Personal Info
Birth date
1930-09-06 (95 Years)
Day of death
1996-08-27
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Yodobashi ward, Tokyo, Japan
Also known as
Shōji Kobayashi
Kobayashi Akiji
Akiji Kobayashi
Biography
Akiji Kobayashi (小林昭二, Kobayashi Akiji, September 6, 1930 – August 27, 1996), sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with Satsujin Yogisha in 1952.
He is best known in the West for portraying the role of Captain Toshio Muramatsu in the 1966-1967 television series, Ultraman. From 1983-84, he appeared in the popular television detective series Seibu Keisatsu. His other notable television role was Tōbei Tachibana ("Oya-san") in several series of the Kamen Rider franchise. He was one of Kon Ichikawa's favorite actors, appearing in 12 Ichikawa films. His final film appearance was Yatsuhaka-mura as Head of a Factory directed by Kon Ichikawa in 1996. He was the official dubbing artist of John Wayne and Richard Crenna. Kobayashi died of lung cancer in Yokohama on August 27, 1996, ten days before his 66th birthday.Filmography
Kamen Rider
6.4
Overview:
Takeshi Hongo is a promising young man with a passion for motorcycle racing. However, his dreams are suddenly ruined when he gets kidnapped by Shocker, the evil secret organization planning to dominate the world. After being remodeled into a cyborg, Takeshi escapes and swears to protect the world from the inhuman monsters.Tales of the Bizarre
7.8
Overview:
Inspired by American TV movies like "Hitchcock Theater" and "The Twilight Zone," the show features multiple works with Tamori as the storyteller and actors as the main characters. While horror and supernatural themes are predominant, a variety of genres like comedy and drama are also produced. Most episodes, however, have a bad ending.Ultraman
8.4
Overview:
Hayata is a member of the Science Patrol, an organization tasked with investigating bizarre anomalies. He is mortally wounded when accidently encountering an alien being from Land of Light, who grants Hayata new life as the two are merged into one. Now, whenever a threat arises that is too great for the Science Patrol to handle, Hayata activates the beta capsule and becomes the hero known as Ultraman.Kwaidan
7.71
Overview:
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.Island of Hell
5
Overview:
A scruffy detective investigates the murders of three sisters on a small Japanese island in 1946.The Makioka Sisters
7.4
Overview:
This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
7.3
Overview:
Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin and battles Retsudo, head of the Yagyu clan, and his son Gunbei.The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
8.219
Overview:
Kaji is sent to the Japanese army labeled Red and is mistreated by the vets. Along his assignment, Kaji witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against the recruit Obara. He also sees his friend Shinjô Ittôhei defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
7.322
Overview:
Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must eliminate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.The Inugami Family
6.9
Overview:
When a tycoon passes away, he unexpectedly leaves the family fortune to outsider Tamayo on the condition that she marries one of the grandsons, pitting blood against blood.Professional Killers
8
Overview:
A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...47 Ronin
7.5
Overview:
Kon Ichikawa's retelling of the classic true story of Samurai honor. When a young clan lord is forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), his loyal followers (now Ronin, masterless Samurai) dedicate their lives to avenging his death.Harakiri
8.439
Overview:
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
7.364
Overview:
Official Shogunate executioner Ogami Itto has been framed for disloyalty to the Shogunate by the Yagyu clan, against whom he now is waging a one-man war, along with his infant son, Daigoro.Getting Any?
