Tetsurō Tamba
Tetsurō Tamba (Japanese: 丹波 哲郎, Hepburn: Tanba Tetsurō, born Shozaburo Tanba; Japanese: 丹波 正三郎, July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a Japanese actor with a career spanning five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions, both in leading and supporting roles, and was the winner of two Japan Academy Film Prizes.
Tetsurō Tamba | |||||
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丹波 哲郎 | |||||
| Born | Shozaburo Tanba 17 July 1922 Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Died | 24 September 2006 (aged 84) Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Education | |||||
| Occupation(s) | Actor, author | ||||
| Years active | 1950–2006 | ||||
| Children | 2, including Yoshitaka | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 丹波 哲郎 | ||||
| Hiragana | たんば てつろう | ||||
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| Alternative Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 丹波 正三郎 | ||||
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At the height of his career, he was one of Japan's most esteemed and prolific leading men, and worked with many significant directors including Kinji Fukasaku, Shōhei Imamura, Masaki Kobayashi, Masahiro Shinoda, Hayao Miyazaki, and Takashi Miike. Several of his films were identified with the Japanese New Wave movement. He also appeared in several international films, notably as Japanese secret service chief Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice.
Later in his life, Tamba became known for his well-publicized interest in psychic phenomena, publishing several books on the subject. and as a spokesperson for the Risshō Kōsei Kai new religious movement. He continued acting until 2006, when he died of pneumonia.