Acting
Tadao Nakamaru
Born March 31, 1933 · Adachi, Tokyo, Japan
Died April 23, 2009 · aged 76
No biography available.
Known For
The Hidden Fortress · 1958The Hidden Fortress
★ 8.01958
MovieDramaAction
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
Godzilla Raids Again · 1955Godzilla Raids Again
★ 6.01955
MovieScience FictionHorror
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
Terror of Mechagodzilla · 1975Terror of Mechagodzilla
★ 6.81975
MovieScience FictionAction
A submarine expedition to salvage the remains of Mechagodzilla is thwarted by a massive dinosaur named Titanosaurus. An Interpol investigation leads biologist Ichinose to uncover the work of Dr. Mafune and his mysterious daughter Katsura. Aligned with the Black Hole Aliens, Katsura's life becomes entwined with the resurrected machine.
The Sword of Doom · 1966The Sword of Doom
★ 7.71966
MovieDramaCrime
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.
Japan's Longest Day · 1967Japan's Longest Day
★ 7.31967
MovieDramaHistory
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.
I Want to Be a Shellfish · 1959I Want to Be a Shellfish
★ 10.01959
Movie
On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder.
Chûshingura · 1962Chûshingura
★ 7.11962
MovieHistoryDrama
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.
The H-Man · 1958The H-Man
★ 5.81958
MovieScience FictionHorror
When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works.
Movies
The Hidden Fortress · 1958The Hidden Fortress
★ 8.01958
MovieDramaAction
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
Godzilla Raids Again · 1955Godzilla Raids Again
★ 6.01955
MovieScience FictionHorror
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
Terror of Mechagodzilla · 1975Terror of Mechagodzilla
★ 6.81975
MovieScience FictionAction
A submarine expedition to salvage the remains of Mechagodzilla is thwarted by a massive dinosaur named Titanosaurus. An Interpol investigation leads biologist Ichinose to uncover the work of Dr. Mafune and his mysterious daughter Katsura. Aligned with the Black Hole Aliens, Katsura's life becomes entwined with the resurrected machine.
The Sword of Doom · 1966The Sword of Doom
★ 7.71966
MovieDramaCrime
Ryunosuke, a gifted swordsman plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule, has no moral code and kills without remorse. It’s a way of life that leads to madness.
Japan's Longest Day · 1967Japan's Longest Day
★ 7.31967
MovieDramaHistory
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.
I Want to Be a Shellfish · 1959I Want to Be a Shellfish
★ 10.01959
Movie
On a post-war peaceful day in Japan, Toyomatsu Shimizu, a barber as well as a good father and husband, is suddenly arrested by the Prefectural Police as a war criminal and sued for murder.
Chûshingura · 1962Chûshingura
★ 7.11962
MovieHistoryDrama
After their lord is tricked into committing ritual suicide, forty-seven samurai warriors await the chance to avenge their master and reclaim their honor.
The H-Man · 1958The H-Man
★ 5.81958
MovieScience FictionHorror
When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works.
Blood on the Sea · 1961Blood on the Sea
1961
MovieAdventure
Four fishermen friends are caught up in a piracy plot.
Beast Alley · 1965Beast Alley
★ 7.01965
MovieDrama
Desperate to escape her grueling life caring for her paralyzed husband, Tamiko murders him and burns down their home to start anew. She is soon entangled in the dark web of an influential, elderly power broker, becoming his mistress and a pawn in his political schemes. As she descends further into a downward spiral of moral decay, Tamiko realizes that the freedom she sought is merely a new form of entrapment.
Samurai Assassin · 1965Samurai Assassin
★ 7.41965
MovieDramaAction
Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.
The Secret of the Telegian · 1960The Secret of the Telegian
★ 6.51960
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
Men are being murdered by a killer who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims.
The Mysterians · 1957The Mysterians
★ 6.41957
MovieScience FictionAction
In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist.
Saga of the Vagabonds · 1959Saga of the Vagabonds
★ 6.81959
MovieDramaAction
Lord Taro must deliver a money chest but is robbed by brigands led by Jibu. One of Jibu's men, Rokuro, steals the money from Jibu, but after meeting and befriending Taro, Rokuro decides to return the money to Taro. But Taro's unscrupulous brother Jiro falsely accuse Taro of the theft, and Taro reactively joins the outlaw band and encourages them to steal from the nobles and give to the poor.
