Tetsuro Tamba

ActorDirectorWriterProducerProduction Jul 17 (died age 84) Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan 1954–2006 (52 year career)

6.3 avg rating

Biography

Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey was a remarkable blend of cultural bridges. Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho c…

Known For

Film

Harakiri

Hikokuro Omodaka

Film

The Cat Returns

Cat King (voice)

Film

You Only Live Twice

Tiger Tanaka

Film

Kwaidan

Warrior (segment "Hoichi the Earless")

Film

The Twilight Samurai

Tozaemon Iguchi

Film

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky

Master Zhang

Film

The Happiness of the Katakuris

Granpa Jinpei Katakuri

Film

Gozu

6.8 2003

Filmography

Acting (345)

Movies (318)

Teruo Ishii Fan Club

2006

Demon Pond

2005

6.6

The Thousand Year Fire

2004

5.0

Capone: Roppongi Renkin no Teio

Yakuza Demon

as Michitane Tendou

T.R.Y.

Gozu

A Case of Murder by the Atami Station Taxi Stand

The Cat Returns

as Cat King (voice)

The Twilight Samurai

as Tozaemon Iguchi

Shura Group

Graveyard of Honor

as Tetsuji Tokura

The Happiness of the Katakuris

2002

as Granpa Jinpei Katakuri

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka

as Sanada

Shura Group Part 1

Shura Group Part 2

Blind Beast vs Killer Dwarf

2001

3.4

Ino Tadataka: Meridian Dreams

2001

修羅のみち

2001

The Making Of The Katakuris

2001

6.0

The Stupid Teacher

2000

as Utaemon Baba

Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons

2000

as Old Master

5.9

A Class to Remember IV: Fifteen

2000

as Tetsuo Hatake

8.0

Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle

as Tamba (voice)

Jubaku: Spellbound

as Tajiro Kawakami

Japanese Hell

as Asu Shino

Screwed

as Landlord

The Peking Man

as Osone

Psychic: Traveler to the Unknown

1994

Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole

Emperor of Upheaval

The Supernormal II

Taira no Kiyomori

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky

1991

as Master Zhang

6.9

The Great Shogunate Battle

Minamoto Yoshitsune

Yakuza Warfare

Kim's War

Heat Wave

as Denkichi Tsuzaki

源氏九郎颯爽記　秘剣揚羽の蝶

The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses

1991

5.9

Female Neo-Ninjas

1991

as Time Patrol leader

4.0

Aurora Borealis

1990

as Tsuneiro Kamisaka

4.9

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!

1990

as Ryo Okamoto

13 Assassins

1990

7.0

1750 Days of Turbulence

1990

8.0

Be-In Bully High School

1990

as Ryotaro Sakurazawa

Shogun's Shadow

1989

as Hotta Masamori

6.8

長七郎江戸日記スペシャル長七郎大奥まかり通る

Tokyo: The Last War

as Kanaami Kohou

The Political Game

Four Days of Snow and Blood

1989

as Jinzaburi Shinzaki

6.8

Yakuza Ladies 3

1989

as Takeo Sakanishi

6.0

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

as 吉野博士

A Taxing Woman's Return

as Sadohara

Tokyo Pop

as Mr. Dota

Tokugawa Ieyasu – TBS Warlord Special

Night Train

as Isaburo Tamura

You're My Destiny

Tokyo Blackout

as Nakata

Twilight of the Cockroaches

1987

as Grandpa (voice)

5.8

Ronin on a Mission

1987

as Ōishi Kuranosuke

There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl

1987

6.0

Shinran: Path to Purity

1987

5.0

April Fish

1986

as Panapora Chief Handa

Cabaret

as Yakuza boss

Be Free!

as Keizo Hasegawa

The White Tiger Battalion

1986

The Sound of the Waves

1985

The Last True Yakuza

1985

as Kazumasa Tashiro

4.8

Vendetta of Obligation

1985

Love: Starting on a Journey

1985

2.5

Choshichiro's Edo Diaries: The Yagyu Conspiracy

1984

as Yagyu Munefuyu

The Story of a Man Among Men

1984

6.0

Kōgen ni ressha ga hashitta

1984

Zero

1984

as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

4.2

Fireflies in the North

1984

as Ishikura

5.3

Nezumi Kozō kaitō den

Kukai

Heaven Station

The Geisha

as Kochi Notable

Battle Anthem

as Yamamoto

The Duel in the Forbidden Territory

1983

The Tale of Saikaido

1983

Lady Vengeance and the 47 Ronin

1983

Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun

1983

8.0

A Madcap Corporation

1983

as Yoshiteru Suma (Suma-gumi Boss)

L・O・V・I・N・G

1983

Suspicion

1982

as Kanetaka Okamura

7.0

The Villain from Edo Kochiyama Soshun

1982

The Imperial Japanese Empire

as Hideki Tojo

To Trap a Kidnapper

Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather

1982

as Uichi Suda, The Big Boss

6.1

The Wild Daisy

1981

as Gozaburo Saito

6.0

Samurai Reincarnation

as Muramasa

The Imperial Navy

as Jisaburo Ozawa

Call from Darkness

as Sugibayashi

The Bushido Blade

as Lord Yamato

The Last Days of Planet Earth

1981

as Dr. Nishiyama

Flames of Blood

Port Arthur

as Gentaro Kodama

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga

1980

as Tatsuo Akashi

5.5

Drive for the Future

1980

as Akiji Nishikawa

The Way to The Gold Medals

1980

as President Sakakibara

The Sand Boat

Shogun's Ninja

as Tozawa Hakuunsai

Dead Angle

The Shogun Assassins

as Kato Kiyomasa

Hunter in the Dark

as Okitsugu Tanuma

Nichiren

Message from Space

as Ernest Noguchi

The Fall of Ako Castle

1978

as Yanagisawa

6.6

August Without Emperor

1978

as Army General Mikami

7.0

Never Give Up

1978

as General Wada

5.7

Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron

1978

as Kichibei

5.9

Shogun's Samurai

1978

as Ogasawara Gensinsai

7.0

The Incident

1978

as Lawyer Kikuchi

6.3

Monument to Holy Service

1978

Sugata Sanshiro

1977

as Iinuma

Mount Hakkoda

as Colonel Kojima

The Alaska Story

as Arashuk

Flickering Flames

High Seas Hijack

as Captain Munekata

Zero Fighter

as Captain Saito

Murderer!

as Nīto Kouken

The Classroom of Terror

The Corporation

Operation Plazma in Osaka

1976

6.5

Human Revolution II

1976

Seven Nights in Japan

1976

as Terrorist Leader (uncredited)

The Bullet Train

as Sunaga

Company Buggers

Conflagration

as Captain Munekata

All Men Are Brothers

as Lu Chun I

The International Gang of Kobe

1975

as Rinsei

5.7

A Picture of Madame Yuki

1975

Tidal Wave

1975

as Prime Minister Yamato

The Castle of Sand

1974

as Detective Eitaro Imanishi

7.3

The Executioner II: Karate Inferno

as Kimitake Shugi

Violent Streets

as Shimamura Kansai

Prophecies of Nostradamus

1974

as Dr. Nishiyama

6.0

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs

1974

as Nagumo

6.4

Secret Prophecies of Nostradamus

1974

as Himself

Karafuto 1945 Summer

1974

8.5

Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight

1973

as Shino

6.6

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War

1973

as Tatsuo Akashi

7.0

Battles Without Honor and Humanity

1973

7.3

Submersion of Japan

1973

as Prime Minister Yamamoto

6.9

The Human Revolution

1973

The Ando Gang Documentary Film

Wild Cop 2

Quarreling with Yakuza

1973

5.0

Japan's Top Gangster

1973

as Noboru Yamaguchi

The School Deviate Waru

1973

Yakuza Skirmishes

1972

Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny

1972

as Kagemetsuke

7.0

Organized Crime: Killer's Glory

1972

Shōwa Gokudōshi

1972

Under the Flag of the Rising Sun

1972

as Sergeant Katsuo Togashi

7.6

The Water Margin

1972

as Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I

6.8

New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm

Shadow Hunters

Informal Dress

The Wolves

as Genryu Asakura

The Battle of Okinawa

1971

as Lieutenant General Isamu Cho

7.5

The Gambler's Counterattack

1971

as Chief Inspector

7.0

Silence

1971

as Cristóvão Ferreira

King of Pornography

Troops of Darkness

The Armed Organization

1971

8.0

Rise and Fall of Chivalry

1970

6.5

Cherry Blossoms in the Air - The Suicide Raiders - Oh, Buddies!

