Eitarō Ozawa | |
|---|---|
 Ozawa in 1956 | |
| Born | (1909-03-27)27 March 1909 |
| Died | 23 April 1988(1988-04-23) (aged 79) |
| Other names | Sakae Ozawa |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1930–1988 |
Eitarō Ozawa (小沢 栄太郎,Ozawa Eitarō, 27 March 1909 – 23 April 1988), also credited asSakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese film actor and stage actor and director.[1] He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such asKenji Mizoguchi,Mikio Naruse,Keisuke Kinoshita andKaneto Shindō.[2][3]
After leaving high school prematurely, Ozawa started acting in theleft-wing theatre groups Toho Sayoku Gekijo and Shinkyo Gekidan.[1] He gave his film debut at the P.C.L. film studio (laterToho) in 1935.[2] In 1940, the authorities ordered the dissolution of the Shinkyo Gekidan and arrested many of its members, including Ozawa, who was forced to change his stage name Sakae to his real name Eitarō.[1] After his release, he joined theShochiku studio and starred in films byTomu Uchida,Tomotaka Tasaka and Keisuke Kinoshita.[1] In 1944, he co-founded the Haiyuza theatre group, but was drafted in the same year.[1] After thewar, he returned to the Haiyuza and started appearing in films again such asYasujirō Ozu'sRecord of a Tenement Gentleman (1947),Akira Kurosawa'sScandal (1950) and Mizoguchi'sUgetsu (1953) andThe Crucified Lovers (1954).[1] For a few years, he took his former stage name Sakae again, before ultimately returning to Eitarō.[1]
In addition to acting, Ozawa was active as a director of stage plays, includingBertolt Brecht'sThe Good Person of Szechwan which he had seen performed inBerlin,[4] and as a writer.[1]
