Yūjirō Ishihara | |
|---|---|
 Ishihara in 1957 | |
| Born | (1934-12-28)December 28, 1934 Kobe, Japan |
| Died | July 17, 1987(1987-07-17) (aged 52) Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | actor and singer |
| Years active | 1956–1982 |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Spouse | |
Yūjirō Ishihara (石原 裕次郎,Ishihara Yūjirō, December 28, 1934 – July 17, 1987) was a Japaneseactor and singer born inKobe.[1] His elder brother wasShintaro Ishihara, an author, politician, and the Governor ofTokyo between 1999 and 2012. Yujiro's film debut was the 1956 filmSeason of the Sun, based ona novel written by his brother.[1] He was beloved by many fans as a representative youth star in the films ofpostwar Japan and subsequently as a macho movie hero. His early death from liver cancer was a major public event in Japan.[2]
Ishihara grew up inKobe,Otaru, andZushi.[1] His father, an employee ofMitsui O.S.K. Lines, was fromEhime Prefecture, and his mother was fromMiyajima,Hiroshima.[3]Ishihara attended Otaru Fuji Kindergarten and then Otaru City Inaho Elementary School. During his elementary school years he participated in competitive swimming and skied on Mt. Tengu. He then attended Zushi City Zushi junior High School, where he began playingbasketball.[2] He aimed to enter Keio Senior High School, but did not pass the entrance examination. He enrolled atKeio Shiki Boys' Senior High School, but in 1951 was admitted to Keio Senior High School. Afterward he entered the political science department of the school of law atKeio University, associated with the high school, but reportedly spent all his time playing around.
Wanting to become an actor, he auditioned atToho,Daiei Film andNikkatsu, but did not pass any of his auditions. However, in 1956, with help from producerTakiko Mizunoe and his brother Shintaro, he received a bit-part in the film adaptation of Shintaro'sAkutagawa Prize-winningSeason of the Sun, making his film debut. Afterwards he withdrew from Keio University to work for Nikkatsu, playing the lead in the film adaptation of Shintaro's novelCrazed Fruit.[2]
At the 1958Blue Ribbon Awards Ishihara won the prize for best new actor for the 1957 filmsWashi to taka andMan Who Causes a Storm.[2] He would go on to become one of the representative stars of the Showa Era with his twin acting and singing career, but his life was one made harder by illness and injury.[2]
In 1960 he married actressMie Kitahara, his co-star in a number of films beginning in 1956 withCrazed Fruit.[2]
Ishihara, together withAkira Kobayashi, was the main male star at Nikkatsu at the time of Nikkatsu's move into theRoman Porno soft porn market. Yūjirō foundedIshihara Promotion [ja] in order to make regular films.[1]Kurobe's Sun, which he produced, was a great success, but other movies he produced failed and he was forced to appear in television dramas to make ends meet.[2]
Ishihara survived anoral cancer of the tongue in 1978, and anaortic aneurysm in 1981, supported by friends, family, and his legion of fans. However he was later diagnosed withliver cancer and died atKeio University Hospital on July 17, 1987 at 4:26 a.m. He was 52 years old.[4] His final appearance as an actor was in the final episode of popular detective television dramaTaiyō ni Hoero! InTaiyō ni Hoero! Ishihara had played the role of Shunsuke Todō for 14 years and gained new popularity.[5]
Throughout his life Ishihara abused alcohol andtobacco, and ate meals that were lacking in vegetables; this unhealthy lifestyle is generally acknowledged as contributing to his early death.[4]
Yujiro Ishihara was called a JapaneseElvis Presley and his films and music are still followed by lovers of theShōwa period. On the anniversary of his death, July 17, his mourning ceremony is often rebroadcast on television.[citation needed]
His grave is a granitegorintō, atSōji-ji temple inTsurumi,Yokohama,Kanagawa. A memorial museum opened on June 21, 1991, inOtaru, Hokkaido.[4]
In 1996 his older brother, Shintaro, published a biography,Otōto (弟), (Younger Brother), that won the Mainichi Bungakusho Special Prize and became the basis of a drama broadcast byTV Asahi in 2004.
His image features on a 1997 Japanese postage stamp.[6]
Media related toYujiro Ishihara at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
