Akira Tarao is a Japanese film actor, singer and musician. Since 2012, Akira is the only male actor to receive the Japan Record Award for Best Actor and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance.
Biography
Akira Terao was born on May 18, 1947 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. His father was actor and filmmaker Yukichi Uno. Akira was educated at Wako Gakuen School. He graduated from Daini High School and Hosei University. He received his acting education at the Bunka Gakuen Professional School.
Musical creativity
In 1966 he made his debut as bassist in a group called Group Sounds under the pseudonym Savage. The debut solo album was released in 1970.
As a performer and musician, Akira is best known for his 1981 hit "Ruby no Yubiwa" and the album that sold as "Reflections", which sold 1.6 million copies in Japan.
Actor career
As an actor, Akira Tarao made his debut in the 1968 film Chikado no Taiyi, directed by Kei Kumai. In 1985, Terao starred under Akira Kurosawa in his film Run. In 1990 he again appeared in the film "Dreams" by the same director, playing the role of himself in it. For director Takashi Kozumi, he played roles in the films After the Rain and The Professor's Favorite Equation.
Akira Tarao's talent as a dramatic actor was evident on the set of Yasashii Jikan, directed by Kazunari Ninomiya, and on the set of Change (2008), directed by Takuya Kimura.
At the 47-1th Blue Ribbon Awards, Akira Tarao received the Best Actor Award for Half Confession.
He also acted as a commercial actor for agencies such as Horipro and Ishihara International Productions. His current personal agency is Terao Music Offices.
Personal life
Akira Terao was married to the famous Taiwanese actress Banjaku Han, who lived in Japan and performed songs in Japanese. Their wedding took place in 1973, but already in 1974 the couple divorced.
Akira's current wife is Mayumi Hoshino.
According to close friends, Terao is famous for "wearing glasses and expressing nihilism."
One of the features of Akira's appearance is two moles on one cheek, so Tarao has the nickname "Hoppe", which means "cheek".
Cinematic creativity
Compared to other professional film actors, Terao does not often appear in films, so the list of his work is not long.
In 1968, Tarao starred in The Sands of Kurobe, a Japanese drama directed by Kei Kumai. With this film, Japan nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 41st Academy Awards. But for some reason, the film was not even nominated. The film's stellar cast, which included Toshiro Mifune and Yujiro Ishihara, contributed to its widespread popularity in Japan and beyond.
In 1985, Tarao played the role of Ishimonji Taro Takatora in the epoch-making drama "Ran" directed by Akira Kurosawa. The script is influenced by the play King Lear by William Shakespeare and various legends about the Daimy Maury Motonari. Starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Hidetora Ichimonji. The plot follows an aging warlord of the Sengoku period who decides to renounce his title in favor of his three sons. Ran is considered Akira Kurosawa's greatest film. Moreover, with a budget of $ 11 million, it became the most expensive Japanese film of its time. The film received critical acclaim, mainly for its powerful imagery and use of color, and the costume designer on the film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
In 1990, Akira plays the role of himself in the movie "Dreams". This is a Japanese-American magical and realistic 8 vignette film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The plot was inspired by Kurosawa's real dreams and became his first film in 45 years in which he was the only scriptwriter. The film was funded by the film company Warner Brothers and Kurosawa was assisted by such masters as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The film was shown out of competition at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival and received only positive reviews.
Madadayo (1993) is a Japanese comedy-drama film starring Akira Tarao as Sawamura. It became Akira Kurosawa's 30th and final film. The picture was shown at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected as the Best Foreign Language Film nomination at the 66th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
After the Rain (1999) is a Japanese and French film starring Akira Tarao as Ihei Misawa. The plot is based on the latest script by Akira Kurosawa, which was brought to life by his former assistant, 28-year-old director Takashi Koizumi. The film won the 1999 Japan Oscar in the 1999 Best Picture category.
"Letter from the Mountain" (2002) is a film with Tarao as Takao Ueda.
Kassern (2004) is a tokusatsu-style film starring Akira Tarao as Professor Kotor Azuma. Tokusatsu is an adaptation of the superhero anime series of the same name. Directed and written by Kazuaki Kiriya.
Half Confession (2004) is a film with Tarao as Soichiro Kaji. The motion picture, directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe, was selected as Best Film at the Japan Academy Awards.
"Into the Sun" (2005) is an action movie with Tarao as Matsuda. Directed by Christopher Morrison, starring Steven Seagal (who also produced the film). The original script was written by Trevor Miller, and the plot of the picture was a detective on the fight against drugs.
The Professor's Favorite Equation (2006) is a Japanese film directed by Takashi Kyozumi with Akira Terao in the title role of the professor. The script is based on the novel The Housekeeper and the Professor.
Samayu Yaiba (2009) is a Japanese film directed by Shouchi Mashiko with Terao as Shigeki Nagamine. The film is produced by the Toei Company and is based on the novel Samayou Yaiba by writer Keigo Higashino. In European countries and in the USA it was shown under the name "The Hovering Blade".
Awards
Akira Tarao was awarded the Japanese Medal of Honor with a purple ribbon in 2008. In 2018 - the Order of the Rising Sun of the 4th class with golden rays and a rosette.
