For one of the Japanese baseball players, see Hiroyuki Watanabe (baseball).
Hiroyuki Watanabe
Native name渡辺 裕之
Birth dateDecember 9, 1955
Birth placeIbaraki, Japan
Death dateMay 3, 2022 (aged 66)
Death placeKanagawa, Japan
Alma materTakushoku University
OccupationActor
Years active1980–2022
SpouseHideko Hara (m. 1994)

Hiroyuki Watanabe (渡辺 裕之, Watanabe Hiroyuki, December 9, 1955 – May 3, 2022) was a Japanese actor. He primarily acted in dramas, of which a handful are tokusatsu series. One of his latest roles was as Taiga Saejima in the tokusatsu series GARO. He also played Kamen Rider Gaoh in the Kamen Rider Den-O movie, Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!.

Life

Watanabe was born on December 9, 1955, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He graduated from Takushoku University, Faculty of Commerce. During his studies at the university, he learned German while working for the German airline company Lufthansa.[1] Watanabe also spoke English.

Watanabe began his career in entertainment by appearing in a Coca-Cola television commercial in 1980.[2]

He married actress Hideko Hara (原 日出子, Hara Hideko) in 1994.

Watanabe was found dead at his private gym in the basement of his home on May 3, 2022,[3] and his death was announced by his management agency on May 5.[4] The cause of death was reportedly suicide by hanging.[3][4]

In a statement released through her agency, Hara said that during the self-isolation period forced by COVID-19, Watanabe began to express anxiety and was having trouble sleeping. He had been diagnosed with dysautonomia and was beginning treatment around the time of his death.[citation needed]

Filmography

Films

Television

Japanese dubbing

References

  1. ^ "故郷を誇りに、真っ直ぐに : 映画「天心」に出演している 渡辺 裕之さん". Joyo Living 常陽リビング. 2013-10-07. Archived December 22, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  2. ^ "渡辺裕之、行きつけのイタリアンで語る「大林宣彦監督の遺言」" (in Japanese). Smart FLASH. Kobunsha. 2020-07-07. Archived May 5, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  3. ^ "渡辺裕之さん死去、66歳 自宅トレーニング室で発見 「縊死されました」妻原日出子事務所代表" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Archived June 8, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  4. ^ "訃報 渡辺裕之" [Obituary Hiroyuki Watanabe] (in Japanese). YK Agent. 5 May 2022. Archived June 7, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ "オン・ザ・ロード". Shochiku. Archived July 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "忠犬パルマの実話もとにした日露合作「ハチとパルマの物語」特報公開". Natalie. Archived January 15, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "映画『信虎 信玄陣没！国主の帰還』について". Miyaobi Publishing. Archived January 23, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "ペルセポネーの泪". eiga.com. Archived November 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "ポプラン". eiga.com. Archived December 24, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "永遠の1分。". eiga.com. Archived August 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  11. ^ "貞子DX". eiga.com. Archived April 25, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  12. ^ "原田龍二、令和の"虎さん"に? 痛快娯楽任侠映画『虎の流儀』2作連続公開決定". Oricon. June 24, 2022. Archived June 24, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "近江商人、走る！". eiga.com. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "銀平町シネマブルース". eiga.com. Archived October 20, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2022.