1970

Postwar Secrets

1970

as Kuroki

10.0

Crimson Bat - Oichi: Wanted, Dead or Alive

1970

as Hyoe

7.2

Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny

1970

6.6

The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan

as Soshun Kochiyama

The Private Police

Japan's Violent Gangs: The Boss and the Killers

1969

Penitentiary Brothers

1969

Red Peony Gambler: Biographies of a Gambling Room

Lone Rebel

やくざ番外地　抹殺

Goyokin

as Rokugo Tatewaki

The 5-Man Army

as Samurai

Sky Scraper!

The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze

Snake Woman's Curse

as Commander

Army Intelligence

as Lieutenant Colonel Akiyama

Black Lizard

as Kuroki

Blackmail Is My Life

Gambler's Farewell

as Tetsuji Kasai

The Bad Boss

The Code of Man

Diamonds of the Andes

1968

You Only Live Twice

1967

as Tiger Tanaka

6.6

Organized Violence II

1967

as Police Inspector Kitagawa

6.0

Gamblers: The Dragon Tattoo

Game of Chance 3

Portrait of Chieko

as Kotaro Takamura

Organized Violence

Hawk of the Harbour

Dissolution Rites

as Sakai

Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido

1967

The Return of the Filthy Seven

Once and For All

King of the Gang

Escape Man

Spycatcher J3: SOS Close Shave

1966

as J1 (TULIP Japan Branch Chief)

6.0

Greatest Boss of the Showa Era

1966

Continental Drifter

1966

Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn

1966

as Lord Tsushima Yagyu

Thirst for Love

as Kosuke Aso

The Kii River

as Shintani Kosaku

Kwaidan

as Warrior (segment "Hoichi the Earless")

Samurai Spy

as Sakon Takatani

Ankoku gai jingi

Abashiri Prison

as Tsumaki

Tale of Ninja Duty

as Mumyo Tsunataro

Blood of Revenge

as Yutaro Nomura

Blood and Law

High-Ranking Yakuza

The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry

1965

6.0

Tokyo Untouchable

1965

as Goro Kawamoto

The Gambler

1965

Detective

1964

Homicide

1964

as Lieutenant Aikawa

売春地下組織

Revenge

as Shume Okuno

Assassination

as Hachiro Kiyokawa

Gamblers and Racketeers

Three Outlaw Samurai

as Sakon Shiba

Giant Rumble

Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang

1964

Samurai from Somewhere

as Masagi Shohei

Samurai from Nowhere

as Gunjuro Ohba

Jakoman and Tetsu

as Jakoman

The 7th Dawn

as Ng

An Outlaw

The Kingdom of Jirocho 3

The Shogun's Vault

Destroyer Yukikaze

13 Assassins

as Doi Ōkō Toshi

Futari dake no toride

1963

Ano hito wa ima

1963

Gang Loyalty and Vengeance

as Gu Shimizu

Eleven Gangsters

Element of Surprise

Tokyo Untouchable: Escape

1963

as Goro Kawamoto

Kizu-darake no futeki-sha

1963

Gang and G-Men Part 2

1963

as 手塚徹

Tange Sazen

Harakiri

as Hikokuro Omodaka

G-Men in the Pacific

as Mizuhara

Zankokuna tsuki

Four Sisters

as Masao Igarashi

The Challenge

as Takayama

Kuro to aka no hanabira

1962

South Pacific Waves Are High

Gang vs. Gang

Umineko ga tonde

Operation Diamond

as Kazuo Kasami

A Flame at the Pier

1962

6.0

Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3

1962

7.2

Uragirimono wa jigoku daze

All Rascals

Hell's Kitchen

Gang vs. G-Men

as Toru Tezuka

Bridge to the Sun

as Jiro

Pigs and Battleships

as Slasher Tetsuji

Kaachan

Kill the Killer!

