Mickey Curtis
| Mickey Curtis | |
|---|---|
| Native name | ミッキー・カーチス |
| Born |
Michael Brian Curtis 23 July 1938 Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names |
Igarashi Shinjirô[1] Mikkī Kāchisu |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mari Yoshimura |
Mickey Curtis (ミッキー・カーチス Mikkī Kāchisu, born 23 July 1938) is a Japanese actor, singer, and TV celebrity. His birth name was Michael Brian Curtis born to English-Japanese parents.[2]
A pivotal figure in Japanese popular music, Mickey is considered one of the three big Japanese names in rock music, helping to popularize the genre in the 1950s where he began as a rockabilly singer.[3][4] In 1967 he became internationally known for his avant-garde rock band "Mickey Curtis & The Samurai". After five years Mickey disbanded the group and returned to Japan in 1972, where he began producing other musicians.
As an actor his first role was as a rock singer in the 1958 film All About Marriage by Kihachi Okamoto, and has since gone on to star in more than 70 feature films. At over 70 years of age he is one of the oldest major celebrities in Japan and a regular TV personality. Apart from his entertainment career he has also been a race car driver and owns a motorcycle shop in Meguro, Tokyo. He speaks Japanese, English, French, German, Italian and Thai.[2]
Selected filmography
- Film
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Fires on the Plain (野火 Nobi) |
Nagamatsu |
| 1963 | Brave Records of the Sanada Clan (真田風雲録 Sanada fūunroku) |
|
| 1986 | Jikuu Senshi Spielban | Emperor Guillotine |
| 1989 | Gunhed | Bansho |
| 1992 | 8 Man (8マン すべての寂しい夜のために Eitoman - Subete no sabishii yoru no tame ni) |
Sniper |
| 1995 | Kamikaze Taxi | Animaru |
| 1996 | Swallowtail Butterfly (スワロウテイル Suwarōteiru) |
Doctor |
| Fudoh: The New Generation (極道戦国志 不動 Gokudō sengokushi: Fudō) |
Yasha Gang Assassin | |
| 1998 | Blues Harp | |
| Hana no O-Edo no Tsuribaka Nisshi (花のお江戸の釣りバカ日誌) |
||
| 2001 | Cowboy Bebop: The Movie | Rasheed |
| Lily Festival (百合祭 Yurisai) |
||
| Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (赤い橋の下のぬるい水 Akai hashi no shita no nurui mizu) |
Nobuyuki Ohnishi | |
| 2002 | Agitator (荒ぶる魂たち Araburu tamashii-tachi) |
Yokomizo |
| The Laughing Frog (笑う蛙 Warau Kaeru) |
Kiichiro Aisawa | |
| Aiki | Miyaji | |
| 2003 | Kikoku (鬼哭) |
|
| 2004 | Izo | |
| 2005 | Custom Made 10.30 | A god |
| 2008 | SS | Nishiyama President |
| Kurosagi (映画 クロサギ Eiga Kurosagi) |
||
| Cafe Isobe (純喫茶磯辺 Junkissa Isobe) |
Hongo | |
| 2011 | Deadball (デッドボール Deddobōru) |
|
| 2012 | Robo-G (ロボジー Robo Ji) |
Shigemitsu Suzuki |
| 2016 | Oboreru Knife (溺れるナイフ) |
- Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1964-1965 | Stingray | Lieutenant Phones (Japanese Dub) |
| 2014 | Gunshi Kanbei | Matsunaga Hisahide |
| 2017 | Quartet | Nemoto |
| Yasuragi no Sato | Rokurō | |
References
- ↑ http://eiga.com/news/20110701/1/
- 1 2 http://www.watanabepro.co.jp/mypage/artist/mickeycurtis.html
- ↑ 昭和浪漫ロカビリー―聞き書き:ジャズ喫茶からウエスタン・カーニバルへ. Heibonsha Publishing. 2001. ISBN 4-19-861365-6.
- ↑ The Japanese rock stars interviews 集~時代を築いた20人の言葉. T.O Entertainment. 2010. ISBN 4-904376-18-8.