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Utaemon Ichikawa

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Japanese actor (1907-1999)
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Utaemon Ichikawa
Shi Chuan You Tai Wei Men
Utaemon Ichikawa
Born(1907-02-25)February 25, 1907
DiedSeptember 16, 1999(1999-09-16) (aged 92)
OccupationFilm actor

Utaemon Ichikawa (Shi Chuan You Tai Wei Men , Ichikawa Utaemon; 25 February 1907 - 16 September 1999) was a Japanese film actor famous for starring roles in jidaigeki from the 1920s to the 1960s. Trained in kabuki from childhood, he made his film debut in 1925 at Makino Film Productions under Shozo Makino.[1] Quickly gaining popularity, he followed the example of Makino stars such as Tsumasaburo Bando in starting his own independent production company, Utaemon Ichikawa Productions, in 1927.[1] It was there he first began the "Idle Vassal" (Hatamoto taikutsu otoko) series, which would become his signature role. When his company folded in 1936 as sound film came to the fore, he moved to Shinko Kinema and then Daiei Studios before helping form the Toei Company after World War II. He served on the board of directors along with fellow samurai star Chiezo Kataoka.[1] Utaemon appeared in over 300 films during his career.[2] His son, Kin'ya Kitaoji, is also a famous actor in film and television.

Selected filmography

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Kokichi Takada (left) and Utaemon in 1950

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ichikawa Utaemon". Nihon jinmei daijiten (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Ichikawa Utaemon" (in Japanese). Nihon eiga detabesu. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
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