Keiju Kobayashi
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese actor
. Born in Gunma Prefecture
, he began acting at the Nikkatsu
studio after dropping out of Nihon University
and made his film debut in 1942. In a career that spanned 65 years, he appeared in over 250 films, most famously in the "Company President" (Shachō) comedy films made at Toho
, where he worked alongside Hisaya Morishige
, Daisuke Kato
, Norihei Miki, and others. There he helped define the popular image of the postwar salaryman
. He also won many awards for his acting, including best actor awards at the Mainichi Film Awards
for The Naked General in 1958 (where he played Kiyoshi Yamashita
), for Kuroi gashū in 1960, and for The Elegant Life of Mr Everyman in 1963. Kobayashi appeared in films made by such notable directors as Akira Kurosawa
, Yasujirō Ozu
, Mikio Naruse
, and Kihachi Okamoto
. He continued to give powerful performances after largely moving to television in the late 1960s.
He died on 16 September 2010 of heart failure at the age of 86.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Born in Gunma Prefecture
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
, he began acting at the Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
studio after dropping out of Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
and made his film debut in 1942. In a career that spanned 65 years, he appeared in over 250 films, most famously in the "Company President" (Shachō) comedy films made at Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, where he worked alongside Hisaya Morishige
Hisaya Morishige
was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, he graduated from what was known under the old education system as Kitano Middle School , and subsequently attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchuria...
, Daisuke Kato
Daisuke Katô
was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai , Rashomon, Yojimbo , and Ikiru, and Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy and Chushingura.-Filmography:* Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji...
, Norihei Miki, and others. There he helped define the popular image of the postwar salaryman
Salaryman
refers to someone whose income is salary based; particularly those working for corporations. Its frequent use by Japanese corporations, and its prevalence in Japanese manga and anime has gradually led to its acceptance in English-speaking countries as a noun for a Japanese white-collar...
. He also won many awards for his acting, including best actor awards at the Mainichi Film Awards
Mainichi Film Awards
The Mainichi Film Awards are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun , one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946.-Animation awards:...
for The Naked General in 1958 (where he played Kiyoshi Yamashita
Kiyoshi Yamashita
was a Japanese artist. He is famous for his wanderings throughout Japan, during which he wore only a vest, garnering the nickname "The Naked General".- Early life :Yamashita was born in Asakusa, Tokyo...
), for Kuroi gashū in 1960, and for The Elegant Life of Mr Everyman in 1963. Kobayashi appeared in films made by such notable directors as Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
, Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
, Mikio Naruse
Mikio Naruse
was a Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who directed some 89 films spanning the period 1930 to 1967.Naruse is known for imbuing his films with a bleak and pessimistic outlook...
, and Kihachi Okamoto
Kihachi Okamoto
was a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
. He continued to give powerful performances after largely moving to television in the late 1960s.
He died on 16 September 2010 of heart failure at the age of 86.
Selected filmography
- ShūuShuu, literally: Sudden Rain, is a 1956 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Mikio Naruse.- Cast :* Setsuko Hara* Keiju Kobayashi* Shūji Sano* Akemi Negishi* Kyōko Kagawa* Chieko Nakakita* and others...
(驟雨) (1956) - The Naked General (裸の大将, Hadaka no taishō) (1958)
- Kuroi gashū (黒い画集) (1960)
- The End of SummerThe End of Summeris a 1961 film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was his penultimate film; only An Autumn Afternoon followed it....
(小早川家の秋, Kohayagawa-ke no aki) (1961) - The Elegant Life of Mr Everyman (江分利満氏の優雅な生活, Eburi Man-shi no yūgana seikatsu) (1963)
- SanjuroSanjurois a 1962 black-and-white Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's previous film Yojimbo, with Mifune reprising his role as a wandering ronin...
(椿三十郎, Tsubaki Sanjūrō) (1962) - The SwordKen (film)is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Kenji Misumi. From a screenplay by Kazuro Funabashi, based upon the short story Ken by Yukio Mishima.-Synopsis:...
(剣, Ken) (1964) - Samurai AssassinSamurai Assassinis a 1965 Japanese movie directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune, Koshiro Matsumoto, Yunosuke Ito, and Michiyo Aratama.Samurai Assassin is set in 1860, immediately before the Meiji Restoration changed Japanese society forever by doing away with the castes in society and reducing the...
(侍, Samurai) (1965) - Shinsengumi: Assassins of HonorShinsengumi (1969 film)Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor is a 1970 film.The True Story of the end of the Shogunate, the tragedy of the Shinsengumi is one of the best loved stories of Japanese history and has been adapted many times on stage, screen, television, and anime...
(新選組, Shinsengumi) (1969) - Japan SinksNihon Chinbotsu (1973 film)is a 1973 film directed by Shiro Moritani. It is based on the novel Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu, published the same year. The film stars Lorne Greene, Keiju Kobayashi, Hiroshi Fujioka and Ayumi Ishida. A remake was released in 2006, Nihon Chinbotsu, loosely based on a second section of this...
(日本沈没, Nihon chinbotsu) (1973) - Tora-san, the IntellectualTora-san, the Intellectualaka Tora-san Meets a Lady Scholar is a 1975 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Fumie Kashiyama as his love interest or "Madonna"...
(男はつらいよ 葛飾立志篇, Otoko wa tsurai yo: Katsushika risshihen) (1975) - The Return of GodzillaThe Return of GodzillaThe Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
(ゴジラ, Gojira) (1984) - Whisper of the HeartWhisper of the Heart (film)is a 1995 Japanese animated drama film based on the manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi. It was directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the first theatrical Studio Ghibli feature to be directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Takahata, and the only film to be directed...
(耳をすませば, Mimi o sumaseba) (1995)