Kazuya Takahashi (高橋 和也, Takahashi Kazuya, born 20 May 1969) is a Japanese actor,[1][2] singer, songwriter and bassist. He was a vocalist and bassist of Otokogumi, the Japanese rock band which was active during late 1980s and early 1990s.[3][4] Takahashi has appeared in more than 50 films since 1988.
Kazuya Takahashi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kazuya Takahashi (高橋 一也, Takahashi Kazuya) 20 May 1969 Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Career
He was a vocalist and bassist of Otokogumi, the Japanese rock band debuted in August, 1988.[3][4] The debut single titled "Daybreak" recorded the weekly Top Singles Sales on the Oricon in Japan and Otokogumi won the Best New Artist Award in the 30th Japan Record Awards. Otokogumi released 10 singles and 8 albums in total.
After the inactivation of Otokogumi in 1993, he has released songs in the genres of rock and country music. He is a big fan of Hank Williams.[5]
Takahashi has appeared in more than fifty films since 1988.
Selected filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rock yo shizukani nagareyo | Tsutomu "Tonda" Toda | Lead role | |
| 1995 | Kamikaze Taxi | Tatsuo | ||
| 2001 | Hush! | Naoya Hase | ||
| 2008 | Still Walking | Nobuo Kataoka | ||
| 2010 | Sword of Desperation | Denichirō | ||
| 2013 | Like Father, Like Son | Daisuke Nonomiya | ||
| Shield of Straw | ||||
| 2014 | Puzzle | |||
| The Light Shines Only There | Nakajima | |||
| 2016 | Jinx!!! | Kiyoharu Satō | [6] | |
| After the Storm | ||||
| 2017 | Ringside Story | |||
| 2018 | Tatta Ichido no Uta | Daisuke Gotoda, Norihiko Tachibana | ||
| 2019 | The Journalist | |||
| Hot Gimmick: Girl Meets Boy | ||||
| Family of Strangers | Ōtani | |||
| The Flowers of Evil | Sawa's father | |||
| 2021 | Suicide Forest Village | [7] | ||
| Shrieking in the Rain | Tachibana | [8] | ||
| 2022 | Once Hit the Bottom | Masato Makishima | [9] | |
| Tsuisō Journey | Mysterious man | [10] | ||
| The Broken Commandment | [11] | |||
| 2023 | Between the White Key and the Black Key | Miki | [12] | |
| 2024 | Onpaku | Hong Kong film | [13] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Aoi | Ōno Harufusa | Taiga drama | |
| 2007 | Fūrin Kazan | Baba Nobuharu | Taiga drama | [14] |
| 2012 | Victory in Defeat | Eisaku Satō | ||
| 2016 | Sanada Maru | Ukita Hideie | Taiga drama | |
| 2017 | Edo Castle Muketsu Kaijō | Katsu Kaishū | ||
| 2018 | Smoking | Kenuma | ||
| 2019 | Ieyasu, Edo wo Tateru | |||
| Everyone's Demoted | Kōhei Hanazawa | |||
| 2022 | He's Expecting | Dr. Tatsuomi Nakajima | ||
| 2023 | The Days | [15] |
Dubbing
- Lee Byung-hun
- Beautiful Days – Lee Min-chul
- All In – Kim In-ha
- Everybody Has Secrets – Choi Su-hyeon
- A Bittersweet Life – Kim Sun-woo
- Once in a Summer – Yun Suk-young
- The Good, the Bad, the Weird – Park Chang-yi[16]
- I Saw the Devil – Soo-hyun
- Masquerade (BS Japan edition) – King Gwanghae/Ha-sun
- Memories of the Sword – Deok-gi/Yoo-baek
- The Transporter (2004 TV Asahi edition) – Darren "Wall Street" Bettencourt (Matt Schulze)
Discography
Albums
- 1994 BrandNew Road to the Origin (Kazuya and Rock Fork)
- 2000 Nervous Circus Kiki-Ippatu (Kazuya Takahashi with Nervous Circus)
- 2020 Love from the MOUNTAIN (The Driving Cowboys)
Singles
- 2011 Tokyo Boogiey Life