So Yamamura
Biography
So Yamamura (山村聰), born Koga Hirosada on 24 February 1910 in Tenri, Nara, Japan, was a Japanese actor and film director. He graduated from the University of Tokyo and, in 1942, co‑founded the Bunkaza Theatre Company with Isao Yamagata. Over a career spanning from 1947 to 1991, Yamamura appeared in more than 110 films and directed four. In the United States he is noted for portraying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in Tora! Tora! Tora! and Mr. Sakamoto, CEO of Assan Motors, in Gung Ho. He was also known by the name Satoshi Yamamura. Yamamura died on 26 May 2000 at the age of 90.
Career overview
So Yamamura was a Japanese actor who appeared in numerous films between 1947 and 1991. He is known for his extensive filmography, which includes over 110 titles. Yamamura's acting career spanned several decades, during which he worked with various directors and actors in the Japanese film industry.
Yamamura's film career also involved his work as a director, where he directed four films. His experience as an actor likely influenced his approach to directing, allowing him to bring a unique perspective to his projects. As an actor, Yamamura's performances were notable for their authenticity and depth, which helped to establish him as a respected figure in Japanese cinema.
Yamamura's international recognition is partly due to his portrayals of notable Japanese figures, including Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Mr. Sakamoto, the CEO of Assan Motors in Gung Ho. These performances demonstrate Yamamura's ability to bring complex characters to life on screen, showcasing his range as an actor. Throughout his career, Yamamura established himself as a talented and versatile actor, leaving a lasting impact on the Japanese film industry.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
193 titles- Going West: to the West (1997) as Shogo Kawahara
- Tokugawa Ieyasu: The Conqueror of Japan (1992)
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) as Prime Minister
- The Yagyu Code 2: Fifty Blades (1990) as Yagyu Munenori
- Tange Sazen (1990)
- Nemuri Kyōshirō (1989)
- Tokyo Bordello (1987) as Isaburo Okura
- Gung Ho (1986) as Mr. Sakamoto
- The Second Is a Christian (1985) as Nakatsugawa
- Antarctica (1983) as Iwakiri Sencho
- Kanei Command Performance (1983)
- Yagyu Jubei Secret Quest (1982) as Yagyu Munenori
- The Mysterious Gemini • Y&S (1982)
- ザ・ハングマン (1980)
- Yagyu's Secret Quest (1980) as Yagyu Munenori
- Yagyu Abaretabi (1980)
- Shadow Warriors: Hattori Hanzo (1980) as Masayuki Hoshina
- The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978) as Yagyu Munenori
- Pearl (1978) as Admiral Nagumo, commander of Japanese attack force (uncredited)
- Ningen no Shōmei (1978)
- Shag (1978)
- Main Line to Terror (1975)
- Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974) as Prime Minister Kuroki
- Professional Killers – Assignment by Night (1974) as Hanemon(Otowaya)
- Hijo no License (1973) as 矢部
- Tasukenin Hashiru (1973)
- Professional Killers – Assassin's Quarry (1973) as Hanemon(Otowaya)
- Professional Killers (1973) as Hanemon(Otowaya)
- Professional Killers (1972) as Hanemon Otowaya
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972) as Gômune Jindaiyu
- Haru no Sakamichi (1971) as Tokugawa Ieyasu
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
- The Militarists (1970) as Mitsumasa Yonai
- Japan's Longest Day (1967) as Navy Minister Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
- The Retreat from Kiska (1965) as Kawashima
