Yusaku Matsuda
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese actor. Yusaku was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits....

 to a Zainichi Korean mother. His father is not known. His date was wrongly recorded as 1950 on his birth records due to a parental error in filing a report.

Career

He became an actor when he was 23 as a rookie police officer, the "Jeans Detective", for the 1970s Japanese TV detective drama called Taiyō ni hoero! (太陽にほえろ! "Bark at the Sun") in Japan. Apart from this role, his other defining role on television was in Tantei Monogatari (detective story), in which he starred as an incompetent private detective. He featured in many other TV shows and movies. He won the award for best actor at the 8th Hochi Film Award
Hochi Film Award
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the Hochi Shimbun.- Categories :*Best Picture*Best International Picture*Best Actor*Best Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress*Best New Artist*Special Award*Best Director- Winner :...

 for Detective Story
Detective Story (1983 film)
is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Kichitaro Negishi.-Synopsis:Naomi is a rich university student about to leave on a trip to America. Her father hires detective Shuichi Tsujiyama to watch over her, a situation that pleases neither Naomi or Shuichi. Things get complicated when Shuichi's ex-wife is...

and The Family Game
The Family Game
is a Japanese movie that was directed by Yoshimitsu Morita in 1983. The movie portrays the changing dynamics of Japanese family life around the time...

. He specialized in physical action movies. The 1989 movie Black Rain— directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...

 and Andy Garcia— opened the door for Matsuda as an international actor. However, shortly after he made this movie, he died due to bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...

, which he was diagnosed with in 1988. His legacy was succeeded by his four children (including Ryuhei
Ryuhei Matsuda
is a Japanese film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in Japanese films such as Taboo and Nana.-Early life:Matsuda was born on 9 May 1983 in Tokyo to Yusaku Matsuda, a Japanese actor, and Miyuki Matsuda , a Japanese actress. He has two siblings, one of whom is Japanese actor Shota...

 And Shota
Shota Matsuda
is a Japanese actor. His parents are the actors Yusaku Matsuda and Miyuki Matsuda, his older brother is the actor Ryuhei Matsuda, and his aunt is the actress Mami Kumagai. Matsuda is 181 cm tall. His father, Yusaku Matsuda was half-Korean, thus Shota and Ryuhei are a quarter Korean.Matsuda has...

, both of whom became actors).

Personal Life

His mother Kaneko Matsuda (nee Kim) was Korean who married a Japanese man, who perished during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After his death, Kaneko became a prostitute to support Yusaku's half brothers and met his father was married man. Matsuda never met his father. In 1966, he stayed with his aunt in America for one year.

He married Michiko Kumamoto in 1975 and had one daughter, before they divorced in 1981 after six years of marriage. In 1983, he married Miyuki Kumagai
Miyuki Matsuda
is a Japanese actress and the widow of Yusaku Matsuda.She starred as Ryo Ishibashi's dead wife and the sister of Mami Kumagai in the movie Audition...

 (whom their relationship begun when she was 17) and had three children (two of them would follow his footsteps in acting), before his death in 1989. He would become a grandfather, when his son Ryuhei's daughter was born on July 4, 2009.

Illness and death

In 1988, Matsuda was diagnosed with bladder cancer, before shooting began for Black Rain. According to his widow, Matsuda refused the doctor's orders of undergoing chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....

, as he thought it would affect his ability to act in the film. She also said that during the filming, he would urinate blood. After shooting of the film was finished in March 1989, his cancer had spread to his spine and lungs, making it inoperable. Director Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...

 and Matsuda's American co-stars Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...

, Andy Garcia
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...

, and Kate Capshaw
Kate Capshaw
Kate Capshaw is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. She is married to Steven Spielberg.-Early life:...

 highly praised him for his professionalism and performance, despite the fact that he was suffering.

On October 7, 1989, Matsuda was hospitalized. A month after he was admitted, Matsuda died at 6:45 PM JST on November 6 at the age of 40, at a Tokyo hospital. His death shocked the Japanese world, as he influenced a generation of fans through his work that is still being felt today.

He was buried in Nishitama cemetery, in Akiruno, Tokyo
Akiruno, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 80,621 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 73.34 km².-Geography:...

.

