Yūjirō Ishihara

Yujiro Ishihara
Yujiro Ishihara on the poster for Shori-sha (1957)
Born	(1934-12-28)December 28, 1934 Kobe, Japan
Died	July 17, 1987(1987-07-17) (aged 52) Shinanomachi, Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	actor and singer
Years active	1956-1982
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Spouse(s)	Mie Kitahara (1960-1987) (his death)

Yujiro Ishihara (石原 裕次郎, Ishihara Yūjirō^?, December 28, 1934 – July 17, 1987) was a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother is Shintaro Ishihara, an author, politician, and the Governor of Tokyo between 1999 and 2012. Yujiro's film debut was the 1956 film "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother. He was beloved by many fans as a representative youth star in the films of postwar Japan and subsequently as a macho movie hero. He was extravagantly mourned following his early death from liver cancer.

Yūjirō grew up in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, in Otaru, Hokkaidō, and in Zushi, Kanagawa. His father, an employee of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, was from Ehime Prefecture, and his mother was from Miyajima, Hiroshima. Yūjirō attended Otaru Fuji Kindergarten (小樽藤幼稚園) and then Otaru City Inaho Elementary School (小樽市立稲穂小学校). During his elementary school years he participated in competitive swimming and skied on Mt. Tengu (天狗山, tenguyama^?). He then attended Zushi City Zushi junior High School (逗子市立逗子中学校, zushi shiritsu zushi chuugakkō^?), where he began playing basketball. He aimed to enter Keio Senior High School, but did not pass the entrance examination. He enrolled at Keio Shiki Boys' Senior High School (慶應義塾志木高等学校), but in 1951 was admitted to Keio Senior High School. Afterward he entered the political science department of the school of law at Keio University, associated with the high school, but reportedly spent all his time playing around.