Tetsuya Watari
Biography
He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Watari belonged to the karate club at university. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Isamu Kosugi's Abare Kishidō, and received one of the Elan d'or Awards. At Nikkatsu, Watari appeared in such films as Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series.
Watari was mentored at Nikkatsu by Yujiro Ishihara. When Nikkatsu shifted to focusing on Roman Porno films in the early seventies, Watari was one of many actors who left the studio.
Watari was due to play the main role in Kinji Fukasaku’s film Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but because of illness he was not able to appear. In 1974, he was forced to step down from the lead role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Katsu Kaishū on NHK, again because of illness, after appearing in only nine episodes. In 1976, Watari won best actor of Blue Ribbon Award for his role in Kinji Fukasaku`s film Yakuza Graveyard.
In Japan, Watari is probably still best known for his role as Keisuke Daiomon in the detective series "Seibu Keisatsu" on TV Asahi. He also appeared in the popular detective drama "Taiyō ni Hoero!" as a replacement for Yujiro Ishihara in 1986.
Watari became the president of Ishihara Promotion after Yujiro's death in 1987 but in 2011 he resigned due to his declining health.
On June 10, 2015 he was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack and underwent surgery. Seven days later it was announced that he was in rehabilitation and would be discharged from hospital in about a month.
He had a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who was also an actor. As a singer, Watari is known for his hit song "Kuchinashi no Hana" and he appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1974 and 1993.
He died of pneumonia on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78.
Movies 93
Brother
as Jinseikai Boss
2000
Yamato
2005
Tokyo Drifter
as Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo
1966
Graveyard of Honor
as Rikio Ishikawa
1975
Diary of Early Winter Shower
as Kounosuke Mibu
1998
Yakuza Graveyard
as Ryu Kuroiwa
1976
Outlaw: Gangster VIP
as Goro Fujikawa
1968
The Human Revolution
as Shimatani
1973
Challenge at Dawn
1971
Savage Wolf Pack
1969
Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms
as Cao Cao (voice)
1992
Stray Dog
as Detective Murakami
1973
Outlaw: Goro the Assassin
as Goro Fujikawa
1968
Conflagration
as Third Officer Inoue
1975
Goryokaku
as Toshizo Hijikata
1988
Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea Is Bright Red as the Color of Love
as Tetsu
1966
Clockwork- Goodbye Winter
1986
Velvet Hustler
as Goro
1967
Abduction
as Hiroshi Tsuba
1997
Kin chan no Cinema Jack
1993
Exiled to Hell
1969
It Is a Long Walk
2000
Monument to the Girl's Corps
as Young man
1968
Law of the Outlaw
as Goro Takei
1971
Night Train to the Stars
as Masajiro Miyazawa
1996
The Summit of Mt. Fuji
as Yohei Kada
1970
The Man of Victory
1967
Spartan Education
1970
Dreams Come True at Night
as Makoto Katagiri
1967
Outlaw: Kill!
as Goro Fujikawa
1969
The Unruly Ronin's Journey
1991
The Fatal Raid
1969
Lady Joker
as Seizo Monoi
2004
Expelled from the Kanto Mob
1971
The Blossom and the Sword
as Seijirô Tanaka
1973
My Sweetheart
as Akai
1967
In Tears
1965
Chase That Man
1972
The Wild Sea
as Yoji Kitami
1969
Red Glass
as Hiroshi
1966
Rebellion Reward
as Shun Muraki
1973
The Cleanup
as Kurasawa
1969
Song of my Life
as Takuya Tsugami
1968
前科・仮釈放
as Ôhara Ryûji
1969
Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2
as Goro Fujikawa
1968
Western Police Special
as Keisuke Daimon
2004
Villain
as Masato Kogure
2012
Human Revolution II
1976
Shura Group Part 3
2002
Outlaw: Black Dagger
as Goro Fujikawa
1968
Flower and Dragon
1973
Love Eternal
as Makoto Kanô
1966
Step on the Gas!
as Yuuji Nishigami
1970
Theater of Life
1972
Ruthless Gambler
1969
The Earth is Born Again
as Hironosuke Nakadate
1971
The Stormy Man
as Shôichi Kokubu
1966
The Four Beast Guardians 5 - Scarecrow Hanbei's Lawless Journey
as Tetsuya Watari
1993
Sangokushi: The Yangtze Is Burning!
as Cao Cao (voice)
1993
The Code of Man
1968
Yakuza Wanderer: Villainous Livelihood
1969
East China Sea
as Naoyoshi
1968
Outlaw: Heartless
as Goro Fujikawa
1968
陽のあたる坂道
1967
Your Life
1966
Sword and Flower
1972
やくざ番外地 抹殺
1969
Seishun no Sabaki
1965
Profile of a Boss' Son
1970
Wild Cop 2
1973
Till We Meet Again
1966
Wild Cop
1973
The Aftermath of War
1967
The Swan Elegy
1966
Burning Clouds
1967
Showdown in Gangland
1970
Showdown at Nagasaki
as Keiji Takama
1969
The Heart of Hiroshima
as Yukio Mihara
1966
Pay Off Your Debt!
1970
The Stars and I Decided...
as Saburo Ohinata
1965
The Final Winner?
1968
明るいほうへ 明るいほうへ -童謡詩人 金子みすゞ-
2001
Western Police: Goodbye, Western Police
1984
The Debt of Blood
1967
The Blazing Continent
1968
Again
1984
Kanto Kanbu-kai
1971
The Black Sheep
1967
Rusty Pendant
1967
Ex Convict: Sword Storm
1969
Shinkuna umi ga yon deru ze
1965
Kanto Drifter
1971
The Hurricane Drummer
1967TV Shows 28
AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo
as Muneaki Seta
2002
SMAP×SMAP
as Skit Guest
1996
Yoshitsune
as Taira no Kiyomori (Hei-shi)
2005
Hideyoshi
as Oda Nobunaga
1996
Katsu Kaishu
as Katsu Kaishu (adult)
1974
Clouds Over the Hill
as 東郷平八郎
2009
Western Police
as Daimon Keisuke
1979
Big City: Days of Struggle
1976
Epic Chushingura
as Horibe Yasubei
1971
No Dropping Out: Back to School at 35
as Yukinobu Asada
2013
Haguregumo
1978
Roar At The Sun!
as Hyogo Tachibana (Inspector)
1972
Gorilla - Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Division 8
as Sho Kuramoto
1989
Marusa!!
as Chikara Kokuryo
2003
Bloody Journal of the Shinsengumi
as Kondo Isami
1998
Flower of Ice
2008
Representative Director Detective
1990
The Street Lawyers
2006
My Beloved Detective
as Section Chief Daisuke Takakura
1992
Gion Bayashi
2005
Family: Absence of the Wife, Existence of the Husband
2006
Oishii Gohan: Kamakura Kasugai Rice Shop
as 카스가이 류헤이
2007
弟
2004
Middle-aged Divorce
2005
Tuna
2007
浮浪云
1978
渡哲也サスペンス 絆
2002