Kazuo Hasegawa

Kazuo Hasegawa was a Japanese film and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 films from 1927 to 1963. Born to a sake brewing family in Kyoto, he first appeared on stage at age five in a theater run by his family as a side business. In 1918, he became a student of Nakamura Ganjirō I and performed kabuki in the Kansai region. He joined the Shochiku studio in 1927 and made his film debut in Chigo no kenpō under the name Chōjirō Hayashi. His good looks and graceful fighting style made him a major jidaigeki star, and he appeared in more than 120 films for Shochiku in 11 years, with the best works being directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. He moved to the Toho studio in 1937. On 11 November 1937, however, he was attacked by ruffians and his face slashed with razor blades. According to the historian Daisuke Miyao, "Even though there was no clear evidence, it was widely assumed that this violent incident was Shochiku's retaliatory measure against Hayashi's so-called betrayal." He recovered and changed his stage name to his real name, Kazuo Hasegawa. Hasegawa appeared in many successful films for Toho, including several "national-policy pictures with Chinese settings," such as Song of the White Orchid (1939) and China Night (1940), with co-star Ri Koran. He moved to Daiei Film in 1950 and continued appearing in the popular Zenigata Heiji series. He also appeared in many classic films including Kozaburo Yoshimura's The Tale of Genji (1951), Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953), and Kenji Mizoguchi's The Crucified Lovers (1954). He was appointed to Daiei's board of directors in 1957. To celebrate his 300th film, Hasegawa appeared in a new version of Yukinojō henge (known abroad as An Actor's Revenge) in 1963, directed by Kon Ichikawa. He left Daiei that year and continued to appear on stage and television, including starring in the second NHK Taiga drama Akō Rōshi in 1964. He also directed the Takarazuka Revue version of The Rose of Versailles in 1974.

Kazuo Hasegawa war ein japanischer Film- und Theaterschauspieler. Von 1927 bis 1963 wirkte er in über 300 Filmen mit. 1927 trat er dem Shochiku-Studio bei und gab unter dem Namen Chōjirō Hayashi sein Filmdebüt in „Chigo no kenpō“. Sein gutes Aussehen und sein eleganter Kampfstil machten ihn zu einem der größten Stars des Jidaigeki-Genres. Innerhalb von elf Jahren wirkte er in über 120 Filmen für Shochiku mit, wobei die besten Werke unter der Regie von Teinosuke Kinugasa entstanden. 1937 wechselte er zum Toho-Studio. Am 11. November desselben Jahres wurde er jedoch von Rowdys angegriffen und ihm mit Rasierklingen ins Gesicht geschnitten. Laut dem Historiker Daisuke Miyao wurde allgemein angenommen, dass dieser gewaltsame Vorfall Shochikus Vergeltungsmaßnahme für Hayashis vermeintlichen Verrat war, obwohl es keine eindeutigen Beweise dafür gab. Er erholte sich und nahm wieder seinen richtigen Namen Kazuo Hasegawa an. Hasegawa wirkte in zahlreichen erfolgreichen Filmen für Toho mit, darunter mehrere Filme mit nationalpolitischer Botschaft und chinesischem Schauplatz, wie „Das Lied der weißen Orchidee“ (1939) und „China-Nacht“ (1940) mit Ri Koran als Co-Star. 1950 wechselte er zu Daiei Film und spielte weiterhin in der beliebten Zenigata-Heiji-Reihe.