5.713
Overview:
While pursuing his dream of having car sex, a goofy middle-aged man makes all the wrong moves and ends up enrolling in a number of crazy escapades.Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell
6.5
Overview:
Takeshi Hongo and FBI agent Kazuya Taki fake their deaths when they are attacked by Shocker soldiers during a motocross race. They disguise themselves as Shocker soldiers and infiltrate the main headquarters, but it doesn't take too long for Ambassador Hell to find their whereabouts and trap them. Before he detonates a bomb within the base, Ambassador Hell tells Kamen Rider #1 and Taki that Shocker is preparing a giant laser capable of destroying cities. Our two heroes must escape from the base's self-destruction and stop Shocker from arming their latest weapon. Not only that, they must rescue Tachibana and the racing club, who have been abducted by Shocker's minions.Kamen Rider vs. Shocker
5.8
Overview:
Professor Daidōji has developed a gravity machine called the GX Device. Unfortunately, Shocker wants it; so they attack the professor and destroy his laboratory, but come home empty-handed. Shocker's agents find out that the plans for the GX Device are with Daidōji's daughter, who is celebrating her birthday. Now the Kamen Riders, along with FBI agent Kazuya Taki, must protect Daidōji's daughter and prevent Shocker from obtaining the plans.Suspicion
7
Overview:
A car going at 25 mph plunges into the sea at Shinko Harbour, Toyama prefecture. Inside is the local business magnate Fukutaro Shirakawa, who perishes. Riding alongside him and surviving unhurt is his second wife, Kumako. It soon comes to light that Kumako’s husband was insured for 300 million yen and she is arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband for the insurance money. The newspapers denounce her as an evil woman, while the public is in no doubt about Kumako’s crime. Ritsuko Sahara is chosen as her defence attorney but the pair clash over almost everything...Black Rain
7.5
Overview:
Shigematsu Shizuma, who lives with his family in a village near Fukuyama, was in Hiroshima with his wife and niece just after the devastating atomic bombing, a tragedy that cruelly took the lives of thousands of people and forever marked the harsh existence of the survivors.The Shogun Assassins
5.111
Overview:
This is a film about a real person. Sanada Yukimura fought a war against Tokugawa Ieyasu.Run, Melos!
6.15
Overview:
The movie tells the story of Melos, a Greek country man that gets arrested and accused of conspiracy against the king. He gets three days to travel to his sister's wedding while Selinentius (Selinae), a genius sculptor that Melos just met stays as a hostage.Lullaby to Kill
6.4
Overview:
Kôsuke Kindaichi, a somewhat peculiar private detective, visits a remote town. He meets a police detective and they start to investigate an old unsolved murder. Then some murders happen. Kindaichi must find out about the past in order to reveal who the murderer is.Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature
6.8
Overview:
The film consists of re-edited material from the original television series Ultraman. Episodes 1, 8, 26, and 27 were used for the film. They were narrated by Hikari Urano as an "Ultraman Documentary". Allegedly only one new scene was shot, and that some parts of the movie where shot in black and white for unknown reasons. The movie screened at the same time as the Toho movie King Kong Escapes.Death Shadows
6.1
Overview:
Three men sentenced to death are spared and changed into “shadows executioners”, a group of ruthless ninja working for mysterious high ranking officials. During their investigation on some illegal business, one of them, called “Yazuke the Viper”, finds his abandoned daughter, Ocho, who has now become a mistress of Denzo, a smuggler. After Yazuke’s death, Ocho is also recruited as a “shadows executioner”, with the task of completing her father’s mission.Utamaro's World
5
Overview:
Utamaro was an artist who lived in Edo (which was later to become modern-day Tokyo) in the late 18th century. This film, which has a complex and wide-ranging storyline, recreates the world of that time, as it appeared in Utamaro's paintings.Mandala
5.8
Overview:
Two university students from Kyoto decide to swap partners and spend the night in an isolated motel. However, one of the couples is attacked. Desperate for answers, they search for the attackers and come across a cult that promotes sexual freedom.Pleasures of the Flesh
5.6
Overview:
After committing murder, businessman Atsushi is blackmailed into keeping a suitcase of embezzled money. What follows is a descent into lustful, reckless actions and regret.The 8-Tomb Village
5.7
Overview:
A band of samurai warriors places a curse on a family fortune thus frustrating the heir 4 centuries later.Koto: The Ancient City
6
Overview:
