
Yoshihiro Kato
Actor · 1958 – 2007 · Akita Prefecture, Japan
Zenpaku Kato, also known by his birth name and former stage name Yoshihiro Kato, was a Japanese actor born on October 7, 1958, in Akita Prefecture. He was affiliated with the SAI Production agency. He stood at a height of 174 cm and enjoyed music appreciation as a hobby. His special skill was illustration, and his favorite color was blue. He graduated from Akita Prefectural Yuri Technical High School. Kato made his debut in the stage play "Shitaya Mannencho Monogatari," directed by Yukio Ninagawa. He was known for portraying eccentric antagonistic roles, such as a strict physical education teacher in the 1983 film "Kazoku Geemu" (Family Game), who methodically decides students' desired high schools for exams. He also played the role of Mr. Sugimoto, a department head who bullies subordinates through workplace harassment and power dynamics in the 1992 TV drama "Ai to Iu Na no Moto ni" (Under the Name of Love). Throughout his career, Kato was recognized for his distinctive performances in various mediums, including film, television, and stage. However, on April 27, 2007, at the age of 48, he tragically took his own life through hanging in a park located in Shibuya, Tokyo. His passing was mourned by fellow actors, including Toshi Kazawa, Yoji Tanaka, and Mako Maekawa, who expressed their condolences. (Translated from WIkipedia Japan "加藤善博")
Movies22
Movie7.8ComedyIn this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
Movie7.2ComedyDramaWhen Wabisuke's father-in-law unexpectedly dies, the family goes through a series of random events and occurrences as the funeral unfolds over three days in their home.
Movie6.6ComedyDramaThe film opens as a jury is about to acquit a defendant -- a bar hostess who pushed her ex-husband path of an oncoming truck, supposedly in self-defense. Just as everyone seems to be in agreement over the woman's innocence, one juror voices second thoughts.
Movie6.7ComedyCrimeIntrepid tax investigator Ryoko Itakura sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo, a suspected millionaire and proprietor of a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels, who has for years succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. Itakura and Gondo soon find themselves engaged in a complicated, satirical battle of wits.
Movie4.8DramaAfter watching her friend fall from a building a depressed high school girl runs away from home. When she is picked up by a nice guy on a phone date she realizes too late that he has plans to use her for his own ends.
Movie6.4DramaComedyVain, middle-aged actress Biwako is placed in witness protection while authorities investigate the brutal murder she witnessed. Under the watch of two dedicated cops, Biwako struggles to maintain her career, her public image, and her personal life as she prepares for her new role on the witness stand.
Movie6.9DramaComedyA successful Japanese movie director in his sixties becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. Though his family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, Buhei gradually comes to realize the truth of his condition, leading him on a journey of despair, anger, and – ultimately – acceptance.
Movie6.4ComedyMysteryRyōko Itakura returns as the tough-as-nails government taxing agent. This time she must figure out a way to expose a fanatical religious cult lead by a corrupt sociopath.
Movie6.7DramaRomanceA private detective and a college student find themselves in hot water while investigating the murder of a night club owner.
Movie10.0ActionComedyTatsuhiko and Shofumi are hoodlums living in downtown Hawaii, having flown out of Japan and entered the country illegally for a reason. The two make a living by trafficking pakalolo – marijuana – under the pretext of selling tea leaves, but they are in a foreign land where they don't speak the language well. When they get busted by the chief of police, they're forced to make a deal and and help get a local crime boss masquerading as a benevolent celebrity arrested.
Movie6.2DramaComedyNayoko, a good-hearted geisha, brings luck to the men she sleeps with, even though most are scoundrels who don’t deserve it.
Movie8.5AdventureHistoryThe life and travels of adventurer Naomi Uemura, who disappeared in Alaska in 1984. A member of the first Japanese expedition to reach the summit of Mt Everest in 1970, Uemura also accomplished several "firsts". He was the first man to reach the North Pole solo, climb Denali solo, and float down the Amazon river solo. In the film, Uemura returns to Tokyo after a stint in Siorapaluk in Northern Greenland. In Tokyo, he reconnects with an old friend and, over coffee, shares his life story - from his days as a college dropout to his successful expedition to the top of Everest.
Movie6.9ComedyDramaA sendup of the stereotypical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife; the older son is a moderate academic success; but the younger son is a rebellious goof-off for whom a tutor must be hired. The tutor proceeds to blow the entire family apart.
Movie7.2DramaCrimeDeaths in Tokimeki tells the story of a nondescript hitman, in a remote country villa, waiting to carry out a job: the assassination of the leader of a religious cult.
Movie8.0ActionCrimeIn the year 199X, on the dark, shady streets of New Kabuki Town, the free-for-all between gangs of young delinquents and a corrupt police force is further complicated by the appearance of a mysterious girl named Asuka.
Movie10.0HorrorComedyA carnivorous monster lives on the island of Sipang. A group of office ladies band together to fight it.
Movie5.6CrimeDramaTetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning down his cruel adoptive father. His life begins to unravel when a journalist following him takes an interest in the wife of a boyhood chum, and the wife of another close friend takes an interest in Ise. A couple of murders later, Ise/Haga goes on the run and also sets out for revenge.
Movie7.5ComedyWhen a hard-driving copywriter (Hiroyuki Sanada) discovers his comely wife (Keiko Saito) is involved in a scintillating game of strip rock-paper-scissors with some guy clad only in a pair of boxer shorts and Mickey Mouse ears, he is less than happy. When the stranger tries to make a run for it, a fight ensues between the two men, and they accidentally tumble down several flights of a concrete stairwell. One hurried ambulance ride later, the copywriter finds himself in a private teaching hospital equipped with the latest gleaming gizmos. Meanwhile, a young internist (Hiroko Yakushimaru) girds herself for her first emergency room case -- the battered copywriter. After giving a curt bow and a nervous "Good Evening," she accidentally jams a syringe into his bloody wound. Soon the absurdity of their situation, along with their medical misery, binds the two men and their blundering nurse together.
Movie9.0ComedyA stylish light comedy about the “Banana boys”— two boys who were born and raised in Roppongi who are still growing up. It is based on the light novel of the same name written by Takashi Kitajima
Movie5.0DramaDuring a militant attack on an airport, the hand grenade of 'M', one of three terrorists, malfunctions, leading to him being captured and held indefinitely in prison. Exposed to mistreatment behind bars, he slowly loses his grip on reality as he is forced to confront his ideological convictions.
Movie10.0DramaRomanceRyô is a young leopard, Maki a rhythmical wave. The barrier between a teacher and a student gives way to the passionate embrace of a man and a woman desperately in love.
Movie10.0ComedyShohei Taguchi is a salaryman who works for a securities company and loves women like no other. One day, he plans to use the cash borrowed from the gangsters and snatch to repay his debt . However, Sayoko Mukai, who said that she used the money of the company for gambling , took over the money. Shohei and Sayoko plan a robbery and steal cash from the gallery, but another man steals it.
Series1
TV7.0DramaMaria is in need of money. Because her day-time job doesn't pay enough, she works at night at a cabaret. She needs the money so that she can pay for her sister, Nana's eyes operation. When both Maria and Nana were younger, Maria burned down the home, causing her sister's blindness and killing their father (mother survived.) Shiro is a famous concert pianist. However, he isn't happy with his marriage or his life in general. Maria and Shiro are united through a traffic accident, causing Shiro to be hospitalized. Faking amnesia and his identity, he stays at Maria's place and eventually starts to work at the cabaret as a piano player. As you will find out later on, life was not meant for Maria and Shiro to find one another.