Hideaki Takizawa (滝沢 秀明, Takizawa Hideaki; born 29 March 1982), also known professionally as Tackey (タッキー), is a…
Hideaki Takizawa (滝沢 秀明, Takizawa Hideaki; born 29 March 1982), also known professionally as Tackey (タッキー), is a Japanese businessman, record producer and former singer and actor. He is the president of the Japanese talent agency Tobe. Takizawa debuted as an actor in 1995, and in 2002, he made his musical debut as the duo Tackey & Tsubasa with Tsubasa Imai. In 2018, Takizawa retired from entertainment and became the founder and president of Johnny's Island, a subdivision of Johnny & Associates, of which he oversaw the debuts of Snow Man and SixTones. In July 2019, he was made the vice president of Johnny & Associates, a position he held until he resigned in November 2022 to pursue other career ventures.
Famous People from Tokyo
Tokyo: 32 people
Kei Horie (堀江 慶, Horie Kei; born 4 October 1978 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese writer, film producer, director, editor…
Kei Horie (堀江 慶, Horie Kei; born 4 October 1978 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese writer, film producer, director, editor and former actor. He is known as Gaku Washio/GaoYellow in 2001's Super Sentai's series, Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger. He reprised his role on one more occasion in the Super Sentai teamup, Hurricanger vs Gaoranger in 2003. His older brother, Kazuma Horie, is a voice actor.
Kenta Fukasaku (深作 健太, Fukasaku Kenta; born September 15, 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the son…
Kenta Fukasaku (深作 健太, Fukasaku Kenta; born September 15, 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the son of film director Kinji Fukasaku and actress Sanae Nakahara.
Kōsuke Toyohara (豊原 功補, Toyohara Kōsuke; born 25 September 1965) is a Japanese actor and singer who has appeared in…
Kōsuke Toyohara (豊原 功補, Toyohara Kōsuke; born 25 September 1965) is a Japanese actor and singer who has appeared in more than 80 films since 1982. He serves as head representative of Headrock Inc.
Kazukiyo Nishikiori (錦織 一清, Nishikiori Kazukiyo; born May 22, 1965) is a Japanese theatre director and actor. He is a…
Kazukiyo Nishikiori (錦織 一清, Nishikiori Kazukiyo; born May 22, 1965) is a Japanese theatre director and actor. He is a freelance. Until 2020, he belonged to Johnny & Associates and was a member of the boy band Shonentai. He is best known for starring in Fall Guy (1999) and for directing Ode to Joy (2018).
Oriza Hirata (平田オリザ, Hirata Oriza; born on 8 November 1962, in Tokyo) is a Japanese playwright, director, and academic.…
Oriza Hirata (平田オリザ, Hirata Oriza; born on 8 November 1962, in Tokyo) is a Japanese playwright, director, and academic. For the majority of his life, he has been best known for his work in theater and creating what he has coined, “contemporary colloquial theater,” or as theater critics call it, “quiet drama.”
Hirokazu Kore-eda (是枝 裕和, Koreeda Hirokazu; born 6 June 1962) is a Japanese filmmaker. He rose to prominence with his…
Hirokazu Kore-eda (是枝 裕和, Koreeda Hirokazu; born 6 June 1962) is a Japanese filmmaker. He rose to prominence with his drama films Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008) and Like Father, Like Son (2013), for the latter he won the Jury Prize at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. His drama film Shoplifters (2018) won the Palme d'Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film representing Japan. He has since directed Broker (2022) and Monster (2023), to critical acclaim.
Mitsuo Fukuda (福田 己津央, Fukuda Mitsuo) (born October 28, 1960) is a Japanese animation director and scriptwriter from…
Mitsuo Fukuda (福田 己津央, Fukuda Mitsuo) (born October 28, 1960) is a Japanese animation director and scriptwriter from Tochigi Prefecture. He was married to anime screenwriter Chiaki Morosawa until her death in 2016.
