, better known by his stage name (born April 17, 1954), is a Japanese

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and voice actor from

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

. He is a graduate of the Fine Arts department of

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

. Imamura began his career in the musical troupe Musical Company It's Follies ja] and was coached by

Nachi Nozawa was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was . Nozawa was the official dub-over artist of Al Pacino and Alain Delon, and also dubbed th ...

. Imamura

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

s himself as a hobby and has reportedly spent 4 to 5 million yen (the equivalent of $45,000 to $56,000) on tattoos over the course of a decade. From April 26 to June 7, 2010, Imamura posted pictures of his lower body on his blog with the intention of showing that his body had been completely tattooed. Imamura was arrested in July 2010 for posting images that were deemed indecent. This event forced Imamura to step down from his ongoing voice role as Emporio Ivankov in ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

'' (the role was subsequently inherited by

Mitsuo Iwata is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama.Endo, Akira et al. "Voice Actor Spotlight". (November 2006) ''Newtype USA''. pp. 110-111. He is previously married to voice actress Rikako Aikawa. Mania.com prais ...

). On September 1, Imamura was released following a summary proceeding at the Tokyo Public Prosecutor's Office and was given a fine of 500,000 yen (approximately $6,000).

Roles

Television animation

*''

'' (Emporio Ivankov (first voice)) *'' Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' ( Gas Skunk)

Dubbing roles

*''

The Birdcage ''The Birdcage'' is a 1996 American comedy film produced and directed by Mike Nichols. Elaine May's screenplay adapted the 1978 French film ''La Cage aux Folles (film), La Cage aux Folles'', itself an adaptation of a La Cage aux Folles (play), 1 ...

'' (Video/DVD edition) (Albert Goldman) *''

The Next Best Thing ''The Next Best Thing'' is a 2000 American comedy drama film directed by John Schlesinger and starring Madonna, Rupert Everett, and Benjamin Bratt. It follows a woman who has a one-night-stand with her gay best friend, which results in her givin ...

'' *''

Wasabi Wasabi (Japanese language, Japanese: , , or , ) or Japanese horseradish (''Eutrema japonicum'' syn. ''Wasabia japonica'') is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and Mustard plant, mustard in other genus, genera. ...

Stage

*''Chotto Nozo Itemitegoran'' *''Gotsugōshugi de Gyō Kō'' *''Charlie's Hengel'' *''Gotsugōshugi de Gyō Kō, Part 2: Heppiri Koshi de Gyō Kō'' *''Sammy's Bar Heyōkoso!'' *''Chotto Nozo Itemitegoran 2008'' *''Bakumatsu Samurai Densetsu -CHUJI-'' *''21-Seiki Chūnen! ~Saishūshō: Wagashi no On?~''

References

External links

Sheneo Blog
1954 births Japanese male stage actors Japanese male voice actors Living people Male voice actors from Gifu Prefecture Male actors from Gifu Prefecture Japanese LGBTQ actors People from Gifu {{Japan-bio-stub