, born Satoshi Nakamura (also credited as Tatsu Nakamura and Tetu Nakamura), was a Japanese film actor and

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

active from the 1940s to the 1980s. He featured in over 40 films.

Early years

Born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, to a father involved in the lumber industry, Nakamura studied at

Britannia Secondary School , motto_translation = Through The Right Way , founded = 1908 , schoolboard = School District 39 Vancouver , superintendent = Helen McGregor , trustee = tba , number ...

before enrolling at a music academy to become a baritone singer. After graduating, he performed on radio and in recitals before moving to Japan in 1940. There he enrolled in

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literal ...

's film acting school, and graduated in 1941. In the meantime, he was selected by the opera singer

Yoshie Fujiwara was a Japanese tenor singer. Biography He was born in Osaka. His mother Kinu Sakata was a biwa-player and a geisha, worked in Shimonoseki of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Her mother was born in Osaka too. His father, Neil Brodie Reid, (November 30, ...

to appear as Escamillo in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...

'' in a performance at the Kabuki-za.

Career

He became a contract actor at the

Toho Studios is a Japanese film production company that is a subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd. Founded in November 8, 1971 as , the company originally served as a spin-off of Toho's original production department, and produced over 160 films. In December 2020, ...

in 1942, and started appearing in roles in such films as ''The Opium War'' (1943), ''

Ano hata o ute ( Filipino: ''Liwayway ng Kalayaan'') also known as ''Dawn of Freedom'',, pp. 100-102 and ''Shoot That Flag: The End of Corregidor'' is a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Yutaka Abe and Gerardo de León. Synopsis The opening credi ...

'', and ''

Aru yoru no tonosama Aru or ARU may refer to: Education * Alpha Rho Upsilon, a defunct fraternity in the United States * Anglia Ruskin University, a university in England * Ardhi University, a Tanzanian public university Places * Aru Islands Regency, a group of isla ...

'' (1946). After touring the United States as part of Fujiwara's opera company in 1953, he concentrated on film acting. With his fluency in English, he often appeared in foreign co-productions. He played the antagonist in ''

Tokyo File 212 ''Tokyo File 212'' (Japanese: ) is a 1951 spy film directed by and . George Breakston wrote the film's script and co-produced it with Dorrell McGowan jointly under the banner of their newly formed Breakston–McGowan Productions and Japanese ...

'' (1951) and a supporting role in '' Geisha Girl'' (1952). Writing about ''Tokyo File 212'' in his book ''Korean War Filmography'', Robert J. Lentz opined that "Nakamura assmooth and oily as the villain Oyama, who at heart asas much a capitalist as a Communist". His other prominent roles include Dr. Robert Suzuki in George Breakston's

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univer ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

The Manster is an American science-fiction horror film. Shot in Japan, it was produced by George P. Breakston and directed by Breakston and Kenneth G. Crane from a screenplay by Walter J. Sheldon. Sheldon's script was based on Breakston's story which he or ...

'' (1962), Japanese Ambassador in the international co-production ''

Red Sun ''Red Sun'' (french: Soleil rouge, it, Sole rosso) is a 1971 Franco-Italian international co-production Spaghetti Western film directed by Terence Young and starring Charles Bronson, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, and Capucine ...

'' (1971), Dr. Kawamoto in the B-movie ''

The Last Dinosaur is a 1977 Japanese/American tokusatsu co-production, co-directed by Alexander Grasshoff and Tsununobu Kotani (the latter billed as Tom Kotani),Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films''. McFarland, p. 379 ...

'' (1977) and other roles in '' Oriental Evil'' (1951), '' Futari no hitomi'' (1952), '' The H-Man'' (1958), ''

Mothra is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...

'' (1961), '' The Lost World of Sinbad'' (1963) and '' Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi'' (1965). He also appeared on television well into the 1980s.

Partial filmography

*''Ano hata o ute'' (1944) *''Kôfuku eno shôtai'' (1947) *''Koun no isu'' (1948) *''

'' (1951) - Mr. Oyama *'' Oriental Evil'' (1951) - Noritomu Moriaji *'' Geisha Girl'' (1952) - Tetsu Nakano *'' Futari no hitomi'' (1952) *''Senkan Yamato'' (1953) *''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

'' (1954) - Yamadori *''Tokyo da you okkasan'' (1957) *'' The Mysterians'' (1957) - Dr. Koda *'' The H-Man'' (1958) - Mr. Chin, gangster *''Yaju shisubeshi'' (1959) *''

'' (1959) - Dr. Robert Suzuki *''Wakai koibitotachi'' (1959) - Customer at Bar B *''Kaoyaku to bakudan musume'' (1959) *''Samurai to oneechan'' (1960) - Daisaku Tsubaki *''

Storm Over the Pacific (literally, ''Hawaii-Midway Battle of the Sea and Sky: Storm in the Pacific Ocean'') is a 1960 Eastmancolor Japanese war film directed by Shūe Matsubayashi. The story is an account of a young Japanese bombardier, Lt. Koji Kitami (Yosuke Natsuki) ...

'' (1960) *''Gasu ningen dai 1 gô'' (1960) - Journalist *''The Big Wave'' (1961) - Toru's Father *''Honkon no yoru'' (1961) *''

'' (1961) - Nelson's Henchman *'' Attack Squadron!'' (1963) *''Gojuman-nin no isan'' (1963) - Asian man *'' Interpol Códe 8'' (1963) - Binh Hoa *'' The Lost World of Sinbad'' (1963) - Chief Archer *'' Atragon'' (1963) - Warship Captain *'' Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Tora no kiba'' (1964) - Okada *''Hi no ataru isu'' (1965) *'' Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi'' (1965) - Sritai *''Kureji no daiboken'' (1965) *''Nippon ichi no gorigan otoko'' (1966) *''Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Zettai zetsu'' (1967) - Head of ZZZ Hong Kong Branch Office *'' Latitude Zero'' (1969) - Dr. Okada *'' Space Amoeba'' (1970) - Chieftain Ombo *''

'' (1971) - Japanese Ambassador *''

Tidal Wave Tidal wave may refer to: Seas and oceans * A tidal bore, which is a large movement of water formed by the funnelling of the incoming tide into a river or narrow bay * A storm surge, or tidal surge, which can cause waves that breach flood defence ...

'' (1973) - Philippines Ambassador to United Nations *'' Marco'' (1973) - Sea Captain *''Karei-naru ichizoku'' (1974) - Shirakawa *'' Mastermind'' (1976) - Mr. Hiruta *''

'' (1977) - Dr. Kawamoto (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Tetsu 1909 births 1992 deaths Japanese male film actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male actors of Japanese descent Canadian emigrants to Japan 20th-century Japanese male opera singers Male actors from Vancouver Musicians from Vancouver