Ken Shimura
Ken Shimura ( 志 村 け ん , Shimura Ken ; officially: Yasunori Shimura ( 志 村 康 徳 , Shimura Yasunori ); born February 20, 1950 in Higashimurayama , Tokyo Prefecture ; † March 29, 2020 in Shinjuku , Tokyo Prefecture) was a Japanese comedian . Shimura was best known for his lead role in Hachiji Da Yo! Zen'in Shugo! ( 8時だョ!全員集合 ) with the comedy group The Drifters ( ザ·ドリフターズ ) and Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV ( 加トちゃんケンちゃんごきげんテレビ) with Cha Kato , another member of The Drifters .
Career
Ken Shimura became known in 1974 when he replaced Chū Arai ( 荒 井 注 , Arai Chū ; 1928-2000) in the famous comedy group The Drifters. With the help of the other members of the group, he learned how to act and make the audience laugh. Over time, he showed a talent for comedy. Some memorable images from this period are the mustache dance, in which he starred with Cha Katō and the song Higashimurayama, which refers to his homeland. With this group he participated in the weekly program Hachiji Dayo! Zen'inshūgō! from 1974 to 1985, with ratings of 40% to 50% in its prime . From 1977 he also took part in the television program Dorifu Daibakushō ( ド リ フ 大 爆笑 ; "Dorifu, great fit of laughter"), which were special skits with all The Drifters members that lasted one and a half hours.
He appeared as the main character from 1987 in his show Shimura Ken no Daijoubudā ( 志 村 け ん の だ い じ ょ う ぶ だ ab ), in which he played one of his most famous characters, Henna Ojisan ( 変 な お じ さ ん ; about "strange uncle") for the first time. After the end of Shimura Ken no Daijoubudā in 1993, Shimura took on the leading role in numerous shows on Fuji Television until his death . In 2006 he founded and directed his own comedy theater , Shimurakon ( 志 村 魂 ). Most recently he was a regular on his shows Tensai! Shimura Dōbutsuen ( 天才! 志 村 ど う ぶ つ 園 ) and Shimura de Night ( 志 村 で ナ イ ト ).
On March 20, 2020, Shimura was admitted to the hospital with a health problem, where he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia . On March 23, it was confirmed that he was suffering from COVID-19 . On March 24th, Shimura was transferred to the Kokuritsu Kokusai Iryō Kenkyū Center ( 国立 国際 医療 研究 セ ン タ ー ; Eng. "National Center for Global Health and Medicine", NCGM for short) in Shinjuku , where the ECMO was available. He was slated to star in the movie Kinema no kamisama ( キ ネ マ の 神 様 ), but his participation was canceled on March 26th. He was also supposed to take part in the Olympic torch relay of the 2020 Summer Olympics and carry the torch through part of his hometown of Higashimurayama. Shimura died on March 29, 2020 from complications from the disease in the NCGM.
Filmography
- Poppoya (1999), Hajime Yoshioka
- Der Lorax (2012), Der Lorax (Japanese dubbing voice)
- Yo-kai Watch (2014), Master Nyada (voice)
- Yell (2020, TV series)
Web links
- Ken Shimura in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- New York Post : Ken Shimura, 'Japan's Robin Williams,' dies from coronavirus at 70
Individual evidence
- ↑ Japanese comedian Ken Shimura died of the coronavirus. In: Südtirol News. Accessed March 31, 2020 (German).
- ↑ twittersmash.com/news/der-japanische-komiker-ken-shimura-diebt-an-coronavirus/
- ↑ edition.cnn.com/2020/03/30/entertainment/ken-shimura-coronavirus-scli-intl/index.html
- ↑ gulfnews.com/world/asia/coronavirus-japanese-comedian-ken-shimura-dies-of-covid-19-1.1585543440078
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shimura, Ken |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shimura, Yasunori (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese comedian and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 20, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Higashimurayama , Japan |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 29, 2020 |
| Place of death | Shinjuku , Tokyo |