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Tetsuro Tamba
Actor, Producer
Born July 17, 1922Died September 24, 2006 (84 years)
Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey was a remarkable blend of cultural bridges.
Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho company, making his debut in the film Satsujin Yougishain in 1951.
Tamba's impact on Western audiences extended beyond Bond, with standout performances in films like Bridge to the Sun and The 7th Dawn. He earned acclaim in Japan as well, most notably as the lead in police dramas like Key Hunter and G-Men '75.
His talents weren't confined to the screen alone. Tamba lent his voice to characters like the Cat King in Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns and graced historical roles in television dramas, leaving an indelible mark on period pieces.
In 2005, Tamba faced health challenges but continued to contribute until the end. Sadly, he passed away in Tokyo at 84 due to pneumonia on September 24, 2006. His legacy lives on through his son, actor Yoshitaka Tamba, while his last appearances in the 2005 Taiga drama Yoshitsune and the 2006 film Sinking of Japan remain a testament to his enduring impact on Japanese cinema and beyond.
Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho company, making his debut in the film Satsujin Yougishain in 1951.
Tamba's impact on Western audiences extended beyond Bond, with standout performances in films like Bridge to the Sun and The 7th Dawn. He earned acclaim in Japan as well, most notably as the lead in police dramas like Key Hunter and G-Men '75.
His talents weren't confined to the screen alone. Tamba lent his voice to characters like the Cat King in Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns and graced historical roles in television dramas, leaving an indelible mark on period pieces.
In 2005, Tamba faced health challenges but continued to contribute until the end. Sadly, he passed away in Tokyo at 84 due to pneumonia on September 24, 2006. His legacy lives on through his son, actor Yoshitaka Tamba, while his last appearances in the 2005 Taiga drama Yoshitsune and the 2006 film Sinking of Japan remain a testament to his enduring impact on Japanese cinema and beyond.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 2015 | James Bond's 'Spectre' with Jonathan Ross · as Tiger Tanaka |
| 2006 | Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan · as Reiko's Grandpa In The Photo |
| 2005 | |
| 2005 | Yoshitsune (TV Series) · as Minamoto No Yorimasa (gen-Ji) |
| 2003 | |
| 2003 | Kikoku · as Michitane Tendou |
| 2003 | |
| 2002 | Best Ever Bond · as Tiger Tanaka (archive Footage) (uncredited) |
| 2002 | Bond Girls Are Forever · as Tiger Tanaka (archive Footage) (uncredited) |
| 2002 | The Twilight Samurai · as Tozaemon Iguchi |
| 2002 | Deadly Outlaw Rekka · as Sanada |
| 2002 | September 11 · as Bonze (segment "japan") |
| 2002 | Free and Easy 13: Hama-chan in Crisis! · as Goro Kurobe |
| 2002 | The Cat Returns · as Cat King (voice) |
| 2002 | Graveyard of Honor · as Tetsuji Tokura |
| 2001 | The Happiness of the Katakuris · as Granpa Jinpei Katakuri |
| 2001 | |
| 2000 | A Class to Remember 4: Fifteen · as Tetsuo Hatake |
| 2000 | Sakuya: Slayer of Demons · as Old Master |
| 2000 | Now Pay Attention 007: A Tribute to Actor Desmond Llewelyn · as Tiger Tanaka |
| 1999 | Jubaku: Spellbound · as Tajiro Kawakami |
| 1999 | Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle · as Tamba (voice) |
| 1999 | Japanese Hell · as Asu Shino |
| 1998 | Neji-shiki · as Landlord |
| 1997 | Peking Man · as Osone |
