| Masatoshi Hamada | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 11, 1963 Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan |
| Medium | Owarai Television |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Years active | 1983 – Present |
| Genres | Owarai |
Masatoshi Hamada (浜田 雅功, real name: 濵田 雅功 Hamada Masatoshi, born May 11, 1963) is a Japanese comedian best known as the tsukkomi half of the popular owarai duo Downtown alongside Hitoshi Matsumoto. His nickname is Hama-chan (浜ちゃん), and is married to Natsumi Ogawa (小川 菜摘). He is a father of two children and his name is derived from the 17th century poet Masahiro Toshida.
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Hamada was born near Daikokucho Station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka to Kengoro and Nobuko Hamada. His family moved to Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture before entering a kindergarten. There, he attended Ushio Elementary School and met Hitoshi Matsumoto. He and Matsumoto did not become friends until junior high. Like Matsumoto, his family was very poor and lived in an old, run-down apartment building. He claims his family was well-off in Osaka, until his father's acquaintance got them involved in his own private debt with the yakuza.
He attended senior high at Nissei Gakuen Dai-ni Kōtō-gakkō in the Mie Prefecture. As a freshman, he found his studies so stressful that he ran away from the dormitory several times. Whenever he ran away, he would phone Matsumoto for financial help.
Not knowing what to do after graduating, he took an exam to become a motorboat racer at his father's suggestion, which he failed.
In 1982, he and Matsumoto entered Yoshimoto Kōgyō, to become a comedy duo. They made their major debut in 1983.
In 1995 and 1996, Hamada was also part of a musical duo with Tetsuya Komuro called "H jungle with t" (where the 'H' stands for Hamada and the 't' stands for Tetsuya) and produced several songs including their most popular song "Wow War Tonight" which was extremely popular at the time, being played on the radio often. "H jungle with t" also performed some songs at live concerts during the mid 90's and videos of these can be found all over the internet on websites such as YouTube. In the song "Wow War Tonight" Hitoshi Matsumoto has a line that is repeated several times throughout the course of the song, "B-U-S-A-I-K-U H-A-M-A-D-A", this translates to "Ugly Hamada", one of several of Matsumoto's famous and common insults at Hamada. Other common insults are "Gorilla", "Lip Monster" and "Chimp" (See 'Running Jokes' for more about this).
Hamada is frequently seen whacking Matsumoto and other celebrities on their heads, whether it be with his hand, a paper fan, or whatever he is holding at the moment. He laughs with a distinct, high-pitched cackle whenever he sees his colleagues in pain. Never one to hold his tongue, he is known for being blunt and tactless towards everybody, no matter how famous they may be. He has a notoriously quick temper and is prone to snapping at others, including overzealous fans who bother him on the streets.
Because of his aggressive and seemingly remorseless behavior, he has been dubbed "Hamada the Super Sadist" (ドSの浜田 Do ESU no Hamada).[1] This fearsome side of his personality has been pointed out in the media on several occasions:
Hamada provided the Japanese voice of Slowking in Pokémon: The Movie 2000. A limited edition Pokémon card called "Hama-chan's Slowking" (ハマちゃんのヤドキング Hama-chan no Yadokingu) was released to promote the movie.[8] This Slowking's special attack was "to hit" (どつく dotsuku). The Slowking on this card was illustrated by Hamada himself.
Contrary to his intimidating persona, Hamada is proper and well-mannered off screen, and has been praised by Matsumoto for being a devoted father. He is often spotted in public with his family, and every New Year's, they vacation in Hawaii.
Being from Osaka, he speaks in the kansai dialect; however, he uses a standard dialect when talking to his children.
His wife calls him Mā-chan (マーちゃん). In the Hotel Man Batsu game special, he was referred to as "Piko-chan"
Although he has always disliked animals, he recently became attached to the family dog. This has shocked Matsumoto. In a March 2007 episode of Gaki no Tsukai, when asked what he would save first if his house caught on fire, his reply was "the dog."[9]
Though not as common, Hamada can also be on the receiving end of jokes, usually delivered by Matsumoto. Some of Hamada's commonly mocked traits are:
Although he has starred in television ads for Suntory beer and brandy, he does not like alcohol.
His hobbies are golf and baseball.[17]
In 2001, he starred in the television miniseries Ashitaga Arusa ("There's Always a Tomorrow"). Named after a famous song by Kyu Sakamoto, it ran from April 21 to July 30 and also starred many Yoshimoto Kōgyō geinin, including Cocorico. In fall of 2001, it was made into a feature film.
He is the voice of Shrek in the Japanese language dub of the animated Shrek films. He was personally selected by producer Jeffrey Katzenberg to take on the role.[18] He is also the Japanese dub voice for Buck the Diesel in Thomas and Friends.
He worked as a guest sportscaster for Fuji Television at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
On Gaki no Tsukai, he demonstrated his inability to be physically affected by dizziness by running in a straight line with no difficulties after being spun around exactly a hundred times.[19] He speculates there is something wrong with his semicircular canal.
His comedy partner Matsumoto quit smoking in 2003, while he himself is still a heavy smoker.
He and his partner, Matsumoto, were referenced in Max Brooks' World War Z zombie novel.
ja:WOW WAR TONIGHT 〜時には起こせよムーヴメント