as Narumi

機動捜査班

1961

Standing Towards the Great Forest

1961

Red Flowers of Hell

1961

Daredevil in the Castle

as Sadamasa Ishikawa

Structure of Hate

The Yellow Climate

Greed in Broad Daylight

1961

as Miyahara

7.0

Mist and Shadows

1961

as Yusuke Komiya

Female Slave Ship

Zero sen no jorō gun

Get 'em All

as Tanabe

The Gambling Samurai

as Fumizo Mitsuki

Showdown on Pier No.3

1960

as Kirishima

Kingorō no kaigun taishô

1959

The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal

1959

Rajo to satsujin-meiro

1959

as Senba

No Police

A Wicked Woman

as Ihei Ôsawa

Kyōen Kobanzame

Emperor & Empress Meiji and the Sino-Japanese War

1958

as Keisuke Otori

Quick on the Trigger

1958

8.0

Underwater Murder

1958

Bloody History of Soldiers

1958

as Shumei Okawa

Hibari no san'yaku: Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge

Queen of Asia

The Ghost of Kasane

as Jinjûrô Ômura

Hibari no san'yaku: Zoku Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge

1957

Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War

1957

as Rear Admiral Shimamura

剣聖　暁の三十六番斬り

1957

Storming Osaka Castle: The Sanada Ten Braves

1957

as Mondonoshô Hirano

Mysterious Clouds: Legend of Satomi's Heroic Deed

1957

as Aboshi Samajirô

The Ceiling at Utsunomiya

1956

as Kurozumi Tenzen

5.8

President Rai of Kingoro

1956

Devil Princess’ Beauty Competition

1956

Kuronekokan ni Kieta Otoko

1956

Speed King

1956

The Prosecutor and His Sister

1956

The Fencing Collegian

1956

Kingoro's Soldier

1956

Admiral Yamamoto and the Allied Fleets

Mysterious Dwarf

花眞珠

The Sacrifice of the Human Torpedoes

Twilight Saloon

as Morimoto

Hanran

as Captain Koda

Submarine Ro Hasn't Surfaced

1954

日本敗れず

1954

Television (27)

Yoshitsune

2005

as Minamoto no Yorimasa (Gen-ji)

8.5

Order Made ~Shiawase Iro no Shinshi Fuku Mise~

Yumemiru Budo

Toshiie and Matsu

as Tarozaemon Iguchi

The Veteran Trio

as Inui Sanshiro

Kaseifu wa mita!

Gokenin Zankuro

Hashiran ka!

as 前田米吉

Coming Home

1994

as Shirota Fukuzo

新幹線物語'93夏

1993

as 黒木哲也

Hanshichi Torimonochō

1992

The Tale of Genji

1991

Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen

1990

9.5

HOTEL

1990

as Ohara Tetsutaro

Tabaruzaka

1987

as Ôyama Tunayoshi

Inochi

1986

as Takahara Masamichi

Byakkotai

1986

as Jinbo Kuranosuke

Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches

1986

as Naruse Hayatonosho

Sanada Taiheiki

1985

as Sanada Masayuki

8.0

水曜ドラマ宮本武蔵

1984

as 平田無二斎

Life of St. Blue Eyes

1984

as Takeyoshi Takagi

Masked Blade

Marco Polo

as Vasaio

Matsudaira Ukon Jikencho

1982

Ōgon no Hibi

1978

as Imai Sōkyū

G-Men '75

1975

as 黒木警視

Key Hunter

1968

as 黒木鉄也

Crew (14)

Movies (14)

Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole

1994

Director

Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole

1994

Screenplay

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!

1990

Executive Producer

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!

1990

Screenplay

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

General Manager

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

Idea

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

Screenplay

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

Story

Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die

1989

Writer

Tetsuro Tamba's Spirit World

1988

Director

The Sand Boat

1980

Director

The Sand Boat

1980

Executive Producer

The Sand Boat

1980

Screenplay

Three Outlaw Samurai

1964

Producer

7.4