Shintarō Katsu (勝 新太郎, Shintarō Katsu), born Toshio Okumura (奥村 利夫 Okumura Toshio, November 29, 1931—June 21, 1997; nicknamed Katsu-shin) was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director. He was the son of kabuki performer Katsutoji Kineya (Kineya Katsutōji) who was renowned for his nagauta and shamisen skills, younger brother of actor Tomisaburo Wakayama (Wakayama Tomisaburō), husband of actress Tamao Nakamura (married in 1962), and father o...
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Shintarō Katsu (勝 新太郎, Shintarō Katsu), born Toshio Okumura (奥村 利夫 Okumura Toshio, November 29, 1931—June 21, 1997; nicknamed Katsu-shin) was a Japanese actor, singer, producer, and director. He was the son of kabuki performer Katsutoji Kineya (Kineya Katsutōji) who was renowned for his nagauta and shamisen skills, younger brother of actor Tomisaburo Wakayama (Wakayama Tomisaburō), husband of actress Tamao Nakamura (married in 1962), and father of actor Ryutaro Gan (Gan Ryūtarō).
His best known role was as blind Yakuza anma (masseur) Zatoichi in the series of films by the same name, which were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Katsu played Zatoichi in 25 movies between 1962 and 1973, starred and directed a 26th in 1989 and played the role in four seasons of a spin-off television series, the role comprising almost 30 years of his career.
Katsu became a force to be reckoned with within the Japanese entertainment industry during his long and varied career, not the least of which was...
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