Summary
Masao Kusakari (草刈 正雄, Kusakari Masao, born September 5, 1952 in Yukuhashi, Fukuoka) is a Japanese actor and model.
Masao Kusakari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 5, 1952 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Children | Kuran Kusakari Mayū Kusakari |
Biography edit
Masao Kusakari was born in Fukuoka Prefecture to a Japanese mother Sueko from Yukuhashi, and an American father Robert H. Tolar from Tar Heel, North Carolina, a USAF mailman who was deployed to Tsuiki Base during Korean War. Masao was told by Sueko (who died in 2010) that Robert had died in the Korean War, and he believed so,[1] until NHK show "Family History" discovered[2] that Robert had left Japan to move back to the US before Masao was born, then deployed to West Germany for several years as a military personnel, and later settled back in North Carolina where he died in 2013. After Masao was born, Sueko left her hometown of Yukuhashi, where there were strong prejudices against children with mixed races, then settled in Kokura (Current Kitakyushu) where she worked for multiple jobs to raise Masao. Masao also started working as early as elementary school age as a newspaper delivery boy. He started his career as a fashion model in Fukuoka when he was a high school student. Considered stunningly good looking, Masao was scouted at age 17 by a model agency in Tokyo, where his debut into the public eye began when he became a model for Shiseido Cosmetics in the early 1970's. He joined Toho in 1974 and began his career as a screen actor.[3] He won his first major award at the Elan d'or Awards in 1975, and a year later, appeared in Kaze to Kumo to Niji to, a dream of his since early childhood to star in a taiga drama. From then to the early 1980's, Kusakari was one of the most popular actors in Japan.[3]
He won popularity again through his role in Sanada Maru in 2016.[4][5] In 2017, Kusakari won Best Supporting Actor of 10th Tokyo Drama Awards for his role in Sanada Maru.[6] In 2019, Kusakari appeared in the Asadora Natsuzora and played an important role that has a great influence on leading character Natsu's life.[7][8][9]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | ESPY | Jirō Miki | Jun Fukuda | ||
| Okita Sōji | Okita Sōji | Masanobu Deme | Lead role | ||
| Himiko | Takehiko | Masahiro Shinoda | |||
| 1975 | Gambare Wakadaishō | Shōzo Umeno aka Wakadaishō | Tsugunobu Kotani | Lead role | [10] |
| 1976 | Brother and Sister | Inokichi | Tadashi Imai | ||
| 1978 | Hi no Tori | Yumihiko of Matsuro | Kon Ichikawa | ||
| 1979 | G.I. Samurai | Masakichi | Kōsei Saitō | ||
| Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie | Hinatsu Mokutaro | Kon Ichikawa | |||
| 1980 | Virus | Yoshizumi | Kinji Fukasaku | Lead role | |
| 1981 | Eijanaika | Itoman | Shohei Imamura | ||
| 1982 | Yogoreta Eiyu | Masao Kitano | Haruki Kadokawa | Laed role | |
| 1987 | Horinonakano Playball | Junichi Mizuta | Norifumi Suzuki | Lead role | |
| 1989 | Yuwakusha | Kazuhiko Sotomura | Shunichi Nagasaki | ||
| 1995 | August in the Water | Gakuryū Ishii | |||
| 1999 | Hakuchi | Kogarashi | Makoto Tezuka | ||
| 2004 | Ultraman: The Next | Manjōme | Kazuya Konaka | ||
| 2013 | Casting Blossoms to the Sky | Nobuhiko Obayashi | |||
| 2018 | My Retirement, My Life | Michitarō Sano | Takeo Kikuchi | Lead role | |
| 2019 | Hit me Anyone One More Time | Daigo Tsurumaru | Kōki Mitani | ||
| 2022 | Dreaming of the Meridian Arc | The Governor of Chiba / Tokugawa Ienari | Kenji Nakanishi | [11] | |
| 2024 | Kingdom 4: The Return of the Great General | King Zhaoxiang of Qin | Shinsuke Sato | [12] | |
| TBA | Emergency Interrogation Room: The Final | Masanao Gōhara | Jōta Tsunehiro | [13] |
Television dramas edit
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Kaze to Kumo to Niji to | Kashima no Haruaki | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 1981 | Pro Hunter | Shunsuke Ryuzaki | NTV | Lead role | |
