Daisuke Katō (加東 大介) was a Japanese actor. He appeared in over 200 films, including Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, and Ikiru. He also worked repeatedly for noted directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse and Kenji Mizoguchi.

Career

Born as Tokunosuke Katō to a theatrical family, his older brother was the actor Kunitarō Sawamura and his older sister the actress Sadako Sawamura. He joined the Zenshinza Theatre Company in 1933 and appeared in a number of stage and film productions under the stage name Enji Ichikawa, including Sadao Yamanaka's Humanity and Paper Balloons and Kenji Mizoguchi's The 47 Ronin. After spending the war in New Guinea, he returned to Japan and signed with the Daiei Film studio, appearing now under the name Daisuke Katō. In addition to appearing in traditional jidaigeki roles, notably as one of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, Katō became a popular everyman in contemporary shōshimin-eiga movies. His transfer to Toho in 1951 was an astute career choice, as he emerged as one of the studio's most prolific performers. Toho leveraged Katō's cherubic appeal, featuring him heavily in promotional materials, and his celebrity grew beyond the typical status of a supporting player. In the late 50's, Katō's capacity as a headliner was confirmed by his role as the central character in the series of adaptations of the Shishi Bunroku novel Ōban; scholar Donald Richie noted Katō’s “perfect interpretation” of the portly go-getter in the popular tetralogy. Katō also co-starred in major releases, including Toho's Company President (Shachō) comedies. His 1961 book about his wartime experiences, Minami no shima ni yuki ga furu (Snow in the South Seas), was adapted by Toho as a showcase for Katō, who was top-billed, paired with major studio comic actor Junzaburō Ban (who received the only other solo screen credit), and supported with guest appearances by A-list Toho stars Hisaya Morishige, Tatsuya Mihashi, Keiju Kobayashi, and Frankie Sakai. The book later became an NHK television drama, a stage play, and a second film.

Honors

Daisuke Katō won the Blue Ribbon Award and Mainichi Film Concours for Best Supporting Actor in 1952 for Kettō Kagiya no Tsuji and Mother, and the Blue Ribbon Award in 1954 for Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji and Koko ni izumi ari. On June 7, 1963, Katō was the subject of the Asahi Shimbun Interview, a distinction reserved for notable members of the arts, sports, political, and business communities. In 2008, Katō was one of the actors commemorated in the Seven Supporting Characters film festival held at the now-defunct Cinema Artone in Tokyo's Shimokitazawa entertainment district.

Family

Kato's nephews are the actors Masahiko Tsugawa and Hiroyuki Nagato. His son, Haruyuki Katō, married Kazuko Kurosawa, the costume designer and daughter of Akira Kurosawa. His grandson by Harayuki and Kazuko is actor Takayuki Kato.

Selected filmography