Jun Tazaki

Jun Tazaki Born August 19, 1910 Aomori, Japan Died October 18, 1985 Occupation Actor First work Nikutai no Mon (1948) Notable work Atragon (1963)

Jun Tazaki (田崎潤,   Tazaki Jun), born Minoru Tanaka (田中実,   Tanaka Minoru), was a Japanese actor. Tazaki began his career as a traveling stage actor in the 1930's, acting under both his birth name and various stage names. He began acting in films in 1948, and changed his name to Jun Tazaki when he appeared in Shintoho's 1950 film Sasameyuki. While initially appearing in small film roles, Tazaki gradually became a popular actor and started appearing in larger roles in the 1960's, primarily in films produced by Toho. Tazaki often appeared in the films of director Akira Kurosawa, but was also a favorite of Ishiro Honda. He appeared in many of Toho's science fiction films, particularly those directed by Honda, throughout the 1960's, appearing each time as a mustachioed authority figure. Tazaki demonstrated a fair deal of range in his roles despite their similar traits, as he played both stern but benevolent father figures and ruthless villains. One of Tazaki's defining roles came in Honda's Atragon, where he portrayed the embittered World War II veteran Hachiro Jinguji, forced to use his life's work, the super submarine Gotengo, to save the world from an invasion by the underwater-dwelling Muans. While Tazaki stopped appearing in science fiction roles in the 1970's, he continued acting until his death from lung cancer in 1985. His last role came in Akira Kurosawa's epic Ran, on which Ishiro Honda served as an assistant director.

Selected Filmography

• The Three Treasures (1959) as Kurohiko Otomo
• Gorath (1962) as Captain Raizo Sonoda
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) as General Masami Shinzo
• Atragon (1963) as Captain Hachiro Jinguji
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) as Editor Arota
• Dogora (1964) as Police chief
• Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) as Military advisor
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) as Doctor Sakurai
• Ultra Q (TV 1966) as Director General Sakamoto [episode 3]
• The War of the Gargantuas (1966) as General
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) as Red Bamboo commander
• Destroy All Monsters (1968) as Doctor Yoshida
• Jumborg Ace (TV 1973) as Daisaku Banno

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