| 1995 | In Search of James Bond with Jonathan Ross · as Tiger Tanaka |
| 1995 | Zankuro (TV Series) |
| 1993 | |
| 1991 | |
| 1991 | |
| 1991 | Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky · as Master Zhang |
| 1991 | Heat Wave · as Denkichi Tsuzaki |
| 1990 | |
| 1990 | Pod severnym siyaniyem · as Tsuneiro Kamisaka |
| 1990 | |
| 1989 | The Ginger Tree (TV Series) · as Hirushi Tsushima |
| 1989 | Tokyo: The Last War · as Kanaami Kohou |
| 1989 | Onihei Hankachō (1989) (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1989 | Four Days of Snow and Blood · as Jinzaburi Shinzaki |
| 1989 | Yakuza Ladies 3 · as Takeo Sakanishi |
| 1989 | Shogun's Shadow · as Hotta Masamori |
| 1988 | Tokyo Pop · as Mr. Dota |
| 1988 | A Taxing Woman's Return · as Sadohara |
| 1987 | |
| 1987 | Twilight of the Cockroaches · as Grandpa (voice) |
| 1987 | |
| 1987 | Shuto shôshitsu · as Nakata |
| 1987 | Night Train · as Isaburo Tamura |
| 1986 | April Fish · as Panapora Chief Handa |
| 1986 | Cabaret · as Yakuza Boss |
| 1985 | The Last True Yakuza · as Kazumasa Tashiro |
| 1985 | |
| 1984 | |
| 1984 | |
| 1984 | Kita no hotaru · as Ishikura |
| 1984 | Zero · as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto |
| 1984 | Station to Heaven · as Izawa-Keiji |
| 1984 | |
| 1983 | |
| 1983 | |
| 1983 | The Geisha · as Kochi Notable |
| 1983 | Battle Anthem · as Yamamoto |
| 1982 | Marco Polo (TV Series) · as Vasaio |
| 1982 | Conquest · as Chitsukawa |
| 1982 | Suspicion · as Kanetaka Okamura |
| 1982 | Dai Nippon teikoku · as Hideki Tojo |
| 1982 | Onimasa · as Uichi Suda, The Big Boss |
| 1981 | Call from Darkness · as Sugibayashi |
| 1981 | The Imperial Navy · as Jisaburo Ozawa |
| 1981 | The Wild Daisy · as Gozaburo Saito |
| 1981 | The Bushido Blade · as Lord Yamato |
| 1981 | Samurai Reincarnation · as Muramasa |
| 1981 | |
| 1980 | Shogun's Ninja · as Tozawa Hakuunsai |
| 1980 | The Battle of Port Arthur · as Gentaro Kodama |
| 1980 | Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga · as Tatsuo Akashi |
| 1979 | The Shogun Assassins · as Kato Kiyomasa |
| 1979 | Hunter in the Dark · as Okitsugu Tanuma |
| 1979 | Hissatsu Shigotonin (TV Series) · as Kurando Mibuno |
| 1979 | |
| 1979 | The Boss's Boss · as Abiru Tsujiura |
| 1979 | Renegade ninjas · as Cast |
| 1978 | Swords Of Vengeance · as Yanagisawa |
| 1978 | Never Give Up · as General Wada |
| 1978 | August Without Emperor · as Army General Mikami |
| 1978 | Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron · as Kichibei |
| 1978 | The Incident · as Lawyer Kikuchi |
| 1978 | Message from Space · as Ernest Noguchi |
| 1978 | Yagyu Clan Conspiracy · as Ogasawara Gensinsai |
| 1977 | Hakkodasan · as Colonel Kojima |
| 1977 | The Alaska Story · as Arashuk |
| 1976 | Murderer! · as Nīto Kouken |
| 1976 | Zero Pilot · as Captain Saito |
| 1976 | Seven Nights in Japan · as Terrorist Leader (uncredited) |
| 1976 | |
| 1976 | |
| 1976 | |
| 1976 | |
| 1975 | The Killing Machine · as Nobuyuki Kobayakawa |
| 1975 | Kobe Kokusai Gang · as Rinsei |
| 1975 | |
| 1975 | Conflagration · as Captain Munekata |
| 1975 | Bullet Train · as Sunaga |
| 1975 | Tidal Wave · as Prime Minister Yamato |
| 1975 | All Men Are Brothers · as Lu Chun I |
| 1974 | The Executioner II: Karate Inferno · as Shugi |
| 1974 | The Castle of Sand · as Detective Eitaro Imanishi |
| 1974 | Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 1974 | San-daime Shumei · as Cast |
| 1974 | Prophecies of Nostradamus · as Dr. Nishiyama |
| 1974 | Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs · as Nagumo |
| 1974 | The Tattooed Hitman · as Cast |
| 1974 | Violent Streets · as Shimamura Kansai |