Film

Year Film Role
1973 Ookami no Monsho Haguro
1974 Tomodachi Komatsu
Ryoma Ansatsu Yuta
Abayo Dachi Ko
1976 Bouryoku Kyoshitsu
Hito Goroshi
1977 Ningen no Shomei Detective Koichiro Munesue
1978 Mottomo Kiken na Yugi Shouhei Narumi
Satsujin Yugi
1979 Midare Karakuri
Oretachi ni Haka wa Nai Katsuo Shima
The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf Tetsuya Asakura
Shokei Yugi Shohei Narumi
1980 Rape Hunter Nnerawareta Onna
Bara no Hyoteki Hotel guest
The Beast to Die Kunihiko Date
1981 Yokohama BJ Blues BJ
Kagero-za
Kagero-za
is a 1981 independent Japanese film directed by Seijun Suzuki and based on a novel by Kyōka Izumi. It forms the middle section of Suzuki's Taishō Roman Trilogy, preceded by Zigeunerweisen and followed by Yumeji , surrealistic psychological dramas and ghost stories linked by style, themes and the...

Shungo Matsuzaki
1983 The Family Game
The Family Game
is a Japanese movie that was directed by Yoshimitsu Morita in 1983. The movie portrays the changing dynamics of Japanese family life around the time...

Katsu Yoshimoto
Detective Story
Detective Story (1983 film)
is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Kichitaro Negishi.-Synopsis:Naomi is a rich university student about to leave on a trip to America. Her father hires detective Shuichi Tsujiyama to watch over her, a situation that pleases neither Naomi or Shuichi. Things get complicated when Shuichi's ex-wife is...

Shuichi Tsujiyama
1985 Sorekara
Sorekara (film)
is a 1985 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita.-Cast:-Awards and nominations:7th Yokohama Film Festival*Won: Best Music Score - Shigeru Umebayashi*6th Best Film-External links:...

Daisuke Nagai
1986 A Homansu Kaze
1988 Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (1988 film)
Wuthering Heights is a 1988 Japanese drama film directed by Yoshishige Yoshida, based on the novel by Emily Brontë. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Yusaku Matsuda - Onimaru* Yûko Tanaka - Kinu* Rentaro Mikuni - Takamaru...

Onimaru
A Chaos of Flowers
A Chaos of Flowers
A Chaos of Flowers is a 1988 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The theme is movements of society and art in Taishō period from a viewpoint of Akiko Yosano.-Cast:*Sayuri Yoshinaga as Akiko Yosano...

Takeo Arishima
1989 Black Rain Sato

Television

  • Taiyō ni Hoero!
  • Akai Meiro
  • Oretachi no Kunsho
  • Daitokai (Guest)
  • Saraba Ronin (Guest)
  • Daitokai Part II
  • Daitsuiseki (Guest)
  • Ameyukisan
  • Tantei Monogatari
  • Haru ga Kita
  • Shi no Dangai
  • Shin-Jiken Dr Stop
  • Home Sweet Home (Guest)
  • Anchan (Guest)
  • Nettai ya
  • Dansen
  • Shin-Yumechiyo Nikki
  • Onna Goroshi Abura no Jigoku
  • Ou otoko
  • Sakurako wa Warau
  • Kareinaru Tsuiseki - with Florence Griffith-Joyner
    Florence Griffith-Joyner
    Florence Griffith-Joyner , also known as Flo-Jo was an American track and field athlete. She is considered the "fastest woman of all time" based on the fact that she still holds the world record for both the 100 metres and 200 metres, both set in 1988 and never seriously challenged...


Characters modeled after him

  • "Aokiji", the role of a Marine Admiral in "One Piece
    One Piece
    is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...

    " (manga
    Manga
    Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

    ).
  • "Yagyu Jubei (柳生十兵衛)", the protagonist in "Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny
    Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny
    Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, released in Japan as is the second installment in the Onimusha series of video games. The plot revolves around a new protagonist, , as he battles a demonic Genma army which is invading 1571 Japan. Nobunaga Oda, a sinister warlord who was slain in the previous game,...

    " (video game).
  • "Spike Spiegel
    Spike Spiegel
    is the protagonist of the anime and manga series Cowboy Bebop. He won first place in the male character category of the Anime Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999.-Background:Spike is a fictional bounty hunter who was born on Mars, June 26, 2044...

    ", the main character in the series "Cowboy Bebop
    Cowboy Bebop
    is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...

    "
  • "Jinpei Matsuda", a detective from the manga and anime "Case Closed
    Case Closed
    Case Closed, known as in Japan, is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. The series is serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since February 2, 1994, and has been collected in 73 tankōbon volumes as of September 2011...

    "
  • "Shohei Narumi", a detective (named after his role as Shohei Narumi) from the video game "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
    Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
    is an action role-playing game in the Megami Tensei franchise published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It differs from the two previous Devil Summoner titles in having real-time battles and a named protagonist and is first in the entire franchise to be set in the past – specifically the...

    " and its sequel.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK