Ben Wada (和田勉 ''Wada Ben''), born ''Tsutomu Wada'', (June 3, 1930January 14, 2011) was a producer for the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese TV channel

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

. He was the husband of the

costume design Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for a performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a ...

Emi Wada Emi Wada (和田惠美, ''Wada Emi'', 18 March 1937 – 13 November 2021) was a Japanese costume designer who worked extensively in stage, screen, and ballet productions. She was born in Kyoto, and attended Kyoto City University of Arts before ...

Biography

Ben Wada was born in

Matsusaka is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 157,235 in 66,018 households and a population density of 250 people per km². The total area of the city is . The city is famous for Matsusaka beef. Geography ...

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture an ...

. After attending

Sugamo is a neighborhood in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. It is home to , a shopping street popular among the older generation, earning it the nickname "Granny's Harajuku." It lies at the crossing point of the JR Yamanote Line and National Route 17. Availabl ...

Middle School and Senior High School, Wada graduated from the Drama department of the Literature Faculty at

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

. He joined NHK in 1953 and worked as a freelance

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. His contemporaries include Hisanori Isomura and

Naoya Yoshida is a Japanese football player. He plays for Thespakusatsu Gunma. Career Naoya Yoshida joined Tonan Maebashi in 2017. In August, he moved to Thespakusatsu Gunma , formerly is a professional Association football, football (soccer) club based ...

. Working primarily as a director/producer, Wada was in charge of projects such as '' Ashura no gotoku'', '' Za Shōsha'' and numerous TV dramas. He retired in 1987 and continued to make advances in his field even after retirement. '' Harimao'' was Wada's debut as a

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. Wada published a collection of memoirs and writings entitled ''TV Autobiography—Farewell My Love'' in 2003. Wada died from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

on January 14, 2011. Wada's widow,

, was a

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

Partial filmography

* '' The Perfect Education'' (1999) * '' Harimao'' (1989)

References

External links

* 1930 births 2011 deaths People from Matsusaka, Mie Japanese television producers Japanese television directors Deaths from esophageal cancer in Japan Waseda University alumni {{Japan-bio-stub