Japanese movie stars born in 1957
Here are 15 famous actors from Japan were born in 1957:
Hideo Higashikokubaru
Hideo Higashikokubaru (September 16, 1957 Miyakonojo-) also known as Sonomanma Higashi or Governor Higashikokubaru is a Japanese politician, comedian and actor.
He started his career as a stand-up comedian and became well-known for his comedic style and personality. He made numerous TV appearances and became a regular guest on various talk shows in Japan. In 2006, he announced his candidacy for the governorship of Miyazaki Prefecture, where he was born and raised. Surprising many, he won the election by a large margin and became the governor of Miyazaki on January 2007. During his time as governor, he made headlines for his unconventional and creative policies such as proposing the creation of a dinosaur theme park and advocating for the use of social media in government communication. His popularity led to him being re-elected twice, serving as the governor until 2011. After his political career, he returned to entertainment and continued to make appearances on TV shows, movies and theater productions.
Read more about Hideo Higashikokubaru on Wikipedia »
Chō
Chō (December 15, 1957 Kounosu-) a.k.a. Yuichi Nagashima, Shigeru Nagashima, Nagashima Shigeru, Cho, Yuuichi Nagashima, Yûichi Nagashima, Yūichi Nagashima or Nagashima Yūichi is a Japanese actor and voice actor.
Chō started his career as a voice actor in 1977 and has lent his voice to many popular anime characters, including Roah in Fist of the North Star and Brook in One Piece. He has also dubbed foreign films and television shows into Japanese, including the voice of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As a live-action actor, he has appeared in various Japanese television dramas and films. Chō is also known for his singing career, with the release of several singles and albums throughout the years. In 1993, he won the Best Actor Award at the 17th Japan Academy Prize for his role in the film 47 Ronin.
Read more about Chō on Wikipedia »
Hozumi Gōda
Hozumi Gōda (August 22, 1957 Tokyo-) a.k.a. Hodumi Gouda, Hodumi Goda, Gōda Hozumi, Hozumi Gôda, 合田 穂積, 郷田ほづみ or Hozumi Gouda is a Japanese actor, voice actor and sound director.
He has been active in the industry since the 80s and has become one of the most respected voice actors in Japan. Some of his most notable roles include Sanosuke Sagara in "Rurouni Kenshin", the title character in "Vampire Hunter D", Kuzan in "One Piece", and Shunsui Kyoraku in "Bleach". He has also worked as a sound director for several anime series, including "Parasyte: The Maxim" and "Overlord". In addition to his work in anime, Gōda has also lent his voice to video games such as "Final Fantasy X", "Kingdom Hearts", and "Metal Gear Solid". He has won several awards for his voice acting, including the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 7th Seiyu Awards.
Read more about Hozumi Gōda on Wikipedia »
Tomorowo Taguchi
Tomorowo Taguchi (November 30, 1957 Musashino-) also known as Tomorou Taguchi, Tomoroh Taguchi, Taguchi Tomoroo, Taguchi Tomorowo, Tomoro Taguchi, Tomoo Taguchi, Taguchi Tomoo or Tomoroo Taguchi is a Japanese actor, singer, illustrator, writer, cartoonist, musician, voice actor, narrator and film director.
He began his career in entertainment as a musician, performing in a punk rock band called Guys'n'Dolls. He later transitioned into acting, and has since appeared in over 130 films, including cult classics such as Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Tokyo Fist. Taguchi has also directed several films, including the horror-comedy films, Sushi Typhoon and Samurai Cat. In addition to his work in film, he has also done extensive voice-over work for anime and video games, and has published several manga and children's books under his own name. Taguchi is known for his quirky and eccentric on-screen persona, and is often referred to as a "punk icon" in Japanese film culture.
Read more about Tomorowo Taguchi on Wikipedia »
Akira Otaka
Akira Otaka (November 15, 1957 Aichi Prefecture-) a.k.a. Otaka Akira or Akira Ôtaka is a Japanese actor.
He started his acting career in 1980, appearing in various TV dramas and films. He gained recognition for his roles in the films "Tachiguishi-Retsuden" (2006), "The Chef of South Polar" (2009), and "Kakekomi" (2015). Otaka has also worked as a voice actor, lending his voice to animated characters in TV series like "Nintama Rantarou" and "Hyouge Mono". In addition to acting, he has also directed several films and TV dramas, including "Aimless" (1995) and "Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!" (2014). Despite starting his career as an actor, Otaka has become a multi-talented figure in the Japanese entertainment industry.
