Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
If you have watched much Japanese cinema, you know this face and almost certainly not the name. And when you finally learn it, the name is Denden, which somehow makes it harder to remember, not easier. Born Yoshihiro Ogata in Chikushino, Fukuoka in 1950, he started out as a comedian before turning to acting, and he has appeared in more than a hundred films since 1981. That number is the whole story. He is less a star than a piece of infrastructure: put him at the edge of a frame and the town in the shot suddenly feels like a place where people actually live. I find that harder to do than carrying a lead role. A comic stage name, and behind it an actor who can make you laugh, then unsettle you, then break your heart, usually without ever moving to the center of the screen.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Denden
- Name (Japanese)
- でんでん
- Born
- January 23, 1950 (age 76)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
- Height
- 174 cm
- Occupation
- actor / owarai tarento / television actor
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%A7%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%82%93
Frequently asked questions
When was Denden born?
Born January 23, 1950 (age 76).
Where is Denden from?
Denden is from Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Denden do?
Denden works as actor, owarai tarento, television actor.
How tall is Denden?
Denden is 174 cm.
Actor — see all → · Owarai tarento — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-07-27
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.