The Retreat from Kiska · 1965The Retreat from Kiska
★ 8.51965
MovieDramaWar
In 1943, the Aleutian island of Kiska was fortified by a small contingent of Japanese soldiers. When word arrived of an impending attack by an overwhelming force of Americans, the Japanese Navy attempted one of the most daring and unlikely evacuations in military history. This is that story.
Two in the Shadow · 1967Two in the Shadow
★ 7.81967
MovieRomanceDrama
A man is involved in a fatal car accident, and though he is blameless, his company transfers him to a remote branch in a small town. Before he leaves, he gives the man's widow a large sum of money that she uses to move back to her hometown.
What's Up, Tiger Lily? · 1966What's Up, Tiger Lily?
★ 5.41966
MovieActionComedy
In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.
Brain 17 · 1982Brain 17
★ 7.51982
MovieFamilyScience Fiction
Brain is the world's greatest computer, and also the most intelligent being on planet Earth. One day, Brain decides to abandon its terrestrial moorings, and it's up to The Defenders to track it down. Unfortunately, Brain has developed an amazing army of deadly giant robots, including one with a huge "17" emblazoned on its chest-plate, with which it plans to subjugate its creators. A young boy whose family was killed by Brain's followers manages to activate Daitetsujin 17, which thereafter comes to his rescue whenever he is in danger from Brain's minions.
Sympathy for the Underdog · 1971Sympathy for the Underdog
★ 7.11971
MovieDramaAction
A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.
The Last Gunfight · 1960The Last Gunfight
★ 6.21960
MovieThrillerCrime
Japanese police detective Saburo Fujioka is suspected of corruption, demoted, and sent to the city of Kojin. Kojin is the scene of fierce fighting between rival gangs. Fujioka is assigned to investigate the death of the wife of gangster Tetsuo Maruyama of the Kozuka gang, probably at the hands of one of the Oka gang. During a gang gunfight, Maruyama is rescued by Detective Fujioka and the two become friends. But Maruyama insists on avenging his wife's murder, even if it means conflict with his new friend.
He's the Killer · 1958He's the Killer
1958
MovieThriller
Thriller about a narcotics investigator uncovering a dope ring.
Kill! · 1968Kill!
★ 7.01968
MovieActionComedy
A pair of down-on-their-luck swordsmen arrive in a dusty, windblown town, where they become involved in a local clan dispute. One, previously a farmer, longs to become a noble samurai. The other, a former samurai haunted by his past, prefers living anonymously with gangsters. But when both men discover the wrongdoings of the nefarious clan leader, they side with a band of rebels who are under siege at a remote mountain cabin.
The City That Never Sleeps: Shinjuku Shark · 1993The City That Never Sleeps: Shinjuku Shark
★ 9.01993
MovieThrillerCrime
A lone-wolf detective known as "The Shark" must navigate hostile territory within both the criminal underworld and his own corrupt department to hunt down a ruthless serial cop-killer in the streets of Shinjuku. Adaptation of the Arimasa Ohsawa novel Shinjuku Shark.
Utamaro's World · 1977Utamaro's World
★ 5.61977
MovieDrama
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.
TV Shows
Furuya Ikkou's Great Detective Kindaichi Kousuke Series · 1983Furuya Ikkou's Great Detective Kindaichi Kousuke Series
★ 7.01983
SeriesDramaMystery
Key Hunter · 1968Key Hunter
★ 7.01968
SeriesDrama
Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time.
The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes.
"Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well.
Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".
Daitetsujin 17 · 1977Daitetsujin 17
★ 10.01977
SeriesDrama
Daitetsujin 17 is a 1977 tokusatsu series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It revolves around a giant battle robot commanded by a young boy who fights the giant robots of an evil organization bent on world conquest. It is similar to Giant Robo in premise and how it ends.
Ningen no Shōmei · 1978Ningen no Shōmei
1978
SeriesMystery
TV series produced by MBS and TOEI, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Seiichi Morimura.
Labyrinth · 1999Labyrinth
★ 7.01999
SeriesMystery
A genius doctor named Yuichiro Nozaki comes to a hospital to know the reason of his sister's death. The doctor is wondering if someone of the hospital killed her. Finally, Yuichiro finds doctor Katsuhiko Sonobe is a suspect of the murder, but notices Katsuhiko's wife loves Yuichiro.