Ryu Chishu

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Setsuko Hara and Ryū Chishū in Journey to Tokyo

Ryū Chishū ( Japanese 笠 智 衆 ; born May 13, 1904 in Tamamizu , Tamana-gun (now Tamana ), Kumamoto Prefecture ; † March 16, 1993 in Yokohama , Kanagawa Prefecture ) was a Japanese actor, who was mainly known through his roles in the films of director Ozu Yasujirō became internationally known. He acted in over 160 films.

life and career

The son of a Buddhist priest studied at Buddhist universities in Kyoto and Tokyo. From 1925 he secretly took acting lessons. In 1926 he signed a contract with the Shochiku film company and worked for 10 years as an extra and small actor. His first appearance in front of the camera was in the late 1920s in the Ozu film Wakōdo no yume . Ryū's first major role was in Ozu's first sound film Hitori Musuko (1936) as the film hero's teacher.

The work Die Reise nach Tokyo from 1953, in which Ryū played the leading role of an old man, is particularly well-known in Europe , although he was not yet 50 years old at the time. He starred in many other Ozu films, including all of his six color films, in Good Morning 1959 and An Autumn Afternoon 1962, he starred. After Ozu's death in 1963, Ryū played in several television series and films. From 1969 to 1992 he played the role of an old Buddhist high priest in the television comedy series Otoko wa Tsurai yo .

In 1985 he appeared as an interview partner in the documentary Tokyo-Ga by Wim Wenders and played six years later in his film Until the End of the World . Ryū had another age role as a wise villager at the end of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Ryū Chishū  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Ryū is the family name, Chishū the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Ryu Chishu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 笠 智 衆 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Tamamizu , Tamana-gun (now Tamana ), Kumamoto Prefecture , Japan
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1993
Place of death Yokohama , Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan