Masakazu Tamura

was a Japanese film and theatre actor.

Profile Masakazu Tamura was born 1 August 1943 in Kyoto, Japan to Japanese actor Tsumasaburō Bandō. Tsumasaburō Bandō died when Tamura was only nine years old. His brothers Takahiro and Ryō are also actors. He had been thinking of becoming an actor in the future since he was a child. He was thus trained in fighting with swords and more traditional forms of Japanese theatre like Kabuki and Nihon Buyō. He graduated from Seijo University.

In 1960, he made a cameo appearance in the film Hatamoto Gurentai, in which his older brother Takahiro starred. The following year, he signed a contract with the Shōchiku Ōfuna company while he was still in university. From 1970s, Tamura focused predominately on television with occasional film appearances including Yasuharu Hasebe's film Female Prisoner Scorpion: 701's Grudge Song and Yasuo Furuhata's film Nihon no Fixer . From the mid-1960s to the 1970s, Tamura was called the Japanese Alain Delon.

He appeared in many period dramas (jidaigeki) such as his lead role in Naruto Hichō on NHK and most of his roles were skilled swordsmen. His photo book of the film was also released.

He is most famous for his role as the polite and highly idiosyncratic police detective "Furuhata Ninzaburō" in a self-titled drama by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani. This drama was one of the most popular in its time and one of the most popular dramas in the history of Japanese television. The drama started in 1994 and Tamura continued playing Detective Furuhata until 2006. ( In 1997, Tamura and Mitani worked together again in Sōrito Yobanaide on Fuji TV. )

In 2007, Tamura appeared in the film for the first in 14 years in Last Love.

Tamura won "Outstanding Actor" at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival for his work in the TV special Ah, You're Really Gone Now in 2009. Tamura appeared in several television dramas related to Chushingura and finally he played the role of "Ōishi Kuranosuke" for the first time in the special drama Chushingura Sono Otoko Ōishi Kuranosuke in 2010.

In 2018, he played the role of "Nemuri Kyoshirō" for the first time in about 20 years in Nemuri Kyoshirō The Final on Fuji TV. But he hinted at his retirement from acting soon after appearing in that TV movie.

He died of heart failure on 3 April 2021 at the age of 77.

Selected filmography Films

Television dramas

Awards Year Award Category Work Result 1994 The television drama academy Awards Best Actor Furuhata Ninzaburo 1996 The television drama academy Awards Best Actor Furuhata Ninzaburo 2001 The television drama academy Awards Best Actor Sayônara, Ozu-sensei 2009 Monte-Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actor Ah, You're Really Gone Now