Masahiko Tsugawa

津川雅彦　/　つがわまさひこ

Veteran actor, director, and critic from Kyoto

January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018　・　Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

From Kyoto Prefecture
Film Director
Actor
Critic

My Take

I have a soft spot for actors who basically grew up on set, and Masahiko Tsugawa is the platonic ideal: a Kyoto kid who started as a child actor and just never left, racking up decades until he was the wise old face anchoring a whole film. What gets me is the range. He could play the polished leading-man type and then turn around and be the smug, faintly hateable villain you love to boo, and somehow both felt completely lived-in. He went on to direct, too, and he was famously happy to mouth off as a commentator, which tells you he had opinions and zero interest in hiding them. The state handing him medals like the Medal with Purple Ribbon feels less like a trophy and more like an admission that he'd quietly been doing the work the entire time. We lost him in 2018, and that specific brand of spine-straight grown-up actor feels rarer every year.

Overview

Masahiko Tsugawa (January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor, film director, and critic born in Kyoto. Beginning his career as a child actor, he became one of Japan's most versatile screen presences, equally convincing in refined leading-man roles and as a villain. He also appeared regularly as a commentator and critic in media. His contributions to Japanese cinema and the arts were recognized with the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2006 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in 2014.

1. Profile

Name (English): Masahiko Tsugawa
Name (Japanese): 津川雅彦
Reading: つがわまさひこ
Born: January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Capricorn / Dragon (辰)
Origin: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Blood type: Private
Height: 171 cm
Agency: Private
Active years: Unknown
Occupation: Actor / Film Director / Critic

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Meiji University Affiliated Nakano High School
University: Meiji University Affiliated Nakano High School
Debut: Unknown

Awards & achievements

2006 — Medal with Purple Ribbon (紫綬褒章)
1982 — Blue Ribbon Award, Best Supporting Actor
Year Unknown — Golden Arrow Award
2014 — Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays (旭日小綬章)

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B4%A5%E5%B7%9D%E9%9B%85%E5%BD%A6