| 1973 | Submersion of Japan · as Prime Minister Yamamoto |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | The Water Margin (TV Series) · as General Hu |
| 1973 | Proxy War · as Tatsuo Akashi |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | Yamaguchi-gumi San-daime · as Noboru Yamaguchi |
| 1973 | Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight · as Shino |
| 1973 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | Kage gari: Hoero taihô · as Kagemetsuke |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | |
| 1972 | The Water Margin · as Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I |
| 1972 | Under the Flag of the Rising Sun · as Sergeant Katsuo Togashi |
| 1971 | |
| 1971 | |
| 1971 | Silence · as Cristóvão Ferreira |
| 1971 | The Wolves · as Genryu Asakura |
| 1971 | Bakuto kirikomi-tai · as Chief Inspector |
| 1971 | Battle of Okinawa · as Lieutenant General Isamu Cho |
| 1971 | Epic Chushingura (TV Series) · as Chisaka Hyobu |
| 1970 | |
| 1970 | Postwar Secrets · as Kuroki |
| 1970 | |
| 1970 | The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan · as Soshun Kochiyama |
| 1970 | |
| 1970 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1969 | The 5-Man Army · as Samurai |
| 1969 | The Steel Edge of Revenge · as Rokugo Tatewaki |
| 1969 | Furyô banchô: Inoshika Ochô · as Cast |
| 1968 | Black Lizard · as Kuroki |
| 1968 | Snake Woman's Curse · as Commander |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | |
| 1968 | Gambler's Farewell · as Tetsuji Kasai |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | Zoku soshiki bôryoku · as Police Inspector Kitagawa |
| 1967 | You Only Live Twice · as Tiger Tanaka |
| 1967 | Portrait of Chieko · as Kotaro Takamura |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1967 | Falling Out · as Sakai |
| 1967 | |
| 1966 | |
| 1966 | The Secret of the Urn · as Lord Tsushima Yagyu |
| 1965 | Blood of Revenge · as Yutaro Nomura |
| 1965 | |
| 1965 | Samurai Spy · as Sakon Takatani |
| 1965 | Abashiri Prison · as Tsumaki |
| 1965 | Ninja Chushingura · as Mumyo Tsunataro |
| 1964 | Kwaidan · as Warrior (segment "hoichi The Earless") |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | Revenge · as Shume Okuno |
| 1964 | The 7th Dawn · as Ng |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | Assassination · as Hachiro Kiyokawa |
| 1964 | Samurai from Nowhere · as Gunjuro Ohba |
| 1964 | Three Outlaw Samurai · as Sakon Shiba |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | |
| 1964 | Jakoman and Tetsu · as Jakoman |
| 1964 | |
| 1963 | 13 Assassins · as Doi Ōkō Toshi |
| 1963 | Gyangu Chûshingura · as Gu Shimizu |
| 1963 | |
| 1963 | Gang and G-Men 2 · as 手塚徹 |
| 1963 | |
| 1962 | Ôsho · as Man Who Sells Cotton Candy |
| 1962 | Gyangu tai G-men · as Toru Tezuka |
| 1962 | |
| 1962 | Harakiri · as Hikokuro Omodaka |
| 1962 | |
| 1962 | Taiheiyo no g-men · as Mizuhara |
| 1962 | The Proud Challenge · as Takayama |
| 1962 | |
| 1962 | |
| 1961 | Kuroi gashû dainibu: Kanryû · as Yamamoto |
| 1961 | Hakuchu no buraikan · as Miyahara |
| 1961 | Bridge to the Sun · as Jiro |
| 1961 | Kiri to kage · as Yusuke Komiya |
| 1961 | Kidô sôsahan · as Koike |
| 1961 | Pigs and Battleships · as Slasher Tetsuji |
| 1961 | Daredevil in the Castle · as Sadamasa Ishikawa |
| 1960 | Matenrô no otoko · as Genkichi Ômuta |
| 1960 | The Gambling Samurai · as Fumizo Mitsuki |
| 1958 | Dokufu Takahashi Oden · as Ihei Ôsawa |
| 1957 | |
| 1957 | |
| 1957 | The Depths · as Jinjûrô Ômura |
| 1956 | Kaii Utsunomiya tsuritenjô · as Kurozumi Tenzen |
| 1955 | Twilight Saloon · as Morimoto |