:Akira Takarada

Akira Takarada was born in Korea under Japanese rule, and lived for a time in Manchuria, China.{{cite book |first= Steve |last= Ryfle |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G"|chapter= Akira Takarada: Mr. Handsome |pages= [https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/94 94–95] |year= 1998 |publisher= ECW Press |location= Miami |isbn= 1-55022-348-8 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/94 }} His father worked as an engineer on the South Manchuria Railway.{{Cite web |date=August 13, 2015 |title=終戦の満州、悪夢の始まり…俳優 宝田明さん ８１ |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/matome/sengo70/20150812-OYT8T50066.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628150104/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/matome/sengo70/20150812-OYT8T50066.html |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=Yomiuri Shimbun}} After the war, he remained in Harbin, and he was able to speak Mandarin Chinese and English.

Takarada moved to Allied-occupied Japan with his family in 1948. He joined Toho as part of their "New Face" program in April 1953. In his film debut, he had a small role in And Then the Liberty Bell Rang, a biography of the educator Fukuzawa Yukichi. His big break came when he was cast as navy diver Hideto Ogata in the original Godzilla (1954). He became a popular actor at Toho for his good looks and charismatic, sophisticated character. He continued his association with the Godzilla series in Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966). He returned to the series in 1992 with Godzilla vs. Mothra and appeared again in Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Other Toho science-fiction/special-effects films in which he appeared include Half Human (1955), The Last War (1961), King Kong Escapes (1967), and Latitude Zero (1969).

Toho prepared a musical production of Gone with the Wind with Broadway composer-lyricist Harold Rome for its new Imperial Garden theatre in 1970. Entitled Scarlett, Takarada was originally scheduled to play the role of Rhett Butler. However, injuries sustained in an accident in which he fell off a bulldozer while filming prevented him from participating in this stage production.{{cite book|author=Rome, Florence|year=1971|title=The Scarlett Letters|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=0-394-46171-1|url=https://archive.org/details/scarlettletters00rome}}, p.154.

Takarada made a guest appearance at the fan convention G-Fest XVII in 2010, and again at G-Fest XIX in July 2012, G-Fest XXIII in July 2016, and G-Fest XXVI in 2019.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} He received G-FEST's Mangled Skyscraper Award in 2010, and the G-FAN Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. He has come to be known as "The Godfather of G-FEST." On March 27, 2013, Takarada posed for publicity photographs with director Gareth Edwards on the set of the Legendary/Warner Bros Godzilla reboot, suggesting a cameo of sorts in the new movie. His scenes were filmed, but ultimately cut from the movie. He is still listed in the movie credits.

• Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu! (1993) (Shōtarō Hakuchō)
• Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1998) (Takatsukasa Masamichi)
• Watashi no Aozora (2000) (Jōji Murai)
• Shōtoku Taishi (2001) (Mononobe no Moriya)
• Rokkā no Hanako-san (2002) (Kaichō Tatsumi)
• Clouds Over the Hill (2009) (Fujino Susumu)
• Carnation (2011) (Seizaburō Matsuzaka)
• Keisei Saimin no Otoko Part 3 (2015) (Ikeda Shigeaki)

• The Ambushers (Matt Helm)
• Cats (Gus "Asparagus" the Theatre Cat (Ian McKellen)){{cite web|url= https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/362189|title= 映画「キャッツ」に山寺宏一や宝田明が参加、日本語版の新キャスト発表|work= Natalie|accessdate= March 29, 2021}}
• Doctor Dolittle (Doctor Dolittle)
• Murderers' Row (Matt Helm)

• Aladdin (1992) (Jafar)[http://www.disneystore.co.jp/shop/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=VWDS5352　disney-studio.jp Aladdin DVD]{{cite web

| url=http://gph.sakura.ne.jp/va_memo/system/vadb.cgi?action=view_ind&value=02669&namecode=3

| title=声優さん出演リスト 個別表示：宝田 明(Akira Takarada)

| trans-title=Voice actor's appearance list individual display: Tomomichi Nishimura

| work=Voice Artist Database

| publisher=GamePlaza-HARUKA-

| accessdate=September 29, 2019

| language=Japanese

| archive-date=October 25, 2020

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025025649/http://gph.sakura.ne.jp/va_memo/system/vadb.cgi?action=view_ind&value=02669&namecode=3

| url-status=dead

}}

• The Return of Jafar[http://www.disneystore.co.jp/shop/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=VWDS5354&CD=&WKCD=　disney-studio.jp The Return of Jafar DVD]
• Disney's House of Mouse (Ratigan, Jafar)
• Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (Ratigan)[http://disney-studio.jp/disney/product/index.jsp?cid=48 disney-studio.jp Olivia-chan no Daibōken(The Great Mouse Detective) BD/DVD]
• Star Wars Rebels Season 3 (Bendu)[https://www.presepe.jp/anime_news/making_release/tv/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%E3%80%8C%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA-%E5%8F%8D%E4%B9%B1%E8%80%85%E3%81%9F%E3%81%A1-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%B3%EF%BC%93]{{Dead link|date=May 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

• Adventure of Tokyo Disney Sea ~Losing of Jewel's Secret (Jafar)
• Kingdom Hearts (2002) (Jafar){{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Akira-Takarada/|title=Akira Takarada (visual voices guide)|type= A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information}}
• Kingdom Hearts II (2005) (Jafar)
• Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (2010) (Jafar)

• My Fair Lady
• South Pacific

• Tokyo Disneyland attraction: Country Bear Jamboree (Henry)

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.citwf.com/person406245.htm|title=AKIRA TAKARADA|accessdate=2010-01-29|publisher=Complete Index to World Film}}
• {{cite book |first= Steve |last= Ryfle |title= Japan's favorite mon-star: the unauthorized biography of "The Big G" |chapter= Akira Takarada: Mr. Handsome |pages= [https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/94 94–95] |year= 1998 |publisher= ECW Press |location= Miami |isbn= 1-55022-348-8 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/94 }}
• {{cite book|last=Tanaka|first=Tomoyuki|author-link=Tomoyuki Tanaka|title=The Complete History of Toho Special Effects Movies|publisher=Toho Publishing Business Office|year=1983|isbn=4-924609-00-5|language=Japanese}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_p.php?num_p=46231|script-title=ja:宝田明 たからだ・あきら|accessdate=2010-01-29|publisher=allcinema.net|language=Japanese}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/person/p0345920.htm|script-title=ja:宝田明|accessdate=2010-01-29|language=Japanese|publisher=Japanese Movie Database| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100206082908/http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/person/p0345920.htm| archivedate= 6 February 2010 | url-status= live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.kinejun.jp/people/id/90224|script-title=ja:宝田明( 出演 )|accessdate=2010-01-29|language=Japanese|publisher=Kinema Junpo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324083420/http://www.kinejun.jp/people/id/90224|archive-date=2012-03-24|url-status=dead}}

• {{IMDb name|id=0847361}}
• {{Official website|http://akira-takarada.com/}}

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Category:1934 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:20th-century Japanese male actors

Category:21st-century Japanese male actors

Category:Japanese male film actors

Category:Japanese male stage actors

Category:Japanese male television actors

Category:Japanese male voice actors

Category:People from Chongjin

Category:Japanese people of Korea under Japanese rule