Noboru Andō

Acting

Noboru Andō

Born May 24, 1926 · Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

Died December 16, 2015 · aged 89

Noboru Ando (Japanese: 安藤 昇, Hepburn: Andō Noboru, 24 May 1926 – 16 December 2015) was a Japanese actor, writer and former yakuza. He is known for utilizing his experiences as a criminal in his many roles in yakuza films. He had a large knife scar on his left cheek, the result of a brawl with a Korean gangster as a young man.

Known For

Those Swell YakuzaThose Swell Yakuza · 1988
Those Swell Yakuza
8.01988
MovieCrimeComedy
Ryo, a young former banker, gets beaten up over a debt from gambling. A yakuza boss saves him, and Ryo decides to train to become a yakuza under him.
Street MobsterStreet Mobster · 1972
Street Mobster
6.81972
MovieCrimeAction
After serving time, a defiant street thug is incensed to find his town overrun by two yakuza factions. He gathers his crew and takes them on.
Noboru Ando's Chronicle of Fugitive Days and SexNoboru Ando's Chronicle of Fugitive Days and Sex · 1976
Noboru Ando's Chronicle of Fugitive Days and Sex
7.01976
MovieCrime
Ando on the run, stopping in to service all the women in his life, with a bit of the old ultra-violence.
Graveyard of HonorGraveyard of Honor · 1975
Graveyard of Honor
6.71975
MovieCrimeAction
A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the yakuza but quickly loses his self-control. Based on the true story of Rikio Ishikawa.
King of the GangKing of the Gang · 1967
King of the Gang
9.01967
MovieCrime
The 11th and final film in the Gang series. Most of the films had different directors and cast, and were only connected by the title and Toei's marketing department. Unlike the early entries, which were jazzy capers, this final entry is a prototype jitsuroku yakuza film. Just back from the war, Noboru Ando leads a gang of war vets turned gangster in the US occupied streets of Tokyo. They get into a conflict with a Chinese gang as well as the military police. Tetsuro Tamba appears as a police chief trying to bring peace to the streets; 1st wave pinky violence star Masumi Tachibana is a girl grieving his dead gangster father.
Violent FraternityViolent Fraternity · 1974
Violent Fraternity
8.01974
MovieCrimeAction
Set in Shibuya in 1949, this is another film based on real life former yakuza boss Noboru Ando's memoirs.
Flame and the CodeFlame and the Code · 1966
Flame and the Code
1966
MovieDrama
Japan Organized Crime BossJapan Organized Crime Boss · 1969
Japan Organized Crime Boss
7.41969
MovieCrimeDrama
Coming out of jail and hoping for a quiet life, Yokohama yakuza has to take the lead of his gang after the death of his boss. His small group is is taken in a crossfire between a big yakuza group from Osaka at war with the Tokyo alliance for the control of the city. He tries to keep to the old yakuza code but he is no match for the new thugs who live and fight without honor.

Filmography

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Blood and LawBlood and Law · 1965
Blood and Law
1965
MovieCrimeAction
After the war, Noboru Ando, a former kamikaze soldier, returns to a devastated Tokyo. Enraged by the violence prevalent in society, he immerses himself in the yakuza world, believing that "violence must be met with violence." Gaining notoriety for his natural bravery and fighting skills, he becomes known as the "intellectual yakuza" and creates the Ando-gumi, a gang that controls the Shibuya district. Ando's first series of yakuza films is based on his autobiography. He labored at his first studio, Shochiku, to only minor success before leaving and going onto true stardom at Toei Studios. These films were awfully early in Ando’s career - a novice actor and former yakuza given immense notoriety by his newspaper-serialized bio upon his release from prison. 1 of 5 films.

Original Story

The Private PoliceThe Private Police · 1969
The Private Police
7.51969
MovieCrime
After the war, Kijima (Bunta Sugawara) returns to Tokyo where he meets Ôba (Noboru Andô), an Ex-Kamikaze pilot, and the two ruffians gather hooligans to join their group. In Ginza, the Togawa gang have taken over Sakurada's territory. After several fights Kijima and Ôba gain control of the territory by chasing out the notorious Togawa Group in the name of Sakurada. But Kijima is arrested for assaulting an American soldier. A few years pass. Kijima has served his prison term and the sears of war have been erased from Ginza. Ôba is now president of a company specializing in collection of bad debts, cheque frauds and everything that means money. People call their organization the “Private Police,” and Kijima begins to work for Ôba. Now the Takegami gang waits a chance to seize the Ginza territory.