Taiji Tonoyama (殿山 泰司, Tonoyama Taiji, October 17, 1915 – April 30, 1989) was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989.[1] He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members.[2] He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company Kindai Eiga Kyokai with Shindo and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.
Taiji Tonoyama | |
|---|---|
殿山 泰司 | |
 | |
| Born | October 17, 1915 |
| Died | April 30, 1989 (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Actor |
He served in the Japanese military in China in the Second Sino-Japanese War and considered himself to have narrowly escaped from death.[2] He was married but also had a mistress and maintained relationships with both women until the end of his life.[2] He was a keen reader of detective stories and a fan of jazz music.[2] He wrote a series of semi-autobiographical essays under the title Sanmon Yakusha (三文役者), meaning "third rate actor". Kaneto Shindo wrote a biography of Tonoyama called Sanmon yakusha no shi,[n 1] meaning "The death of a third-rate actor", which he also filmed as By Player.[2][3]
Filmography (selected)
Books
| Date | Romanized title | Original title | Notes | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Nihon onna chizu: shizen wa nikutai ni donna eikyo o ataeru ka | 日本女地図: 自然は、肉体にどんな影響を与えるのか | A comparison of women's bodies, particularly their vaginas, in different parts of Japan. | ISBN 978-4-04-154201-9 |
| 1980 | Sanmon yakusha anaki den parts one to three | 三文役者あなあきい伝PART1~PART3 | ISBN 978-4-480-02937-9 |
Notes
References
External links
- Taiji Tonoyama at IMDb
- Tonoyama Taiji at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
- Goo Movies