Tetsuya Endō (遠藤 徹哉 or えんどうてつや, Endō Tetsuya; born September 7, 1960) is a Japanese anime director, storyboard artist…
Tetsuya Endō (遠藤 徹哉 or えんどうてつや, Endō Tetsuya; born September 7, 1960) is a Japanese anime director, storyboard artist, and sound director. He worked as the assistant director (演出助手, enshutsu joshu) of My Neighbor Totoro in 1988, and directed Floral Magician Mary Bell in 1992–93.
Kōtarō Yoshida (吉田 鋼太郎, Yoshida Kōtarō; born January 14, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor and theatre director. He…
Kōtarō Yoshida (吉田 鋼太郎, Yoshida Kōtarō; born January 14, 1959, in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor and theatre director. He established himself on the stage in classical theatre, becoming a regular in Yukio Ninagawa's Shakespeare productions and co-founding the theatre company Performance Unit AUN in 1997. Television roles in Hanzawa Naoki (2013) and Hanako to Anne (2014) brought him wider recognition and led to frequent film and television work. In 2016 he succeeded Ninagawa as the second artistic director of the Sai no Kuni Shakespeare Series. He is affiliated with Horipro.
Amon Miyamoto (宮本亞門; born January 4, 1958, in Tokyo) is a theater director. He has directed numerous productions in…
Amon Miyamoto (宮本亞門; born January 4, 1958, in Tokyo) is a theater director. He has directed numerous productions in Japan and worldwide, including musicals, straight plays, opera, kabuki, and other art genres. In 2004, he became the first Japanese director to direct a musical on Broadway when he directed the revival of Pacific Overtures. That production received four Tony Award nominations. Miyamoto made his directing debut with his original musical I Got Merman, winning the National Performing Arts Festival Award. He is a recipient of the Matsuyo Akimoto Award of the Asahi Performing Arts Awards. He served as the inaugural artistic director of Kanagawa Arts Theater (KAAT) from 2010 to 2014. Amon made his North American opera-directing debut in 2007 with the US premiere of Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of Soul at the Santa Fe Opera. His recent works in New York include The Temple of the Golden Pavilion at Lincoln Center Festival. His European opera credits include: The Magic Flute (Landestheater Linz in Austria), Le Pavillon d’Or (Opéra national du Rhin in France), Parsifal, and Madame Butterfly (Semperoper in Germany) which is also planned for the San Francisco Opera in 2023 and the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen in 2024. He directed the pre-Broadway world premiere of The Karate Kid: The Musical on May 25, 2022, in St. Louis.
Oji Hiroi (広井 王子, Hiroi Ōji; born 8 February 1954), real name Teruhisa Hiroi (廣井 照久, Hiroi Teruhisa), is an author and…
Oji Hiroi (広井 王子, Hiroi Ōji; born 8 February 1954), real name Teruhisa Hiroi (廣井 照久, Hiroi Teruhisa), is an author and video game developer. He co-authored Samurai Crusader with Ryoichi Ikegami. He also created the Far East of Eden and Sakura Wars role-playing video game franchises, and wrote the Sakura Wars manga.
Ai Nagai (永井愛, Nagai Ai; born on 16 October 1951) is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and…
Ai Nagai (永井愛, Nagai Ai; born on 16 October 1951) is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and leader of the theater company Nitosha. She is known for adopting realism as her primary writing style. Two of her major works, The Three Hagi Sisters (萩家の三姉妹, Hagi-ke no san shimai) and Time's Storeroom (時の物置, Toki no mono oki), both exemplify her utilization of realism. According to The Japan Foundation's Performing Arts Network, Nagai is currently regarded as one of the most sought-after playwrights in Japan because of her "well-made plays," in which social issues are treated from a critical perspective.
