Japanese actor Toshiyuki Nishida, the general from “Emperor”, died at the age of 76 – Observer

Actor Toshiyuki Nishida, legendary figure in Takeshi Kitano’s films and one of the most beloved faces in Japanese cinema in recent decades, was found dead in his house in Setagaya (west of Tokyo), police said this Thursday.

As authorities are investigating the details of the incidentsaid Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The alert was given by an unidentified person, who entered the house and found the actor dead in bed, local news agency Jiji reported.

Born on November 4, 1947 in Fukushima (northeast), the Japanese actor and executive participated in 163 films and series and was one of Japan’s most beloved actors.

Among the most notable roles is that of general Kajima no filme Emperor (2012)about the surrender of Japan during World War II, which also featured performances by American actors Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox.

Also in two of the films in the saga Outrage (2012 and 2017), written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano, action films about the struggle for power in the Japanese mafia (“yakuza”).

Em Alone in Tokyo (2008), by New Yorker Robert Allan Ackerman, Nishida played a ramen chef (Maezumi) who must teach an American woman, led by Brittany Murphy, how to prepare this classic dish and become the restaurant’s successor. .

Murphy, 32, was found dead on December 20, 2009, in her Los Angeles home.