Akira Kobayashi
Akira Kobayashi | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 3, 1938 |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Kyōko Aoyama (m. 1967) |
Akira Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 旭, Hepburn: Kobayashi Akira, born November 3, 1938) is a Japanese actor and singer. His nickname is Maito Gai (マイトガイ, "Might Guy").[1]
Biography[]
Kobayashi attended Meiji University but left before graduating. He became an actor at Nikkatsu and made his film debut in 1956.[2] He solidified his popularity with such films as Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite (A Farewell to Southern Tosa) and starred in the "Wataridori" ("Rambler") and "Senpūji" ("Whirlwind Child") film series. Kobayashi, along with Yujiro Ishihara and others, formed the core of 's golden age.
In 1972, he left Nikkatsu and signed with Toei. There he starred in many yakuza films, including Battles Without Honor and Humanity series.[3] Kobayashi was married to popular singer Misora Hibari in 1962, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later in 1964.[4] He remarried actress in 1967, and she later died in 2020.
Music[]
Kobayashi sang some of the theme songs from his movies such "Gitā o Motta Wataridori" ("The Guitar-toting Rambler") and "Ginza Maitogai" ("Ginza's Whirlwind Child"), which became hits.
In addition to those songs, he also performed the song "Jidōsha Shō Ka" ("Auto Show Song") (which, in 2005, was featured in Asahi Breweries' "Cocktail Partner" commercial) and comical songs like "Koi no Yamanotesen" ("The Yamanote Line of Love") and a few songs of the enka variety, such as "Mukashi no Namae de Dete imasu" ("I'm Going by My Old Name") and "Tsuite kuru kai" ("Will you follow me?").
Selected filmography[]
- Films
- Shori-sha (1957) cameo
- Kawakami Tetsuharu monogatari sebangō 16 (1957)
- Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate (1957)
- Rusty Knife (1958)
- Young Breasts (1958)
- Zesshō (1958)
- (1959)
- Kanto Wanderer (1963)
- Our Blood Will Not Forgive (1964)
- The Flower and the Angry Waves (1964)
- Black Tight Killers (1966)
- Retaliation (1968)
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War (1973)
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics (1974)
- Bannai Tarao (1978)
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode (1974)
- Conquest (1982)
- Haru kuru oni (1989) (Directed)
- Television
- Ryūkyū no Kaze (1993)
Golf[]
He is a professional golf player. He belongs to the International Sports Promotion Society.
References[]
- ^ Mighty Guy Label Archived 2010-02-11 at the Wayback Machine Kobayashi's official site
- ^ "Kobayashi Akira". Nihon jinmei daijiten+Plus. Kōdansha. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "小林旭". Nikkatsu. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ "美空ひばりが小林旭と結婚した意外な理由とは？！". rbbtoday. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
External links[]
- Official website
- "AKIRA KOBAYASHI". at The Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2009-01-27. External link in
|work=(help) - Akira Kobayashi at IMDb
- "小林旭 (Kobayashi Akira)". JMDB (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-19. External link in
|work=(help)
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- Japanese male singers
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