Read more about Akira Otaka on Wikipedia »
Kenta Satoi
Kenta Satoi (May 14, 1957 Chiba Prefecture-) a.k.a. Satoi Kenta is a Japanese actor and voice actor.
He began his career as an actor in the late 1970s, appearing in various theater productions and television dramas. His first major voice acting role came in 1986, when he was cast as Ryo Saeba in the popular anime series City Hunter. He went on to voice the character in several City Hunter films and spin-off series.
Satoi has also provided the voice for numerous other anime and video game characters over the years, including Captain Hook in the Japanese dub of Disney's Peter Pan, Ren Akatsuki in Miracle Girls, and Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 9.
In addition to his voice acting work, Satoi has continued to act on stage and in films. He has also lent his voice to various television commercials and narrations. Throughout his career, he has been recognized with several awards, including the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 27th Japanese Academy Awards for his role in Bounce Ko Gals.
Read more about Kenta Satoi on Wikipedia »
Yasuhiko Fukuda
Yasuhiko Fukuda (May 3, 1957 Itabashi-) a.k.a. 福田 裕彦, Fukuda Yasuhiko or Hirohiko Fukuda is a Japanese composer, film score composer, keyboard player, music arranger and actor.
He began his career composing music for commercials and later moved on to scoring for films and television shows. Fukuda has composed music for numerous popular Japanese dramas, such as "Long Vacation," "Beautiful Life," and "Good Luck!!" He has also worked on the soundtracks for many anime series, including "Getting Along with Others," "Nanatsu no Taizai," and "Psychic Detective Yakumo." In addition to his work as a composer and arranger, Fukuda has acted in a number of films and TV shows, including "Goodbye Debussy" and "37.5°C no Namida." He continues to be a prominent figure in the Japanese music industry to this day.
Read more about Yasuhiko Fukuda on Wikipedia »
Naoki Bandō
Naoki Bandō (December 12, 1957 Asahikawa-) a.k.a. Naoki Bando, Kôichirô Bandô, Bandō Naoki or Naoki Bandou is a Japanese actor and voice actor.
He made his debut as a voice actor in 1981 as the character Jiron Amos in the anime series "Heavy Metal L-Gaim". Naoki Bandō is known for his roles in anime such as "Dragon Ball Z" as Nappa, "One Piece" as Monkey D. Garp, "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing" as Doctor J, "Naruto" as Gamabunta, and "Fairy Tail" as Gildarts Clive. He has also voiced numerous video game characters, including Azai Nagamasa in "Samurai Warriors" and Axel Stone in "Streets of Rage". In addition to his voice acting work, Bandō has appeared in live-action films and television dramas. He has won several awards for his performances, including the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 19th Japan Academy Prize for his role in the film "Dancing Mary".
Read more about Naoki Bandō on Wikipedia »
Tsutomu Kitagawa
Tsutomu Kitagawa (December 21, 1957 Yamaguchi Prefecture-) also known as Tom, Kita or Kitagawa Tsutomu is a Japanese actor and stunt performer.
He is most famously known for his portrayal of the iconic movie monster, Godzilla, in several movies including "Godzilla 2000" and "Godzilla vs. Megaguirus." Kitagawa started his career as a stuntman in the 1970s and gradually transitioned into acting. In addition to playing Godzilla, he has also worked on various other Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) productions such as "Ultraman" and "Kamen Rider." Kitagawa has been recognized for his contributions to the film industry and has won awards such as the Best Main Cast Award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival for his role in the film "Cut" in 2010.
Read more about Tsutomu Kitagawa on Wikipedia »
Kaizo Hayashi
Kaizo Hayashi (July 15, 1957 Kyoto-) also known as Kaizô Hayashi is a Japanese screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor.
He started his career in the film industry in the 1980s and gained recognition for his work on popular Japanese TV dramas such as "Kamata Koushinkyoku" and "Seibu Keisatsu". In 1990, he made his directorial debut with the film "City Hunter". He has since directed and written screenplays for a number of films and TV dramas, including "Super Rescue Solbrain" and "Denji Sentai Megaranger". He has won several awards for his work, including the Japan Academy Prize for Best Screenplay for his film "The Battery" in 2008, and has been nominated for numerous others. In addition to his work in the film industry, Hayashi is also a professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design, where he teaches film studies.
