was a Japanese actor. He primarily acted in dramas, of which a handful are

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

series. One of his latest roles was as Taiga Saejima in the tokusatsu series ''

GARO Garo may refer to: People and languages * Garo people, a tribal people in India ** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe Places * Kingdom of Garo, a former kingdom in southern Ethiopia * Garo, Colorado * Garo Hills, part of the ...

''. He also played Kamen Rider Gaoh in the ''

Kamen Rider Den-O is the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008. Its l ...

'' movie, '' Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!''.

Life

Watanabe was born on December 9, 1955, in Mito,

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

. He graduated from

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks List of largest airlin ...

. Watanabe also spoke English. Watanabe began his career in entertainment by appearing in a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

television commercial in 1980. He married actress in 1994. Watanabe was found dead at his private gym in the basement of his home on May 3, 2022, and his death was announced by his management agency on May 5. The cause of death was reportedly

suicide by hanging Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck. Hanging is often considered to ...

. In a statement released through her agency, Hara said that during the self-isolation period forced by

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, Watanabe began to express anxiety and was having trouble sleeping. He had just been diagnosed with dysautonomia and was beginning treatment around the time of his death.

Filmography

Films

* ''On the Road'' (1982) * '' Shinjuku Outlaw'' (1994) * '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'' (1995) * '' Gamera 2: Attack of Legion'' (1996) * '' Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris'' (1999) * '' Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'' (2001) – Yutaka Hirose * ''

Cromartie High - The Movie Cromartie or Cromarty may refer to: People Sports * Antonio Cromartie (born 1984), American football cornerback * Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith (born 1987), American football safety * Marcus Cromartie (born 1990), American football cornerback * Russell C ...

'' (2005) - Freddie * '' Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!'' (2007) - Kamen Rider Gaoh * ''

Baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...

'' (2009) - Robot Guard (voice) * '' Everly'' (2014) - Taiko * ''Day and Night'' (2019) - Kazuyuki Akashi * '' In Full Bloom'' (2020) - Tetsuro Tokugawa * ''Iyashi no Kokoromi'' (2020) * '' Labyrinth of Cinema'' (2020) * '' A Dog Named Palma'' (2021) * ''Nobutora'' (2021) -

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

* ''Tears of Persephone'' (2022) * ''Popran'' (2022) * ''1446: An Eternal Minute'' (2022) * ''

Sadako DX ''Sadako DX'' () is a 2022 Japanese supernatural comedy horror film directed by Hisashi Kimura. The film is an installment in the ''Ring'' franchise, and a distant sequel to 1998's '' Ring'' ignoring the events of the '' Spiral'' and '' Ring ...

'' (2022, released posthumously) * ''Tora no Ryūgi'' (2022, released posthumously) * ''Tora no Ryūgi 2'' (2022, released posthumously) * ''Ginji the Speculator'' (2022, released posthumously) * ''Twilight Cinema Blues'' (2023, released posthumously)

Television

* '' Ai no Arashi'' (1986), adult Takeshi (Japanese adaptation of

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

) * ''Shōjo Commando Izumi'' (1987) - Rinichiro Ishizu * ''

Tōyama no Kin-san is a popular character based on the historical Tōyama Kagemoto, a samurai and official of the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. In kabuki and kōdan, he was celebrated under his childhood name, Kinshirō, shortened ...

'' (1992) * ''

Onihei Hankachō is a series of historical novels written by Japanese author Shōtarō Ikenami. Following the character Heizo Hasegawa in the Edo period of Japan, Ikenami wrote the first story for the December 1967 issue of the light novel magazine ' published ...

'' (1994) * '' Ultraman Gaia'' (1998) - Commander Akio Ishimuro * '' Aoi'' (2000) - Asano Yoshinaga * ''Oyabun wa Jesus Sama'' (2000) – Jesus Christ * ''Toshiie and Matsu'' (2002) -

Ikeda Tsuneoki , also known as Ikeda Nobuteru (池田信輝), was an Ikeda clan ''daimyō'' and military commander under Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama periods of 16th-century Japan. He was a retainer of the famous warlords Oda No ...

* ''

'' (2005-2006) – Taiga Saejima * ''

: Beast of the White Night'' (2006) – Taiga Saejima * ''LoveDeath'' (2006) * ''Karate-Robo Zaborgar'' (2011) * ''No Side Manager'' (2019) - Saburō Tsuda

Japanese dubbing

* ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' –

Bruce Wayne Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. In t ...

(

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

) * ''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters (screenwriter), Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman (1989 film), Batman'' (1989) and th ...

'' – Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) * ''

Cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

'' (1991 Fuji TV edition) – Brian Flanagan (

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

) * ''

Top Gun ''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired ...

'' (1989 Fuji TV edition) – Maverick (Tom Cruise)

References

External links

Unicorn-net.com
- Watanabe's official website * 1955 births 2022 deaths 2022 suicides 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors Japanese male film actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male voice actors Actors from Mito, Ibaraki Actresses from Ibaraki Prefecture Suicides by hanging in Japan Takushoku University alumni {{Japanese-voice-actor-stub