Tomoharu Takeo (竹尾 智晴, Takeo Tomoharu; born February 5, 1951), known by his stage name Ryūsei Nakao (中尾 隆聖, Nakao…
Tomoharu Takeo (竹尾 智晴, Takeo Tomoharu; born February 5, 1951), known by his stage name Ryūsei Nakao (中尾 隆聖, Nakao Ryūsei), is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer from Tokyo attached to 81 Produce. He worked under the name of Tomoharu Minamiya (南谷 智晴, Minamiya Tomoharu) and is married with two children, a son and daughter. His distinctive voice lands him in the roles of characters with high-pitched voices and sadistic personalities. As a voice actor, he is best known for the roles of Baikinman in Let's Go! Anpanman, Frieza, Tambourine, Cooler, Chilled, and Frost in Dragon Ball, Ishami Nishimura in Touch, Porori in Niko Niko Pun, Resshi in Do-Re-Mi-Fa Donuts, Echikettojii-san in Hotch Potch Station, Sniff in Moomin, the titular character in Topo Gigio, Mayuri Kurotsuchi in Bleach, Caesar Clown and Dr. Indigo in One Piece, and Takashi Shirogane in Beast King GoLion.
Bandō Tamasaburō V (五代目 坂東 玉三郎, Godaime Bandō Tamasaburō) (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor and the most popular…
Bandō Tamasaburō V (五代目 坂東 玉三郎, Godaime Bandō Tamasaburō) (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor and the most popular and celebrated onnagata (an actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. He has also acted in several films.
Teruo Ito (伊藤 輝夫, Itō Teruo; born December 27, 1949, in Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan), better known as Terry Ito (テリー…
Teruo Ito (伊藤 輝夫, Itō Teruo; born December 27, 1949, in Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan), better known as Terry Ito (テリー 伊藤, Terī Itō), is a Japanese director, television producer, critic, and writer. His name "Terry" comes from his first name, "Teruo". His ancestral home is in Yokoshibahikari, Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture. Ito served as the president of the television program production company, Locomotion. Ito, in conjunction with Toyota, helped design a limited edition pink S210 Toyota Crown called Toyota Reborn Pink Crown Athlete. The Crown featured a bright pink exterior and pink trim pieces in the interior. Toyota sold 650 units of the limited vehicle.
Akira Emoto (柄本 明, Emoto Akira; born November 3, 1948) is a Japanese actor.
Osamu Dezaki (出﨑 統, Dezaki Osamu; November 18, 1943 – April 17, 2011), also known as Makura Saki (崎枕, Saki Makura), Kan…
Osamu Dezaki (出﨑 統, Dezaki Osamu; November 18, 1943 – April 17, 2011), also known as Makura Saki (崎枕, Saki Makura), Kan Matsudo (松戸完, Matsudo Kan), Toru Yabuki (矢吹徹, Yabuki Toru) or Kuyou Sai (斉九洋, Sai Kuyou), was a Japanese anime director and screenwriter.
Masahiko Kinoshi (喜熨斗 政彦, Kinoshi Masahiko; December 9, 1939 – September 13, 2023), better known by his stage name…
Masahiko Kinoshi (喜熨斗 政彦, Kinoshi Masahiko; December 9, 1939 – September 13, 2023), better known by his stage name Ichikawa Ennosuke III (三代目 市川 猿之助, Sandaime Ichikawa Ennosuke; Japanese pronunciation: [i.tɕi̥.kaꜜ.wa (|) en.no.sɯ̥.ke]), was a Japanese kabuki actor, famous for his love of keren (stage tricks). He was considered the king of chūnori; he flew out over the audience, held aloft on strings, over 5000 times.
Noboru Tsuburaya (Japanese: 円谷 皐, Hepburn: Tsuburaya Noboru; May 10, 1935 – June 11, 1995), writing under the pseudonym…
Noboru Tsuburaya (Japanese: 円谷 皐, Hepburn: Tsuburaya Noboru; May 10, 1935 – June 11, 1995), writing under the pseudonym Noboru Tani (谷のぼる, Tani Noboru), was a Japanese film producer and the third president of Tsuburaya Productions.
Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya; born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932 – November 8, 2025) was a Japanese…
Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya; born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932 – November 8, 2025) was a Japanese actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he collaborated extensively with many of Japan's best-known and acclaimed directors. In his over seven decade career, he appeared in more than 160 films, and received numerous accolades. He was honored with a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1996 and Japan's Order of Culture in 2015. Discovered on the streets of Tokyo by director Masaki Kobayashi, Nakadai rose to prominence starring in Kobayashi's films, with his breakthrough being in the epic anti-war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961). He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for his performance as the vengeful ronin in Harakiri (1962), a role he considered his finest. Nakadai collaborated on eleven films with Kobayashi—including Kwaidan (1964) and Samurai Rebellion (1967)—and five with Akira Kurosawa, most notably as the doomed warlord in Ran (1985), a performance that earned global acclaim. His other notable credits include Seven Samurai (1954), Conflagration (1958), When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), The Sword of Doom, The Face of Another (both 1966), Kill! (1968), Goyokin (1969), Kagemusha (1980), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). A lifelong stage actor, he founded the acting school Mumeijuku in 1975 and continued performing on stage into his nineties.
Toshihiro Iijima (Japanese: 飯島 敏宏, Hepburn: Toshihiro Iijima; September 3, 1932 – October 17, 2021), also known by the…
Toshihiro Iijima (Japanese: 飯島 敏宏, Hepburn: Toshihiro Iijima; September 3, 1932 – October 17, 2021), also known by the names Kitao Senzoku (千束 北男, Senzoku Kitao), and Jōtarō Jitōin (持統院丈太郎, Jitōin Jōtarō), was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and screenwriter.
Masaya Takahashi (高橋 昌也, Takahashi Masaya; March 16, 1930 – January 16, 2014) was a Japanese actor and theatre…
Masaya Takahashi (高橋 昌也, Takahashi Masaya; March 16, 1930 – January 16, 2014) was a Japanese actor and theatre director. He appeared in a wide range of films over six decades, including Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), Belladonna of Sadness (1973), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), Returner (2002), and Air Doll (2009).
Natsuko Kahara (賀原夏子, Kahara Natsuko; 3 January 1921 – 20 February 1991) was a Japanese stage and film actress. She was…
Natsuko Kahara (賀原夏子, Kahara Natsuko; 3 January 1921 – 20 February 1991) was a Japanese stage and film actress. She was a member of the Bungakuza theatre company and regularly appeared in the films of director Mikio Naruse. During her 50 years spanning career, she also worked for directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita and Tadashi Imai.
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and…
Hiroshi Akutagawa (芥川比呂志, Akutagawa Hiroshi; 30 March 1920 – 28 October 1981) was a Japanese stage and film actor and director. In his 30 years spanning career, he appeared in numerous stage productions and films by directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Tadashi Imai, Heinosuke Gosho, Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Ōshima.
Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public…
Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public intellectual. Born in Tokyo to a working-class family, Fukuda read English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. A scholar of D. H. Lawrence, he found his voice as a critic by contributing to literary magazines. Interested in theatre from a young age, Fukuda became associated with the shingeki genre of contemporary theatre, writing and producing numerous original plays, including The Man Who Stroked the Dragon (1952) and The Fuhrer is Still Alive! (1970), for which he was awarded the Yomiuri Prize and Grand Prize for Japanese Literature respectively. From the 1950s, he began a life-long endeavour to translate William Shakespeare's work into Japanese. He staged successful productions of these translations, starting with Hamlet in 1955, which set off a Shakespeare boom in Japan. Originally associated with the Bungakuza theatre company, he later broke away to found the Kumo and Subaru companies in 1963 and 1975 respectively. A contributor to popular magazines such as Bungei Shunjū, Chūō Kōron, and Shokun!, Fukuda became well-known to the Japanese public as a conservative intellectual from the 1950s. He opposed the post-war Japanese script reform, and was awarded another Yomiuri Prize for his book on the subject, My Japanese Language Classroom (1960). He criticised left-wing movements, such as the Anpo protests, and questioned the dominance of pacifism in post-war Japan. A supporter of individual liberty and freedom of expression, he rejected the politicisation of art, and expressed doubts about Japanese modernisation. From 1969, he began teaching at Kyoto Sangyo University, and in 1981, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. After suffering more than a decade of declining health, he died at Ōiso in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1994.
