Tetsuya Watari
Biography
Tetsuya Watari was a Japanese actor born on December 28, 1941, on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, and he passed away on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University, where he was a member of the karate club. Watari made his screen debut in 1964 in Isamu Kosugi's film Abare Kishido and received an Elan d'or Award. During his career, he appeared in films such as Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series at Nikkatsu, where he was mentored by Yujiro Ishihara. He left Nikkatsu in the early seventies when the studio shifted focus to Roman Porno films. Illness prevented him from appearing in Kinji Fukasaku's film Battles Without Honor and Humanity, and in 1974 he stepped down from a lead television role.
Career overview
Tetsuya Watari was a Japanese actor born on December 28, 1941, on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, and he passed away on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University, where he was a member of the karate club. Watari made his screen debut in 1964 in Isamu Kosugi's film Abare Kishido and received an Elan d'or Award for his work.
As an actor at Nikkatsu, Watari was mentored by Yujiro Ishihara and appeared in films such as Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series. When Nikkatsu shifted its focus to Roman Porno films in the early seventies, Watari was among the actors who left the studio.
Later in his career, Watari was slated to play the main role in Kinji Fukasaku's film Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but illness prevented him from appearing. In 1974, he was also forced to step down from the lead role of Katsu Kaishu in the Taiga drama. Throughout his career, Watari amassed 117 known credits in acting on film and television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- No Dropping Out: Back to School at 35 (2013) as Yukinobu Asada
- Villain (2012) as Masato Kogure
- Clouds Over the Hill (2009) as 東郷平八郎
- Flower of Ice (2008)
- Oishii Gohan: Kamakura Kasugai Rice Shop (2007) as 카스가이 류헤이
- Tuna (2007)
- Family: Absence of the Wife, Existence of the Husband (2006)
- The Street Lawyers (2006)
- Yoshitsune (2005) as Taira no Kiyomori (Hei-shi)
- Yamato (2005)
- Gion Bayashi (2005)
- Middle-aged Divorce (2005)
- 弟 (2004)
- Western Police Special (2004) as Keisuke Daimon
- Lady Joker (2004) as Seizo Monoi
- Marusa!! (2003) as Chikara Kokuryo
- AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo (2002) as Muneaki Seta
- スクープ (2002)
- 渡哲也サスペンス 絆 (2002)
- Shura Group Part 3 (2002)
- 明るいほうへ 明るいほうへ -童謡詩人 金子みすゞ- (2001)
- Brother (2000) as Jinseikai Boss
- It Is a Long Walk (2000)
- Bloody Journal of the Shinsengumi (1998) as Kondo Isami
- Bloody Journal of the Shinsengumi (1998) Creator
- Diary of Early Winter Shower (1998) as Kounosuke Mibu
- Abduction (1997) as Hiroshi Tsuba
- SMAP×SMAP (1996) as Skit Guest
- Hideyoshi (1996) as Oda Nobunaga
- Night Train to the Stars (1996) as Masajiro Miyazawa
- Sangokushi: The Yangtze Is Burning! (1993) as Cao Cao (voice)
- Kin chan no Cinema Jack (1993)
- 三国志 (1992) Creator
- Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms (1992) as Cao Cao (voice)
- The Unruly Ronin's Journey (1991)
- Daihyô torishimariyaku deka (1990)
- Goryokaku (1988) as Toshizo Hijikata
- Clockwork- Goodbye Winter (1986)
- Again (1984)
- Seibu Keisatsu (1979) as Daimon Keisuke
- Haguregumo (1978)
- 浮浪云 (1978)
- Big City: Days of Struggle (1976)
- Human Revolution II (1976)
- Yakuza Graveyard (1976) as Ryu Kuroiwa
- Graveyard of Honor (1975) as Rikio Ishikawa
- Conflagration (1975) as Third Officer Inoue
- Katsu Kaishu (1974) as Katsu Kaishu (adult)
- Stray Dog (1973) as Detective Murakami
- The Blossom and the Sword (1973) as Seijirô Tanaka
- The Human Revolution (1973)
- Wild Cop (1973)
- Flower and Dragon (1973)
- Rebellion Reward (1973) as Shun Muraki
- Wild Cop 2 (1973)
- Sword and Flower (1972)
- Theater of Life (1972)
- Chase That Man (1972)
- Epic Chushingura (1971) as Horibe Yasubei
- Kanto Kanbu-kai (1971)
- Challenge at Dawn (1971)
- Law of the Outlaw (1971) as Goro Takei
- The Earth is Born Again (1971) as Hironosuke Nakadate
- Expelled from the Kanto Mob (1971)
- Kanto Drifter (1971)
- Showdown in Gangland (1970)
- Step on the Gas! (1970) as Yuuji Nishigami
- The Summit of Mt. Fuji (1970) as Yohei Kada
- Pay Off Your Debt! (1970)
- Profile of a Boss' Son (1970)
- Spartan Education (1970)
- Yakuza Wanderer: Villainous Livelihood (1969)
- Ex Convict: Sword Storm (1969)
- Showdown at Nagasaki (1969) as Keiji Takama
- Ruthless Gambler (1969)
- The Cleanup (1969) as Kurasawa
- Savage Wolf Pack (1969)
- Exiled to Hell (1969)
- Outlaw: Kill! (1969) as Goro Fujikawa
- The Fatal Raid (1969)
- やくざ番外地 抹殺 (1969)
- 前科・仮釈放 (1969) as Ôhara Ryûji
- The Wild Sea (1969) as Yoji Kitami
- Outlaw: Goro the Assassin (1968) as Goro Fujikawa
- Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 (1968) as Goro Fujikawa
- Outlaw: Gangster VIP (1968) as Goro Fujikawa
- Monument to the Girl's Corps (1968) as Young man
- Outlaw: Black Dagger (1968) as Goro Fujikawa
- East China Sea (1968) as Naoyoshi
- The Final Winner? (1968)
- Song of my Life (1968) as Takuya Tsugami
- Outlaw: Heartless (1968) as Goro Fujikawa
- The Code of Man (1968)
- The Blazing Continent (1968)
- The Debt of Blood (1967)
- 陽のあたる坂道 (1967)
- The Hurricane Drummer (1967)
- Velvet Hustler (1967) as Goro
- Burning Clouds (1967)
- Dreams Come True at Night (1967) as Makoto Katagiri
- Rusty Pendant (1967)
- The Man of Victory (1967)
- My Sweetheart (1967) as Akai
- The Aftermath of War (1967)
- The Black Sheep (1967)
- Tokyo Drifter (1966) as Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo
- The Heart of Hiroshima (1966) as Yukio Mihara
- Till We Meet Again (1966)
- Your Life (1966)
- Love Eternal (1966) as Makoto Kanô
- The Stormy Man (1966) as Shôichi Kokubu
- Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea Is Bright Red as the Color of Love (1966) as Tetsu
- The Swan Elegy (1966)
- Red Glass (1966) as Hiroshi
- In Tears (1965)
- Seishun no Sabaki (1965)
- Shinkuna umi ga yon deru ze (1965)
- The Stars and I Decided... (1965) as Saburo Ohinata