Kiyoshi Kodama

For me, Kiyoshi Kodama will always be the gentle face of Sunday afternoons, the unflappable host of Attack 25 who somehow made a quiz show feel like the most civilized room on television. He had this rare combination: a Gakushuin pedigree and an actor's natural dignity, yet zero stuffiness when a contestant nailed a tough answer, he lit up like it was his own win. What I love most is that he was a genuine bookworm, the kind who'd plow through foreign novels in the original language, and you could feel that quiet intelligence in everything he did. Tokyo-born, refined, but endlessly warm. He passed in 2011, and honestly I still miss that voice and that smile. Some people just radiate decency, and he was one of them.

Kiyoshi Kodama (January 1, 1934 – May 16, 2011) was a Japanese actor and television personality born in Kita, Tokyo. A graduate of Gakushuin University, he built a career spanning stage and television, earning wide recognition as both a dramatic actor and a beloved TV host. He passed away on May 16, 2011.

Name (English)

Kiyoshi Kodama

Name (Japanese)

児玉清

Reading

こだま きよし

Born

January 1, 1934 – May 16, 2011

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Dog

Origin

Kita, Tokyo, Japan

Occupation

Actor / Television Personality

University

Gakushuin University

• Official sitehttp://www.office-kodama.co.jp/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%90%E7%8E%89%E6%B8%85
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1138238

Tags

• From Tokyo
• Actor
• Television Personality
• TV Actor

Last updated

2026-06-02

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.