Tetsuya Watari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tetsuya Watari
|
|
|---|---|
| 渡 哲也 | |
Watari in 1965
|
|
| Born |
Michihiko Watase (渡瀬 道彦)
December 28, 1941 Awaji, Hyōgo, Japan
|
| Died | August 10, 2020 (aged 78) Tokyo, Japan
|
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–2020 |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Tetsuya Watari (渡 哲也, Watari Tetsuya), born Michihiko Watase (渡瀬 道彦, Watase Michihiko), was a famous Japanese actor. He starred in many movies, TV shows, and plays. He was born on December 28, 1941, and passed away on August 10, 2020.
Contents
Life and Career of Tetsuya Watari
Tetsuya Watari went to Aoyama Gakuin University. While there, he was a member of the karate club. He started his acting career in 1964 with the movie Abare Kishidō. For this role, he won an Elan d'or Award.
Early Film Roles
Watari worked for a film company called Nikkatsu. He appeared in several popular movies, including Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series. A famous actor named Yujiro Ishihara helped guide Watari in his early career at Nikkatsu.
Challenges and Successes
Tetsuya Watari was supposed to play the main role in Kinji Fukasaku’s movie Battles Without Honor and Humanity. However, he could not appear because he became ill. In 1974, he also had to leave the lead role of Katsu Kaishū in a TV show called Katsu Kaishū after only nine episodes, again due to illness.
Despite these challenges, Watari won the Best Actor award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in 1976. This was for his role in Kinji Fukasaku's film Yakuza Graveyard.
Popular TV Shows
In Japan, many people remember Watari for his role as Keisuke Daimon. He played this character in the detective TV series "Seibu Keisatsu" on TV Asahi. He also joined another popular detective show, "Taiyō ni Hoero!", in 1986. He took over a role after his mentor, Yujiro Ishihara, passed away.
Later Years and Legacy
After Yujiro Ishihara's death in 1987, Watari became the president of Ishihara Promotion, a talent agency. He stepped down from this role in 2011 because his health was not good.
In 2015, he had a heart attack and needed surgery. He recovered and was discharged from the hospital about a month later.
Tetsuya Watari had a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who was also an actor. Besides acting, Watari was also a singer. His song "Kuchinashi no Hana" was a big hit. He performed it on the famous Japanese music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1974 and 1993.
Tetsuya Watari passed away from pneumonia on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78.
Selected Works
Movies Starring Tetsuya Watari
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Abare Kishidō (あばれ騎士道) | Tetsuya | Isamu Kosugi | Lead role |
| Nakaseruze | Akinori Matsuo | |||
| 1966 | Tokyo Drifter | Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo | Seijun Suzuki | Lead role |
| Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea is Bright Red as the Color of Love | Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo | Kenjirō Morinaga | Lead role | |
| The Hearth of Hiroshima | Koreyoshi Kurahara | Lead role | ||
| 1967 | Kurenai no Nagareboshi | Toshio Masuda | Lead role | |
| 1968 | Outlaw: Gangster VIP | Gorō Fujikawa | Toshio Masuda | Lead role |
| Moeru Tairiku | Keiichi Isomura | Shōgorō Nishimura | Lead role | |
| Higashi Shinakai | Naoyuki | Tadahiki Isomi | ||
| 1969 | The Wild Sea | Yōji Kitami | Tokujirō Yamazaki | Lead Role |
| Daikanbu Nagurikomi | Tetsu | Toshio Masuda | Lead role | |
| Savage Wolf Pack | Asai Tetsuya | Yasuharu Hasebe | Lead Role | |
| 1970 | Shinjuku outlaw: Step On the Gas | Yuji Nishigami (Shinigami) | Toshiya Fujita | Lead role |
| Fuji sanchō | Tetsutaro Murano | |||
| 1971 | Kantō Exile | Keiichi Ozawa | Lead role | |
| 1973 | Gokiburi Keiji | Detective Narugami | Tsugunobu Kotani | Lead role |
| Za Gokiburi | Detective Narugami | Tsugunobu Kotani | Lead role | |
| Ningen Kakumei | Kumichō Shimatani | Toshio Masuda | ||
| 1975 | Graveyard of Honor | Rikio Ishikawa | Kinji Fukasaku | Lead role |
| 1976 | Yakuza Graveyard | Detective Kuroiwa | Kinji Fukasaku | Lead role |
| 1986 | Tokei – Adieu l'hiver | Sō Kuramoto | Special appearance | |
| 1993 | Kinchan no Cinema Jack "Minato" | Kinichi Hagimoto | ||
| 1996 | Waga Kokoro no Ginga Tetsudō Miyazawa Kenji Monogatari | Seijirō | Kazuki Ōmori | |
| 1997 | Yūkai | Inspector Tsunami | Takao Okawara | Lead role |
| 1998 | Diary of Early Winter Shower | Shinichiro Sawai | Lead role | |
| 2000 | Nagasaki Burabura bushi | Gakusha (Koga, Jûjirô) | Yukio Fukamachi | Lead role |
| 2001 | Brother | Jinseikai Kumichō | Takeshi Kitano | |
| 2002 | Shura no Mure | Old Hiroyuki Inahara | Hiroyuki Tsuji | |
| 2004 | Lady Joker | Seizo Monoi | Hideyuki Hirayama | Lead role |
| 2005 | Yamato | Vice-Admiral Seiichi Itō | Junya Sato |
Television Shows Featuring Tetsuya Watari
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Daichūshingura | Horibe Yasubei | |
| 1974 | Katsu Kaishū | Katsu Kaishū | Lead role, Taiga drama |
| 1976-79 | Daitokai Series | Raisuke Kuroiwa | Lead role |
| 1978 | Haguregumo | Kumo | Lead role |
| 1979-84 | Seibu Keisatsu | Keisuke Daimon | Lead role |
| 1986 | Taiyō ni Hoero! | Hyōgo Tachibana | |
| 1996 | Hideyoshi | Oda Nobunaga | Taiga drama |
| 1998 | Shinsengumi Keppūroku | Isami Kondō | Lead role |
| 2004 | Seibu Keisatsu Special | Keisuke Daimon | |
| 2005 | Yoshitsune | Taira no Kiyomori | Taiga drama |
| 2009-2011 | Saka no Ue no Kumo | Tōgō Heihachirō | |
| 2013 | 35-sai no Koukousei | Yukinobu Asada |
Video Games with Tetsuya Watari's Voice
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ryū ga Gotoku | Shintaro Kazama | |
| 2006 | Ryū ga Gotoku 2 | Shintaro Kazama | |
| 2009 | Ryū ga Gotoku 3 | Jōji Kazama | |
| 2015 | Ryū ga Gotoku 0: Chikai no Basho | Shintaro Kazama | |
| 2016 | Ryū ga Gotoku: Kiwami | Shintaro Kazama | |
| 2017 | Ryū ga Gotoku: Kiwami 2 | Shintaro Kazama |
Awards and Honors
- Medal with Purple Ribbon (2005)
- Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2013)