- With Beauty and Sorrow (1965) as Toshio Ôki
- The School of Flesh (1965)
- A Public Benefactor (1964) as Kappei Arima
- The House Where Flowers Bloom (1963)
- Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance (1963) as Mitsuhide
- Ano hito wa ima (1963)
- Gang Loyalty and Vengeance (1963) as Tachibana
- Daybreak Chorus (1963) as Shingo Koide
- At the Side of the Bridge 3 (1963)
- Drunkard's Paradise (1962)
- Their Legacy (1962)
- A Flame at the Pier (1962)
- Glory on the Summit (1962)
- Diary of a Mad Old Man (1962) as Tokusuke Rôjin
- The Inheritance (1962) as Senzô
- Akitsu Hot Springs (1962) as Mikami
- A Roaring Trade (1962)
- The Pacific War and Himeyuri Corps (1962) as Taiwan Army Chief of Staff
- Star of Hong Kong (1962) as Gentaro Sugimoto
- あの空の果てに星はまたたく (1962)
- Musume to watashi (1962)
- Records of loyal vassals (1962)
- Yume de aritai (1962)
- Born in Sin (1962)
- Epitaph to My Love (1961) as Kimura
- An Eagle Eyed Lord (1961)
- The Harbor Lights (1961)
- The Orphan Brother (1961) as Fujiwara No Morozane (voice)
- Hell's Juggler (1961)
- The Last War (1961) as Prime Minister Masaki
- A Geisha's Diary (1961) as Kiyomasa Tsutsui
- Netsuai sha (1961) as Murai
- The Man Who Challenged 8,000,000-Koku (1961) as Councilor Matsudaira Izu
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4 (1961)
- Haitoku no mesu (1961) as Naoyuki Nishizawa
- Samurai Hawk (1961)
- Women of Tokyo (1961) as Shoichi Kagami
- Gonin no totsugeki tai (1961)
- Love's Family Tree (1961)
- The Estuary (1961)
- Life of a Country Doctor (1960)
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2 (1960)
- The Sand City in Manchuria (1960) as Ishigami
- Deep River Melody (1960)
- Deep River Melody (1960) Director
- Police Precinct Part 14 (1960) as Maruyama
- Ninja Assassins (1960)
- 続べらんめぇ芸者 (1960)
- Ryuji, the Gun Slinger (1960)
- Victory and Defeat (1960) as Kimpei Minegishi
- The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) as Okishima
- The Silent Murder (1959)
- Whirlwind Magistrate (1959)
- Hahakogusa (1959) as Mr. Fujiki
- Hahakogusa (1959) Director
- Shingo's Original Challenge, Part 1 and 2 (1959)
- The 47 Masterless Samurai (1959)
- The Bastards of Lawless Town (1959)
- Across the Darkness (1959) as Takazawa
- Hell's Companion (1959)
- Sudden Attack of the Christian Lord (1959)
- Kashima-nada no onna (1959) Director
- Gendai Mushuku (1958) as Nonomiya Shin
- The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) as Governor Tamura
- Little Peach (1958) as Heishiro Hirayama, the father
- Detective Duel (1958)
- Sister with Sister (1958) as Michisuke Nishikata
- With Songs in My Heart (1958)
- The Purple Hood (1958)
- His Pistol is Hell (1958)
- Oban kanketsu hen (1958)
- When It Rains, It Pours (1957)
- First Love Story (1957) as Shohei Ganmaru
- The Chieko Story (1957) as Kotaro Takamura
- Tokyo Twilight (1957) as Seki Sekiguchi
- Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957)
- Night Butterflies (1957) as Ichiro Shirasawa
- Hole in One (1957) as Keikichi Shirasu
- 白磁の人 (1957)
- Jigoku bana (1957)
- Roar and Earth (1957)
- Early Spring (1956) as Yutaka Kawai
- 恐怖の空中殺人 (1956) as 劉元章
- Darkness at Noon (1956) as Yuji
- Tsukigata Hanpeita (1956) as Katsura Kogoro
- Summer in Eclipse (1956) as Kozo Mishima
- Ma no kisetsu: Haru no mizuumi (1956)
- Burden of Love (1955) as Jozaburo Araki
- Princess Yang Kwei-fei (1955) as An Lushan
- Frame of Snow (1955) as Amagiri (Yūko’s grandfather)
- Ghost Story of Youth (1955) as Tetsuya, father of Chiharu
