Jerry Ito
American actor and singer (1927-2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerald Tamekichi “Jerry” Itō (Japanese: ジェリー・伊藤; July 12, 1927 – July 8, 2007) was an American actor, singer, and tarento, who spent most of his professional life in Japan.[1] He was part of a showbusiness family, headed by his father Michio Itō.
June 12, 1927
Actors Studio
Jerry Ito | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gerald Tamekichi Itō June 12, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 2007 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | The New School Actors Studio |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Spouse | Sakae Itō |
| Father | Michio Itō |
| Relatives | Teiji Itō (cousin) Teimoc Johnston-Ono (cousin) Koreya Senda (uncle) Kisaku Itō (uncle) Teiko Itō (aunt) |
Early life and education
Itō was born into a showbusiness family in New York City in 1927. He was the son of Japanese dancer and choreographer Michio Itō and American dancer Hazel Wright. His uncles included playwright and actor Koreya Senda and art director Kisaku Itō, and his cousins included composer Teiji Itō and Olympic judoka Teimoc Johnston-Ono.[1] His paternal grandfather and namesake, Tamekichi Itō, was an architect who designed the Ginza Wako department store.[2]
Itō served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, where he was attached to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan, was a member of the American Theatre Wing.[1] After his discharge, he studied acting at The New School, and appeared in a stage adaptation of All the King's Men.[3] However, he was recalled to service during the Korean War, this time in the Army, where he worked for Special Services. After his second discharge, he joined the Actors Studio.[1]
Career
After appearing in the Broadway play The Teahouse of the August Moon,[4] Itō moved to Japan in the mid-1950s, where he married his wife Wakana Hanayagi. While taking Japanese-language classes, he worked as an English-language dubber for Toho Studios.[3] He was later signed to Toho's stage division, though he was frequently loaned out to other film studios due to the lack of roles for Anglophone stage actors.[1]
He established himself as a gaijin tarento (foreign talent), frequently cast as foreigner character in Japanese films. Among his most internationally-recognized parts were as Clark Nelson, the principal antagonist of the 1961 kaiju film Mothra by Toho.[2] He played Ernest Mason Satow in several Taiga dramas. He also recorded several albums for Toshiba Records and was a frequent guest on talk shows.[3] He also appeared in the stage musical Once Upon a Mattress,[2] and was a spokesmodel for Shiseido. From 1995 to 1997, Itō was a cast member of the NHK educational program Let's Play English.[1][5]
Personal life
Itō was married to Wakana Hanayagi (real name: Sakae Itō), a Nihon-buyō dancer who taught at the University of Toronto and Yale University.[6]
Later life and death
After suffering a stroke in 1997, Itō moved to Los Angeles for treatment at UCLA Medical Center's Speech Pathology Clinic, where he was involved with the Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation. He lived there until his death from pneumonia in July 2007, four days before his 80th birthday.[1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Umi no yarodomo | Arab | |
| Tokyo no Tekisasujin | [3] | ||
| 1959 | Jan Arima no shûgeki | Milland | |
| The Manster | Superintendent Aida | ||
| 1960 | Pineapple butai | Sgt. March | |
| 1961 | Kanashiki 60 sai | [3] | |
| Mothra | Clark Nelson | ||
| The Last War (Sekai daisenso) | Watkins | ||
| 1962 | Gekkyū dorobo | Jose Dagon | |
| 1962 | Nippon musekinin yaro | Gary | |
| 1963 | Interpol Code 8 (Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: shirei dai hachigo) | Rudolf Kent | |
| 1963 | Yabunirami Nippon | John Machihei | |
| 1963 | The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (Eburi manshi no yūga-na seikatsu) | Pete Nicholas | |
| 1963 | Ankokugai No. 1 | Anpo | |
| 1964 | You Can Succeed, Too (Kimi mo shusse ga dekiru) | McGregor | |
| 1968 | Shin Abashiri Bangaichi | Jimmy Nakata | |
| 1970 | Hakurai jingi: Kapone no shatei | Huber | |
| 1977 | Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (Golgo 13: Kūron no kubi) | Polanski | |
| 1978 | Message from Space (Uchu kara no messeji) | Commander |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai | Army MP | |
| 1967 | Dekkai Seishun | Jerry Takai | 1 episode |
| 1967 | San shimai | Ernest Mason Satow | |
| 1968 | Ryōma ga Yuku | ||
| Maboroshijō | |||
| Mighty Jack | Roberto Okamura | 1 episode | |
| John Manjirō | |||
| Fuji Santaro | 1 episode | ||
| 1970 | Surōnin Hanayama Daikichi | Donickel Willman | |
| 1974 | Katsu Kaishū | Ernest Mason Satow | |
| 1977 | Nippon no Sengo | Courtney Whitney | |
| Kashin | Edward Snell | ||
| 1978 | UFO daisensou: Tatakae! Reddo taigâ | Dr. Amano | |
| Edogawa Rampo no bijo | Georges Point | 1 episode | |
| 1979 | Daitokai | Sherwin | 1 episode |
| Tokusō Saizensen | George Haraguchi | 2 episodes | |
| 1980 | Tokumei Keiji | Ferdinand Garcia | 1 episode |
| Hijō no raisensu | Charles E. Crawford | 1 episode | |
| 1981 | Black Jack (Kayama Yuzo no Blackjack) | Captain Kenneth | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Bid for Power | Watanabe | |
| 1983 | Ōoku | 1 episode | |
| 1985 | Yomeshūtome Jindori Gassen | ||
| 1986 | Taiyō ni Hoero! | Thomas Bernardo | 1 episode |
| 1995-97 | Let's Play English | Grandpa Jerry |
