Kōji Mitsui

Kōji Mitsui
Kōji Mitsui in Dragnet Girl
Born 6 March 1910
Yokohama, Japan
Died 20 April 1979(1979-04-20) (aged 69)
Kamakura, Japan
Occupation Actor
Years active 1925–1979

Kōji Mitsui (三井 弘次, Mitsui Kōji, 6 March 1910 – 20 April 1979) was a Japanese movie, TV, and stage actor.

Career

Mitsui's onscreen credit in the trailer for Kobayashi's The Human Condition.

Mitsui joined the Shochiku studio in 1924, making his film debut in 1925 as a youth lead in silent films under the name Hideo Mitsui.[1] He changed his screen name to Kōji Mitsui in 1948, having matured into character roles.[1]

He appeared in more than 150 films from 1925 to 1975, including 29 Kinema Junpo Top-Ten winners. He played several major roles for Ozu, Kurosawa, and Kobayashi.[2]

In 1957, Mitsui won a Mainichi Film Award and a Blue Ribbon Award for best supporting actor for his work in Kurosawa's The Lower Depths and Shibuya's Kichigai buraku (The Unbalanced Wheel).[1] His performance in The Lower Depths is well-remembered as a showcase for his improvisational talents and distinctive, nasal, "beautiful voice with its unique charm and sense of rhythm."[3]

Selected filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1933 Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka Voice First Japanese sound cartoon (lost); as Hideo Mitsui
Dragnet Girl Hiroshi Silent; as Hideo Mitsui
1934 A Story of Floating Weeds Shinkichi Silent; as Hideo Mitsui
A Mother Should be Loved Kosaku Silent; as Hideo Mitsui
1950 The Bells of Nagasaki Yamashita
1951 Carmen Comes Home Oka First Japanese color film
1956 Early Spring Hirayama
1957 The Lower Depths Yoshisaburo (the gambler) Mainichi, Blue Ribbon awards (best supporting actor)
1958 The Hidden Fortress Pit guard Cameo appearance
1959 Floating Weeds Kichinosuke Mitsui played the youth lead in the 1934 original
The Human Condition Furuya First film in trilogy
1960 The Bad Sleep Well Lead journalist
1964 Woman in the Dunes Village elder
1965 A Fugitive from the Past Motojima
Red Beard Heikichi
1967 Japan's Longest Day Weeping reporter Cameo appearance

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mitsui Kōji". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Mitsui Kōji". allcinema (in Japanese). allcinema. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Donzoku". Samedasu (in Japanese). Dream.jp. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
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