Chieko (Momoe Yamaguchi) has been raised as the only child of parents who run a dry goods store. When Chieko was a middle-school student, she learned that her parents are not her biological parents. Cheiko's mother told her that she was stolen while sleeping under a cherry tree in Gion, Kyoto, Japan, but Chieko doesn't believe that. Her relationship with her parents is very close. Chieko only tells her childhood friend Shinichi, but...Acting
1997Master Swordsman Hirate Miki - Duel in Tone as Unknown
1996The 8-Tomb Village as Unknown
1996Gamera 2: Attack of Legion as Senior sergeant
1996Ultraman Zearth as Fisherman
1996Revive! Ultraman as Unknown
1995Getting Any? as Chief of World Defence Force
199447 Ronin as Unknown
1994Ie Naki Ko (13 Episodes) as Unknown
1993Kogarashi Monjirō Returns as Unknown
1993Kamen Rider SD: Strange?! Kumo Otoko as Toubei Tachibana (voice)
1992Godzilla vs. Mothra as Yuzo Tsuchiashi
1992Run, Melos! as Dionysus II (voice)
1991Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah as Yuzo Tsuchiashi
1991Noh Mask Murders as Unknown
1990Tales of the Bizarre (1 Episode) as Unknown
1990Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars as Detective
1990Like the Clouds, Like the Wind as Konton
1989Afternoon When Flowers Fell as Unknown
1989Black Rain as Katayama
1989Ultraman: Terror on Route 87 as Toshio Muramatsu
1989The Men Who Made Ultraman as Unknown
1988Kamen Norider (71 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1986Death Shadows as Unknown
1986Desperate Pursuit as Inoue
1986Bakumatsu seishun graffiti: Ronin Sakamoto Ryoma as Hanazuki
1985The Empty Table as Unknown
1983Kojika Monogatari (52 Episodes) as ペニー
1983The Makioka Sisters as Seitaro Jinba
1982The Longest Tunnel as Unknown
1982Lady on 6th Street: Taste of Honey as Kodera
1982Suspicion as Chief of Police, Ishihara
1982Karate Cop as Asst Chief Fuji
1982Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 2 as Unknown
1981The Black Hood as Unknown
1981Lonely Heart as Unknown
1981Yuki as Jinjii (voice)
1980Koto: The Ancient City as Unknown
1980Shogun Assassin as Lord Kurogawa
1979The Tale of Jean Valjean as Jean Valjean (voice)
1979Immortal Kamen Rider Special as Tobei Tachibana
1979The Shogun Assassins as Unknown
1979Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle as Toshio Muramatsu
1979The House of Hanging as Sannosuke
1979The 47 Ronins of Ako (36 Episodes) as Hara Soemon
1979Akio Jissoji's Ultraman as Captain Toshio Muramatsu
1979Attack, Jun (71 Episodes) as Unknown
1978Queen Bee as Detective Kogure
1977Fushoku no kōzō (1 Episode) as Detective Okawa
1977Utamaro's World as Unknown
1977Island of Hell as Takezo
1977Lullaby to Kill as Koreya Kusakabe (manager)
1976The Inugami Family as Kokichi Inugami
1976The Kagestar: The Movie as Inspector Tonda
1976The Kagestar (34 Episodes) as Inspector Keibu Tonda
1976All Together! Seven Kamen Riders!! as Tōbei Tachibana
1975Kamen Rider Stronger: The Movie as Tôbei Tachibana
1975Kamen Rider Stronger (39 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1975Kamen Rider Amazon: The Movie as Tōbei Tachibana
1975Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders as Tobei Tachibana
1974Kamen Rider Amazon (24 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1974Five Riders vs. King Dark as Tobei Tachibana
1974Kamen Rider X (35 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1973Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants as Tobei Tachibana
1973Internal Sleuth as Unknown
1973Kamen Rider V3: The Movie as Tōbei Tachibana
1973Kamen Rider V3 (52 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1973The Woman Who Calls for Corpses as Unknown
1972Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril as Narrator
1972Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice as Unknown
1972Daigoro vs. Goliath as Hitoshi Suzuki
1972Professional Killers (1 Episode) as Unknown
1972Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell as Tōbei Tachibana
1972Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx as Ozunu Kurokuwa
1972Kamen Rider vs. Shocker as Tobei Tachibana
1972Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance as Narrator
1972The Pirates of Buban as Unknown
1971Return of Ultraman: Terror of the Waterspout Monsters as Captain Takamura
1971Mandala as Unknown
1971Mysterious Thirteen Nights: Chapter 5 - The Mystery of the Skull Wife as Unknown
1971Go Go Kamen Rider as Tobei Tachibana
1971Kamen Rider (248 Episodes) as Tobei Tachibana
1970This Transient Life as Unknown
1969Prison Break as Unknown
1969The Curse of the Ghost as Naosuke
1968Sabu and Ichi's Detective Stories (52 Episodes) as Unknown
1967The Return of the Filthy Seven as Unknown
1967Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature as Capt. Toshio Muramatsu
1966Ultraman (39 Episodes) as Captain 'Cap' Toshio Muramatsu
1966The Birth of Ultraman as Toshio Muramatsu
1966The Father of Ultra Q as Unknown
1965Pleasures of the Flesh as Mari's pimp
1965宇宙少年ソラン (96 Episodes) as ワイラー
1965Kwaidan as (segment "In a Cup of Tea") (uncredited)
1963Fight of the Gamblers as Unknown
1963Youth of the Beast as Tatsuo Nomoto
1963Intruders as Ichiro Honma
1962Harakiri as Unknown
1962Foundry Town as Hei-san
1959The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity as Nonaka Shôi