Kiyoshi Atsumi
Biography
Kiyoshi Atsumi was born Yasuo Tadokoro on March 10, 1928, in Tokyo, Japan, and died on August 4, 1996. He was a Japanese film and comic actor. Atsumi began his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show theater in Asakusa. Following two years of battling pulmonary tuberculosis, he made his television debut in 1956 and his film debut in 1957. His performance in the 1963 film Dear Mr. Emperor established his reputation as an actor. He became widely known for portraying the hero Tora-jiro Kuruma, also known as Tora-san, starring in the Otoko wa tsurai yo series of films, which translates in English as It is Tough Being a Man, spanning from its original release in 1969 to the 48th film.
Career overview
Kiyoshi Atsumi was born Yasuo Tadokoro on March 10, 1928, in Tokyo, Japan, and became a Japanese film and comic actor. He began his career in 1951 as a comedian working at a strip-show theater located in Asakusa. After battling pulmonary tuberculosis for two years, he made his television debut in 1956 and his film debut in 1957. His career expanded across numerous credits in film and television, earning recognition for his acting and comedic performances.
A significant turning point in his reputation as an actor came in 1963 with his vivid performance of a lovable, innocent man in the film Dear Mr. Emperor, also known as Haikei Tenno-Heika-Sama. He later became widely known for portraying the bumbling hero Tora-jiro Kuruma, universally recognized as Tora-san, in the popular film series Otoko wa tsurai yo, which translates in English to It is Tough Being a Man. As the star of this long-running series, he appeared from the original film in 1969 through the 48th film released in 1995.
Kiyoshi Atsumi passed away on August 4, 1996, in Tokyo at the age of 68. Throughout his life and career, he established an enduring legacy in Japanese cinema, particularly through his association with the Tora-san series and his extensive body of work as a film and television actor.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
123 titles- Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (2019) as Tora-san (archive footage)
- Tora-san's Tropical Fever Special Version (1997) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- Tora-san to the Rescue (1995) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- Tora-san's Easy Advice (1994) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- Tora-san's Matchmaker (1993) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- A Class to Remember (1993) as (cameo)
- Tora-san Makes Excuses (1992) as Tora
- Tora-san Confesses (1991) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- Tora-san Takes a Vacation (1990) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san)
- Tora-san Goes to Vienna (1989) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san, My Uncle (1989) as Torajiro Kuruma
- The Wives of Rokumeikan (1988) as Narrator
- Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial (1988) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Downtown Heroes (1988)
- Tora-san Goes North (1987) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Children on the Island (1987) as Narrator (voice)
- Tora-san Plays Daddy (1987) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies (1986) as Kihachi
- Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy (1986) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san's Island Encounter (1985) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san, the Go-Between (1985) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san's Forbidden Love (1984) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Marriage Counselor Tora-san (1984) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san Goes Religious? (1983) as Kuruma Torajiro
- Tora-san's Song of Love (1983) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san, the Expert (1982) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san (1982) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san's Promise (1981) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san's Love in Osaka (1981) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Foster Daddy, Tora! (1980) as Torajiro Kuruma
- A Distant Cry from Spring (1980) as Kondo
- Tora-san's Tropical Fever (1980) as Tora
- Tora-san's Dream of Spring (1979) as Kuruma Torajiro
- Tora-san, the Matchmaker (1979) as Torajiro
- August Without Emperor (1978) as Kubo
- Talk of the Town Tora-san (1978) as Tora
- Stage-Struck Tora-san (1978)
- The Yellow Handkerchief (1977) as Watanabe Kacho
- Village of Eight Gravestones (1977) as Kosuke Kindaichi
- Tora-san Meets His Lordship (1977)
- Tora-san Plays Cupid (1977) as Torajirō
- 田舎刑事 時間よ、とまれ (1977)
- Tora-san's Pure Love (1976) as Torajiro
- Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset (1976) as Torajiro Kuruma
- The Village (1975)
- Tora-san, the Intellectual (1975) as Torajiro
- Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again (1975) as Tora
- Friendship (1975)
- The Castle of Sand (1974) as Movie Theater Manager
- Tora-san's Lullaby (1974) as Torajiro
- Tora-san's Lovesick (1974) as Torajiro
- Center of Tokyo (1974) as Kinnosuke
- Tora-san's Forget Me Not (1973) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san Loves an Artist (1973)
- Home from the Sea (1972) as Matsushita
- Tora-san's Dear Old Home (1972) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san's Dream-Come-True (1972) as Torajiro Kuruma
- My Voiceless Friends (1972) as Tamiji Nishiyama
- Tora-san's Shattered Romance (1971) as Torajirô Kuruma
- Tora-san's Love Call (1971) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san, the Good Samaritan (1971) as Torajirō Kuruma
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Cook #1 (uncredited)
- おれの義姉さん (1970)
- Live Again Tomorrow (1970) as 木村
- Tora-san's Grand Scheme (1970) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Where Spring Comes Late (1970) as Traveler
- Tora-san's Runaway (1970) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Tora-san, His Tender Love (1970) as Torajiro Kuruma
- Charming Men (1970) as Okera Goro
- Women Can't Be Beaten (1969)
- Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp (1969) as Torajirô Kuruma
- Tora-san's Cherished Mother (1969) as Torajiro Kuruma
- ひばり・橋の花と喧嘩 (1969) as 参竜斉清山
- Big, Big Fellow (1969) as Matsujiro Minamida
- Scrap Collectors (1968)
- It's Tough Being a Man (1968)
- Neon taiheiki (1968)
- The Day the Sun Rose (1968)
- The Man Without a Map (1968) as Tashiro
- New Year Trip (1968)
- 風来忍法帖 八方破れ (1968)
- Age of Japanese Guerrillas (1968)
- It's Tough Being a Man (Television Drama DVD Edit Edition) (1968)
- In Broad Daylight (1968) as Katsuji 'Watakatsu' Watanabe
- Express Train (1967)
- Green Light to Joy (1967) as Yoshitaro Hirai
- Traveling in Party (1967)
- Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (1966) as Minobu no Asakichi
- Ohana han (1966)
- Gamblers' Luck (1966)
- The Song of the Bwana Toshi (1966) as Toshi
- Our Wonderful Years (1966) as Teiji Yoshida
- The Betrayers Out! (1966)
- Izuko e (1966)
- 風来忍法帖 (1965)
- The Honest Fool (1964)
- Dear Mr. Prime Minister (1964) as Kakumaru
- I'm a Bodyguard (1964)
- To Your Majesty, The Emperor 2 (1964) as Zensuke Yamashita
- The Glamorous Ghost (1964) as Hospital Guard
- How to Make Money (1964)
- Attack Squadron (1963)
- To Your Majesty, The Emperor (1963)
- Sing, Young People! (1963) as Driver
- Onna yajikita-tatchi ryokō (1963)
- Escape from Hell (1963) as Ichibei
- Okashina yatsu (1963) as Kashô Sanyûtei
- Nippon no obaachan (1962)
- Good Rascals (1962) as Ushi
- A Country Boss (1962) as Sasaki
- A Carpenter and Children (1962)
- The Ambitious Youth (1962) as Mitsuo Aoi
- Ottamage ningyo monogatari (1962)
- Aitsu bakari ga naze moteru (1962)
- Jirocho' s Days of Youth: Whirlwind on the Tokaido (1962)
- Tōkyō sanosa musume (1962)
- Snow in the South Seas (1961)
- Red Flowers of Hell (1961)
- Aces Wild (1961)
- 腰抜け女兵騒動 (1961)
- Obon, The Moll Dipper (1961)
- Jirocho’s Days of Youth: The Youngest Boss in the Tokai Region (1961)
- 若社長と爆発娘 (1960)
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Kiyoshi Atsumi best known for?
Kiyoshi Atsumi is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Tora-san's Matchmaker (1993), The Yellow Handkerchief (1977), Natalia del Mar (2011), The Castle of Sand (1974).
When and where was Kiyoshi Atsumi born?
Kiyoshi Atsumi was born on March 10, 1928 in Tokyo, Japan. They passed away on August 4, 1996.
How many credits does Kiyoshi Atsumi have?
Kiyoshi Atsumi has accumulated over 123 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1960 to 2019.
What is Kiyoshi Atsumi's background in cinema and television?
Kiyoshi Atsumi was born Yasuo Tadokoro on March 10, 1928, in Tokyo, Japan, and died on August 4, 1996. He was a Japanese film and comic actor. Atsumi began his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show theater in Asakusa. Following two years of battling pulmonary tuberculosis, he made his television debut in 1956 an...
Kiyoshi Atsumi by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Tora-san's Matchmaker (1993) as Torajiro Kuruma(Tora-san) — aged about 65
- The Castle of Sand (1974) as Movie Theater Manager — aged about 46
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Cook #1 (uncredited) — aged about 42
- The Yellow Handkerchief (1977) as Watanabe Kacho — aged about 49
- Attack Squadron (1963) — aged about 35
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