| 1985 | Sanada Taiheiki | Sanada Yukimura | NHK | [14] | |
| 1994 | Minami-kun no Koibito | Chiyomi's father | TV Asahi | ||
| Hana no Ran | Hino Katsumitsu | NHK | Taiga drama | ||
| 1996 | Furuhata Ninzaburō | Ken'ichirō Inui | Fuji TV | Episode 16 | |
| Iguana Girl | Masanori Aoshima | TV Asahi | |||
| 1997 | Mōri Motonari | Katsura Hirozumi | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2002 | Shopping Hero | TV Asahi | |||
| 2004 | Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy | TV Tokyo | |||
| 2005 | Yoshitsune | Taira no Tomoyasu | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2008 | Atsuhime | Abe Masahiro | NHK | Taiga drama | [15] |
| 2009 | Atashinchi no Danshi | Fuji TV | |||
| 2010 | Saka no Ue no Kumo | Katō Tomosaburō | NHK | ||
| 2011 | Gō | Honda Masanobu | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2012 | Priceless | Hirose | Fuji TV | ||
| 2014 | Emergency Interrogation Room | Masanao Gōhara | TV Asahi | [13] | |
| 2016 | Sanada Maru | Sanada Masayuki | NHK | Taiga drama | [14] |
| 2017 | Bakumatsu Gourmet Bushi Meshi! | The Lord | NHK | ||
| Doctor-X Season 5 | Kagenobu Uchikanda | TV Asahi | |||
| 2018 | Fūunji tachi | Tanuma Okitsugu | NHK | ||
| 2019 | Innocence, Fight Against False Charges | Shin Kurokawa | NTV | Special appearance | |
| Natsuzora | Taiju Shibata | NHK | Asadora | ||
| 2020 | Operation Z | Prime minister Ejima | Wowow | Lead role | |
| Love Begins When the Money Ends | Tomihiko Saruwatari | TBS | Miniseries | ||
| 2021 | A Man and His Cat | Kanda Fuyuki | TV Tokyo | Lead role | |
| 2022 | Chimudondon | Gorō Ōsato | NHK | Asadora | [16] |
Dubbing edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | George Downes (Rupert Everett) | 2000 NTV edition |
| 2008 | WALL-E | Captain B. McCrea[17] | |
| 2017 | Murder on the Orient Express | Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh)[18] |
Awards and prizes edit
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Elan d'or Awards | Newcomer of the Year | Himself | Won | [19] |
| 2017 | 10th Tokyo Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sanada Maru | Won | [20] |
References edit
- ^ "Kusakari Masao". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Masao Kusakari". Family History (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ a b 日本映画人名事典』男優篇 上巻、キネマ旬報社、1996 P.552
- ^ "草刈正雄 還暦過ぎてファースト写真集のワケ根がネガティブな男なんです". AERA DOT. 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
- ^ "売れ行き順調！ 草刈正雄芸歴47年で初写真集「次は脱がなきゃ」". AERA DOT. 2017-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
- ^ "堺雅人&草刈正雄 真田丸 親子が「東京ドラマアウォード」でツーショット". マイナビニュース. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
- ^ "「なつぞら」草刈正雄の名演にネット号泣「もう無理」「涙で字幕が」". スポニチ. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
- ^ "「なつぞら」草刈正雄の深イイ演技で再注目 NHK朝ドラ歴代"名脇役おじさん"11選". 文集オンライン. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
- ^ "なつぞら 草刈正雄の演技＆セリフに心打たれる人続出". News ポストセブン. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
- ^ "Gambare Wakadaishō". Kinenote. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "志の輔の落語を実写化した「大河への道」に岸井ゆきの、橋爪功ら出演、全員1人2役". Natalie. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "実写『キングダム』昭王役は草刈正雄！予告編に登場". Cinematoday. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b "劇場版「緊急取調室」に杉咲花、眞島秀和、草刈正雄、比嘉愛未らドラマキャスト集結". natalie. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "【真田丸】草刈正雄、「丹波さんが見ているような気がした」". Oricon. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "篤姫の出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "草刈正雄:朝ドラで次女・麻有と親子役共演「ちむどんどん」最終週に登場". Mantan-web. 23 September 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ "ウォーリー". Disney. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ "オリエント急行殺人事件(2017)". Wowow. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "エランドール賞歴代受賞者一覧". All Nippon Producers Association. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Tokyo Drama Awards 2017
External links edit
- Official profile (in Japanese)
- Masao Kusakari at IMDb