Biography
Tetsurō Tamba (also credited as Tetsuro Tamba) was a Japanese actor whose career spanned five decades. He appeared in nearly 300 film and television productions in both leading and supporting roles. Born Shōzaburō Tanba on 17 July 1922 in Tokyo, he died on 24 September 2006 in Tokyo.
Before acting, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and graduated from Chuo University in 1948. He joined Shintoho and made his screen debut in the early 1950s. He is known for roles including Hikokuro Omodaka in Harakiri (1962), Tiger Tanaka in You Only Live Twice (1967), and the Cat King (voice) in The Cat Returns (2002). He also appeared in Kwaidan (1965), The Twilight Samurai (2002) and films by directors including Masaki Kobayashi and Takashi Miike. Tamba won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actor in 1981. His son Yoshitaka Tamba is also an actor.
