own, personal office. As of 2012, he is the only male actor to have received both the Japan Record Award and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Career

In 1966, he debuted as a bassist of Group Sounds band, The Savage. As an actor, he debuted as Kenichi in Chikadō no taiyō made, a film directed by Kei Kumai in 1968.

As a singer, Terao was known mostly for his 1981 album Reflections (リフレクションズ), which sold more than one and a half million copies in Japan with the hit song "Ruby no Yubiwa" (ルビーの指環).

In 1985, Terao started to work with Akira Kurosawa in Ran. Five years later he appeared as "I" in Kurosawa's Dreams. He has worked with director Takashi Koizumi in After the Rain and The Professor's Beloved Equation. As for dramas, Terao has acted with Kazunari Ninomiya in Yasashii Jikan as well as in the latest Takuya Kimura-helmed drama, Change (spring 2008).

He won the award for best actor at the 47th Blue Ribbon Awards for Half a Confession.

Filmography

Films

• Ran (1985) – Ichimonji Taro Takatora
• Dreams (1990) – "I"
• After the Rain (1999) – Ihei Misawa
• Letter from the Mountain - Amida-do dayori (2002) - Takao Ueda
• Casshern (2004) – Professor Kotaro Azuma
• Half a Confession (2004) – Soichiro Kaji
• Into the Sun (2005) – Matsuda
• Samayou Yaiba (2009) – Shigeki Nagamine

Television

• Daitokai (1972–1979) – He was only in the 3rd season of the show.
• Kunitori Monogatari (1973) – Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Seibu Keisatsu (1979) – Takeshi Matsuda, but prefers to be called 'Rikki' by his colleagues. His character is killed in the line of duty in the 123rd episode of Part I of the show...
• Gunshi Kanbei (2014) – Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Nobunaga Moyu (2016) – Konoe Sakihisa

Personal

Terao was born in Yokohama (Kanagawa prefecture) in Japan, son of the actor and film director Jūkichi Uno. He was married to Bunjaku Han from 1973 to 1974 (ending in divorce).

Honours

• Medal with Purple Ribbon (2008)