Biography
Saburo Date (also credited as Saburô Date or Takeshi Date) was a Japanese actor. Born Shuntaro Sakura in Taishō-ku, Osaka, in 1924, he signed with Daiei Film in 1945 and made his screen debut the following year in Okagura Kyōdai, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, who also gave him his stage name. He remained with the studio until 1970, when he became a freelance actor, and appeared in nearly 200 films between 1947 and 1990.
Date is known for supporting roles in several films by Kenji Mizoguchi, including Ugetsu (1953), Gate of Hell (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). He played Kawaguchi-ya in Kon Ichikawa's An Actor's Revenge (1963) and appeared in the Lone Wolf and Cub series (1972) and Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972). His later credits include Typhoon Club (1985) and Childhood Days (1990). He died in 1991.