- Striving to Live (1955)
- 美男お小姓 人斬り彦齋 (1955)
- If Indeed One Loves (1955) as Gorô (segment 3)
- Till We Meet Again (1955) as Daisuke Kaji
- A Young Samurai (1955)
- The Doctor (1955)
- The Doctor (1955) Director
- The Doctor (1955) Screenplay
- Seven Masks of Revenge (1955)
- The Black Current (1954)
- The Black Current (1954) Director
- Mama's Diary (1954)
- Autumn Interlude (1954) as Sotaro Fushimi, Setsuko's father
- Love and Duty (1954)
- お月様には悪いけど (1954) as ヤーさん
- Sound of the Mountain (1954) as Ogata Shingo
- 日本敗れず (1954)
- Ditch (1954)
- Karatachi no hana (1954)
- Tokyo Story (1953) as Koichi Hirayama
- An Inlet of Muddy Water (1953)
- The Cannery Boat (1953) as Matsuki
- The Cannery Boat (1953) Screenplay
- The Cannery Boat (1953) Director
- My Wonderful Yellow Car (1953) as The husband
- Miniature (1953) as Wakabayashi
- Ganpeki (1953)
- Murahachibu (1953)
- Gunrō no machi (1952)
- Modern People (1952)
- Oka wa hanazakari (1952)
- A Meeting of Youths (1952) as Haruki Eda
- The Wind Blows Twice (1952)
- Kin no tamago: Golden Girl (1952)
- The Woman Who Touched the Legs (1952) as Yasukichi Sakaza
- Okuni and Gohei (1952) as Tomonojo
- Passion Fire (1952) as 奥田金馬太郎
- Riverside Fish Market Empire (1952)
- The Ataka Family (1952)
- Who Will Judge Me? (1951)
- Honoo no hada (1951)
- Wagtail Tune (1951)
- Miki, the Swordman (1951) as Hirate Miki
- Dancing Girl (1951) as Yagi
- The Lady of Musashino (1951) as Eiji Ono
- The White Orchid (1951)
- Repast (1951)
- Hibari no komoriuta (1951)
- Rumba of Passion (1950)
- The Munekata Sisters (1950) as Ryosuke Mimura
- Senka o koete (1950)
- Portrait of Madame Yuki (1950) as Tateoka
- White Beast (1950)
- Tenpo Suikoden - Otone's Night Fog (1950) as Hirate (Sake brewer)
- Duel in the Sun (1950) as Attorney
- Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu (1950)
- Kagebōshi (1950) as 小山田鉄心
- Homecoming (1950)
- Song of Love (1950)
- Kirare no Senta (1949)
- A Woman's Fight (1949)
- A Woman in the Typhoon Area (1948) as Kijima
- A Woman Who Convicts Men (1948)
- Yūkyō no mure (1948)
- A Second Life (1948)
- The Love of the Actress Sumako (1947) as Hôgetsu Shimamura
- As Long as I Live (1946)
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is So Yamamura best known for?
So Yamamura is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Gung Ho (1986), Antarctica (1983), The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978).
When and where was So Yamamura born?
So Yamamura was born on February 24, 1910 in Tenri, Nara, Japan. They passed away on May 26, 2000.
How many credits does So Yamamura have?
So Yamamura has accumulated over 193 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1946 to 1997.
What is So Yamamura's background in cinema and television?
So Yamamura (山村聰), born Koga Hirosada on 24 February 1910 in Tenri, Nara, Japan, was a Japanese actor and film director. He graduated from the University of Tokyo and, in 1942, co‑founded the Bunkaza Theatre Company with Isao Yamagata. Over a career spanning from 1947 to 1991, Yamamura appeared in more than 110 films a...
So Yamamura by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Black Current (1954) — aged about 44
- Tokyo Story (1953) as Koichi Hirayama — aged about 43
- The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959) as Okishima — aged about 49
- Professional Killers (1972) as Hanemon Otowaya — aged about 62
- Who Will Judge Me? (1951) — aged about 41
- Epitaph to My Love (1961) as Kimura — aged about 51
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