Masao Kusakari (草刈 正雄, Kusakari Masao, born September 5, 1952 in Kokura) is a Japanese actor and model.
Masao Kusakari | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-09-05) September 5, 1952 (age 70) Kokura, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Occupation | Actor, model |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Children | Kuran Kusakari Mayū Kusakari |
Masao Kusakari was born in Fukuoka Prefecture to a Japanese mother and an American father, the latter who died in the Korean War.[1] Considered stunningly good looking, his debut into the public eye began when he became a model for Shiseido Cosmetics in the early 1970's. He joined Toho in 1974 and began his career as a screen actor.[2] He won his first major award at the Elan d'or Awards in 1975, and a year later, appeared in Kaze to Kumo to Niji to, a dream of his since early childhood to star in a taiga drama. From then to the early 1980's, Kusakari was one of the most popular actors in Japan.[2]
He won popularity again through his role in Sanada Maru in 2016.[3][4] In 2017, Kusakari won Best Supporting Actor of 10th Tokyo Drama Awards for his role in Sanada Maru.[5] In 2019, Kusakari appeared in the Asadora Natsuzora and played an important role that has a great influence on leading character Natsu's life.[6][7][8]
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | ESPY | Jirō Miki | Jun Fukuda | ||
| Okita Sōji | Okita Sōji | Masanobu Deme | Lead role | ||
| Himiko | Takehiko | Masahiro Shinoda | |||
| 1975 | Gambare Wakadaishō | Shōzo Umeno aka Wakadaishō | Tsugunobu Kotani | Lead role | [9] |
| 1976 | Brother and Sister | Inokichi | Tadashi Imai | ||
| 1978 | Hi no Tori | Yumihiko of Matsuro | Kon Ichikawa | ||
| 1979 | G.I. Samurai | Masakichi | Kōsei Saitō | ||
| Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie | Hinatsu Mokutaro | Kon Ichikawa | |||
| 1980 | Virus | Yoshizumi | Kinji Fukasaku | Lead role | |
| 1981 | Eijanaika | Itoman | Shohei Imamura | ||
| 1982 | Yogoreta Eiyu | Masao Kitano | Haruki Kadokawa | Laed role | |
| 1987 | Horinonakano Playball | Junichi Mizuta | Norifumi Suzuki | Lead role | |
| 1989 | Yuwakusha | Kazuhiko Sotomura | Shunichi Nagasaki | ||
| 1995 | August in the Water | Gakuryū Ishii | |||
| 1999 | Hakuchi | Kogarashi | Makoto Tezuka | ||
| 2004 | Ultraman | Manjōme | Kazuya Konaka | ||
| 2013 | Casting Blossoms to the Sky | Nobuhiko Obayashi | |||
| 2018 | My Retirement, My Life | Michitarō Sano | Takeo Kikuchi | Lead role | |
| 2019 | Hit me Anyone One More Time | Daigo Tsurumaru | Kōki Mitani | ||
| 2022 | Dreaming of the Meridian Arc | The Governor of Chiba / Tokugawa Ienari | Kenji Nakanishi | [10] | |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Kaze to Kumo to Niji to | Kashima no Haruaki | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 1981 | Pro Hunter | Shunsuke Ryuzaki | NTV | Lead role | |
| 1985 | Sanada Taiheiki | Sanada Yukimura | NHK | ||
| 1994 | Minami-kun no Koibito | Chiyomi's father | TV Asahi | ||
| Hana no Ran | Hino Katsumitsu | NHK | Taiga drama | ||
| 1996 | Furuhata Ninzaburō | Ken'ichirō Inui | Fuji TV | ep. 16 | |
| Iguana Girl | Masanori Aoshima | TV Asahi | |||
| 1997 | Mōri Motonari | Katsura Hirozumi | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2002 | Shopping Hero | TV Asahi | |||
| 2004 | Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy | TV Tokyo | |||
| 2005 | Yoshitsune | Taira no Tomoyasu | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2008 | Atsuhime | Abe Masahiro | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2009 | Atashinchi no Danshi | Fuji TV | |||
| 2010 | Saka no Ue no Kumo | Katō Tomosaburō | NHK | ||
| 2011 | Gō | Honda Masanobu | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2012 | Priceless | Hirose | Fuji TV | ||
| 2016 | Sanada Maru | Sanada Masayuki | NHK | Taiga drama | |
| 2017 | Bakumatsu Gourmet Bushi Meshi! | The Lord | NHK | ||
| Doctor-X Season 5 | Kagenobu Uchikanda | TV Asahi | |||
| 2018 | Fūunji tachi | Tanuma Okitsugu | NHK | ||
| 2019 | Innocence, Fight Against False Charges | Shin Kurokawa | NTV | Special appearance | |
| Natsuzora | Taiju Shibata | NHK | Asadora | ||
| 2020 | Operation Z | Prime minister Ejima | Wowow | Lead role | |
| Love Begins When the Money Ends | Tomihiko Saruwatari | TBS | Miniseries | ||
| 2021 | A Man and His Cat | Kanda Fuyuki | TV Tokyo | Lead role | |
| 2022 | Chimudondon | Gorō Ōsato | NHK | Asadora | [11] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | My Best Friend's Wedding | George Downes (Rupert Everett) | 2000 NTV edition |
| 2008 | WALL-E | Captain B. McCrea[12] | |
| 2017 | Murder on the Orient Express | Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh)[13] | |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Elan d'or Awards | Newcomer of the Year | Himself | Won |
| 2017 | 10th Tokyo Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sanada Maru | Won |
Tokyo Drama Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
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| General | |
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| National libraries | |
| Other |
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