Biography
Kei Tani (born Yasuo Watanabe; 22 February 1932 – 11 September 2010) was a Japanese comedian, actor and musician. He studied at Chuo University and played trombone in jazz bands before joining the comic jazz group The Crazy Cats in 1956. He became nationally known through their television variety shows and film comedy series, including the Irresponsible series, and popularised catchphrases such as "gachon".
Tani also appeared in dramatic roles. He played Kennosuke Nakamura in Hirokazu Kore-eda's After Life (1999). Other credits include Samurai Fiction (1998) as Kagemaru, Swing Girls (2004) as Morishita and the voice of Burazza in Jungle Emperor Leo (1997). He was a regular in the long-running Tsuribaka Nisshi film series.
