William Ross

Acting

William Ross

Born September 7, 1923 · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Died April 19, 2014 · aged 90

Ross was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. on September 7, 1923. He was drafted into the Korean War, and would be stationed in Japan, where he fell in love with the country. Ross would subsequently move to Tokyo with intentions of joining the Japanese State Department. Instead, he ended up becoming involved in the film industry, and would go on to appear in more than 80 Japanese films and Television …

Known For

The WalkThe Walk · 2015
The Walk
7.02015
MovieHistoryDrama
The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
The Last DinosaurThe Last Dinosaur · 1977
The Last Dinosaur
6.51977
MovieAdventureScience Fiction
Wealthy big game hunter (Boone), along with his group, gets trapped in pre-historic times where they are stalked by a ferocious dinosaur.
The YakuzaThe Yakuza · 1974
The Yakuza
7.11974
MovieCrimeDrama
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.
Too Late the HeroToo Late the Hero · 1970
Too Late the Hero
6.41970
MovieDramaAction
A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.
The Bad News Bears Go to JapanThe Bad News Bears Go to Japan · 1978
The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
4.81978
MovieComedy
A small time promotor/hustler takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best little league baseball team which sparks off a series of adventures and mishaps the boys come into.
The Bushido BladeThe Bushido Blade · 1981
The Bushido Blade
5.31981
MovieHistoryAction
A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is stolen. American sailors and Japanese samurai are sent to find it.
Voltus 5Voltus 5 · 1979
Voltus 5
6.51979
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
"Their dark power is supreme. Their evil empire is vast. They are the Bozanians. And they have blasted their way across the galaxy for war on earth and to make the human race submit to their rule! But an elite band of five valiant children stand against them-the VOLTUS 5 team! For they can transform their 5 spaceships into a mighty, gigantic robot capable of withstanding any force. But can they defend the earth from the Bozanians' monstrous evil?!" - US VHS Back Cover . A compilation film of five episodes (1-3,9,18) that was dubbed by Frontier Enterprises . The film was commissioned to Toei by the Filipino film distributor "UNIPROM FILMS". Based on the Filipino English dub from 1978, with character names that reflect that version.
The War in SpaceThe War in Space · 1977
The War in Space
6.11977
MovieAdventureScience Fiction
The year is 1988, and in the midst of recovering from a near-miss with a large comet, Earth finds that there are much worse matters at hand: the sudden arrival of a strange army of aliens and their fleet of unstoppable warships.

Filmography

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Voltus 5Voltus 5 · 1979
Voltus 5
6.51979
MovieAnimationScience Fiction
"Their dark power is supreme. Their evil empire is vast. They are the Bozanians. And they have blasted their way across the galaxy for war on earth and to make the human race submit to their rule! But an elite band of five valiant children stand against them-the VOLTUS 5 team! For they can transform their 5 spaceships into a mighty, gigantic robot capable of withstanding any force. But can they defend the earth from the Bozanians' monstrous evil?!" - US VHS Back Cover . A compilation film of five episodes (1-3,9,18) that was dubbed by Frontier Enterprises . The film was commissioned to Toei by the Filipino film distributor "UNIPROM FILMS". Based on the Filipino English dub from 1978, with character names that reflect that version.

Director

Maria of the Ant VillageMaria of the Ant Village · 1958
Maria of the Ant Village
8.01958
MovieDrama
Alongside Tokyo's Sumida River is a ragpickers' settlement known as Ant Village. One night, a young Catholic girl, Satoko Kitahara, who has been baptized under the name of Maria, comes to offer her services. However, Ant Village is not just an ordinary vagrants' community but a fine autonomous organization, and as the municipal authorities have long been demanding that the people of Ant Village leave the site, Satoko is utilized to publicize the Village and win public sympathy. While being utilized in this manner, Satoko is nevertheless glad to be able to help the people of Ant Village, especially the children, and when the summer vacation comes she decides to take the children on an excursion to Hakone. To raise funds for this purpose she becomes a rag-picker herself.
Enigmatic Explosion of the Battleship MutsuEnigmatic Explosion of the Battleship Mutsu · 1960
Enigmatic Explosion of the Battleship Mutsu
1960
MovieWar
During the naval battle of Midway in WWII, the battleship Mutsu was in its home port in Japan. The ship's officers and crew were frustrated at not being able to take part in the fighting. They had been held back by orders from the Naval Ministry, but there was also a plot by saboteurs, who were trying to prevent the sailing of the Mutsu. Director Komori developed a suspenseful plot by including a fictional adaptation of the Russian spy Richard Sorge, who had been captured in Japan and subsequently executed. Komori brings a fictional Russian spy to the screen by portraying him as a military attaché at the German embassy. As Germany was an ally of Japan in WWII, a secret agent being a mole in the German embassy is a perfect cover. The interaction of the saboteurs and the officers and crew of the Mutsu make an exciting story.