Eitarō Ozawa (小沢 栄太郎, Ozawa Eitarō; 27 March 1909 – 23 April 1988), also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese…
Eitarō Ozawa (小沢 栄太郎, Ozawa Eitarō; 27 March 1909 – 23 April 1988), also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese film actor and stage actor and director. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō.
Osamu Takizawa (滝沢 修, Takizawa Osamu; 13 November 1906 – 22 June 2000) was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome…
Osamu Takizawa (滝沢 修, Takizawa Osamu; 13 November 1906 – 22 June 2000) was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Starting at the Tsukiji Little Theater, Takizawa participated in a number of theatrical troupes before forming Gekidan Mingei with Jūkichi Uno. He was praised for his performance in Death of a Salesman and also directed a version of The Diary of Anne Frank. Perhaps his most notable film role was in Fires on the Plain.
Tomoyoshi Murayama (村山 知義, Murayama Tomoyoshi; 18 January 1901 – 22 March 1977) was a Japanese artist, play writer…
Tomoyoshi Murayama (村山 知義, Murayama Tomoyoshi; 18 January 1901 – 22 March 1977) was a Japanese artist, play writer, novelist and drama producer active during the Shōwa period in Japan.
Marquess Yoshi Hijikata (土方 与志, Hijikata Yoshi; 16 April 1898 – 4 June 1959) was a prominent Japanese theatre director.…
Marquess Yoshi Hijikata (土方 与志, Hijikata Yoshi; 16 April 1898 – 4 June 1959) was a prominent Japanese theatre director. His real name was Hisayoshi Hijikata (土方久敬, Hijikata Hisayoshi). He studied at the University of Tokyo. He had Marxist leanings, and in 1933 traveled to Russia. On his return to Japan in 1941 he was arrested, and remained in prison until 1945. In 1946 he joined the Japanese Communist Party. He was a grandson of the Meiji politician Hijikata Hisamoto.
Bunroku Shishi (獅子文六, Shishi Bunroku; 1 July 1893 – 13 December 1969), real name Toyoo Iwata (岩田豊雄, Iwata Toyoo), was a…
Bunroku Shishi (獅子文六, Shishi Bunroku; 1 July 1893 – 13 December 1969), real name Toyoo Iwata (岩田豊雄, Iwata Toyoo), was a Japanese novelist, playwright and director of the Bungakuza theatre company. Shishi was born in Yokohama. In 1922 he traveled to France to study modern French theater, and worked in the atelier of Jacques Copeau.
Nachi Nozawa (野沢 那智, Nozawa Nachi; January 13, 1938 – October 30, 2010) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator…
Nachi Nozawa (野沢 那智, Nozawa Nachi; January 13, 1938 – October 30, 2010) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was Yasutomo Nozawa (野沢 那智, Nozawa Yasutomo). Nozawa was the official dub-over artist of Al Pacino and Alain Delon, and also dubbed the roles of Giuliano Gemma, Robert Redford, Bruce Willis, Dustin Hoffman, Christopher Walken, David McCallum, Don Johnson, Willem Dafoe, and James Woods. In the animation field, He was known as his roles in Cobra (as Cobra), Dororo (as Hyakkimaru), Gokū no Daibōken (as Sanzo), Sakura Wars series (as Oni-Ou), and Hellsing (as Alexander Anderson). On October 30, 2010, Nozawa died at a Tokyo hospital of lung cancer. He was 72 years old at the time of his death. A year after his death, he was honored with a Special Merit Award in the 5th Seiyu Awards.