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Keiju Kobayashi

Acting Born Nov 23, 1923 Gunma, Japan 24 credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Keiju Kobayashi (23 November 1923–16 September 2010) was a Japanese actor. Born in Gunma Prefecture, he began acting at the Nikkatsu studio after dropping out of Nihon University and made his film debut in 1942. In a career that spanned 65 years, he appeared in over 250 films, most famously in the "Company President" (Shachō) comedy films made at Toho, where he worked alongside Hisaya Morishige, Daisuke Kato, Norihei Miki, and others. There he helped define the popular image of the postwar salaryman. He also won many awards for his acting, including best actor awards at the Mainichi Film Awards for The Naked General in 1958 (where he played Kiyoshi Yamashita), for Kuroi gashū in 1960, and for The Elegant Life of Mr Everyman in 1963. Kobayashi appeared in films made by such notable directors as Akira Kurosawa, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and Kihachi Okamoto. He continued to give powerful performances after largely moving to television in the late 1960s.

He died on 16 September 2010 of heart failure at the age of 86.

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Known for

Film

Whisper of the Heart

as Shiro Nishi (voice)
Film

Sanjuro

as The Spy
Film

The Return of Godzilla

as Prime Minister Seiki Mitamura
Film

Godzilla 1985

as Prime Minister Mitamura

Bad Monkey

as General Ushijima

Full filmography

  • Whisper of the Heart (1995) as Shiro Nishi (voice)
  • Karin (1993) as 小森弥之助
  • Tuesday Suspense Theater (1981)
  • Submersion of Japan (1974) as Dr. Yusuke Tadokoro
  • Wind, Clouds, and Rainbow (1976) as Taira no Yoshimasa
  • Sanjuro (1962) as The Spy
  • Pieces of Autumn (1973)
  • The Return of Godzilla (1984) as Prime Minister Seiki Mitamura
  • Waves of Spring (1985)
  • Godzilla 1985 (1985) as Prime Minister Mitamura
  • Chûshingura (1962) as Awajinokami Wakisake
  • Japan's Longest Day (1967) as Chamberlain Yoshihiro Tokugawa
  • The Battle of Okinawa (1971) as General Ushijima
  • 松田聖子のはじめての情事 (1983)
  • The Imperial Navy (1981) as Isoroku Yamamoto
  • Japan Sinks (1974) as 田所雄介博士
  • Samurai Assassin (1965) as Einosuke Kurihara
  • The End of Summer (1961) as Hisao
  • Submersion of Japan (1973) as Dr. Tadokoro
  • A Taxing Woman (1987) as Ryoko's Boss
  • Elephant from "Zoo Story" (1957) as Head of Animal Care Division, Higashi
  • Repast (1951) as Shinzo Murata
  • Ken (1964) as Eri Itami
  • Mount Hakkoda (1977)