Read more about Kaizo Hayashi on Wikipedia »
Daisuke Ryu
Daisuke Ryu (February 14, 1957 Tokyo-) a.k.a. Ryu Daisuke, Daisuke Ryuu or Daisuke Ryû is a Japanese actor.
He began his acting career in the late 1970s and appeared in several films and TV dramas throughout the 1980s. His breakout role came in the 1983 film "Shonben Rider" where he played the lead character. He went on to star in many other films and TV dramas, gaining popularity for his good looks and acting talent.
In addition to acting, Ryu is also a trained pianist and has performed in several concerts. He has also done voice acting work for anime series, including "Gintama" and "Kuroshitsuji."
Ryu is known for his versatility as an actor, playing a wide range of characters from serious to comical. He has won several awards for his performances, including the Best Actor award at the Japan Academy Awards in 1999 for his role in the film "Oda Nobunaga." Ryu continues to act in films, TV dramas, and stage productions today.
Read more about Daisuke Ryu on Wikipedia »
Masato Furuoya
Masato Furuoya (May 14, 1957 Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-March 25, 2003 Bunkyō) a.k.a. Yasuo Furuoya, Yasumasa Furuoya, Furuoya Yasumasa or Furuoya Masato was a Japanese actor. He had two children, Hayato Takato and Rei Mizuno.
Furuoya began his acting career in the early 1970s and quickly gained popularity due to his good looks and on-screen charisma. He appeared in several notable films and TV dramas, including the popular TV series "Abarenbo Shogun" and the award-winning film "The Gate of Youth." Furuoya was also a talented musician, and performed the theme song for the film "To Trap a Kidnapper." Sadly, Furuoya passed away in 2003 at the young age of 45 due to complications from liver cancer. His legacy continues to live on through his work in the entertainment industry.
Read more about Masato Furuoya on Wikipedia »
Satoru Sayama
Satoru Sayama (November 27, 1957 Shimonoseki-) a.k.a. Tiger Mask, Super Tiger, Tiger King, Sammy Lee, The Mask of Tiger, The Tiger or (Original) Tiger Mask is a Japanese wrestler and actor.
He gained international acclaim in the 1980s as the original Tiger Mask, a masked wrestler known for his flashy high-flying moves and innovative style. Sayama trained in judo and karate before starting his professional wrestling career, and he brought elements of those disciplines into his performances. He had legendary matches with other stars of the era, including Dynamite Kid and Kuniaki Kobayashi. Sayama retired from wrestling in 1990, but he continued to make occasional appearances and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. In addition to his wrestling career, he has acted in several movies and TV dramas, and he runs a training gym in Japan.
Read more about Satoru Sayama on Wikipedia »
Atsushi Onita
Atsushi Onita (October 25, 1957 Nagasaki-) otherwise known as Atsushi Oonita, Atsushi Ônita, Mr. Onita or The Great Nita is a Japanese wrestler, actor and politician.
Onita is best known for pioneering and popularizing the Japanese hardcore wrestling style known as "Deathmatch" in the 1990s. He has competed for various wrestling promotions such as Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Aside from wrestling, Onita has also ventured into acting, appearing in several films such as "Battle Heater: Kotatsu" and "Wild Zero". He also dabbled in music, forming the punk rock band "Crusher" in the early 90s.
Onita's political career started in 2001 when he ran for a seat in the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly, but lost. He later won a seat in the House of Councillors in the Japanese national government, serving from 2013 to 2019.
Throughout his career, Onita has gained a reputation for his toughness and intensity, and his contributions to the world of wrestling have earned him a spot in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Read more about Atsushi Onita on Wikipedia »
Shigeru Ban
Shigeru Ban (August 5, 1957 Tokyo-) is a Japanese architect and actor.
Shigeru Ban is known for his innovative work with disaster relief housing and his use of environmentally sustainable materials in architecture. He is the founder of the Voluntary Architects' Network (VAN), which provides architectural assistance to communities affected by natural disasters. In 2014, he received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, one of the highest honors in architecture, for his "beautifully crafted" and "profoundly humane" designs. In addition to his work as an architect, Ban has also made appearances in films such as "My Architect" and "Yasu".
Read more about Shigeru Ban on Wikipedia »