TomisaburŠWakayama (若山 富三郎, Wakayama TomisaburŠ,
September 1, 1929 â€" April 2, 1992), born Masaru Okumura (奥æ '
å‹ ), was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami IttÅ , the
scowling, 19th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub
samurai movies.Wakayama was born on September 1, 1929, in Fukagawa, a
district in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Minoru Okumura (奥æ ' 実),
a noted kabuki performer and nagauta singer who went by the stage name
KatsutÅ ji Kineya (æ µå±‹ å‹ æ ±æ²»), and the family as a whole were
kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu,
followed their father in the theater. Wakayama tired of this; at the
age of 13, he began to study judo, eventually achieving the rank of
4th dan black belt in the art.In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki
troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months.
He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with
the troupe was over. Wakayama taught judo until Toho recruited him as
a new martial arts star in their jidaigeki movies. He prepared for
these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpÅ ,
iaidÅ , kendo, and bÅ jutsu. All this helped him for roles in the
television series The Mute Samurai, the 1975 television series Shokin
Kasegi (The Bounty Hunter), and his most famous role: Ogami IttÅ , the
Lone Wolf.Wakayama went on to star in many films, performing in a
variety of roles. It has been estimated that he appeared in between
250 and 500 films. His only roles in American movies were as a
baseball coach in The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978) and as a
yakuza boss, Sugai, in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) that delivers
a memorable English monologue that becomes a defining moment for the
film, and the film's title.
September 1, 1929 â€" April 2, 1992), born Masaru Okumura (奥æ '
å‹ ), was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami IttÅ , the
scowling, 19th century ronin warrior in the six Lone Wolf and Cub
samurai movies.Wakayama was born on September 1, 1929, in Fukagawa, a
district in Tokyo, Japan. His father was Minoru Okumura (奥æ ' 実),
a noted kabuki performer and nagauta singer who went by the stage name
KatsutÅ ji Kineya (æ µå±‹ å‹ æ ±æ²»), and the family as a whole were
kabuki performers. He and his younger brother, Shintaro Katsu,
followed their father in the theater. Wakayama tired of this; at the
age of 13, he began to study judo, eventually achieving the rank of
4th dan black belt in the art.In 1952, as part of the Azuma Kabuki
troupe, Wakayama toured the United States of America for nine months.
He gave up theater performance completely after his two-year term with
the troupe was over. Wakayama taught judo until Toho recruited him as
a new martial arts star in their jidaigeki movies. He prepared for
these movies by practicing other disciplines, including kenpÅ ,
iaidÅ , kendo, and bÅ jutsu. All this helped him for roles in the
television series The Mute Samurai, the 1975 television series Shokin
Kasegi (The Bounty Hunter), and his most famous role: Ogami IttÅ , the
Lone Wolf.Wakayama went on to star in many films, performing in a
variety of roles. It has been estimated that he appeared in between
250 and 500 films. His only roles in American movies were as a
baseball coach in The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978) and as a
yakuza boss, Sugai, in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) that delivers
a memorable English monologue that becomes a defining moment for the
film, and the film's title.
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