Tetsurō Tamba | |
---|---|
Native name | 丹波 哲郎 |
Born |
Tokyo, Japan |
July 17, 1922
Died | September 24, 2006 Tokyo, Japan |
(aged 84)
Cause of death | Pneumonia |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1952–2006 |
Known for | You Only Live Twice as Tiger Tanaka |
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Tetsurō Tamba (丹波 哲郎 Tanba Tetsurō?, July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a Japanese actor known for his role in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice as Tiger Tanaka.
Tamba is perhaps best known by Western audiences for his role as Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice (he was dubbed by Robert Rietti). By then, he had among other roles appeared in two films by director Masaki Kobayashi: Harakiri and Kwaidan. He also portrayed the lead character in the police dramas Key Hunter and G-Men '75, the latter of which remains his best-known role in Japan.
He also portrayed the voice of the "Cat King" in the original Japanese version of the Studio Ghibli anime film The Cat Returns. More recently, he had parts in Twilight Samurai and two Takashi Miike films, The Happiness of the Katakuris and Gozu, as well as acting as a spokesperson for the Dai Rei Kai spiritual movement.