Tetsuro Tamba
Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey was a remarkable blend of cultural bridges. Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho company, making his debut in the film Satsujin Yougishain in 1951. Tamba's impact on Western audiences extended beyond Bond, with standout performances in films like Bridge to the Sun and The 7th Dawn. He earned acclaim in Japan as well, most notably as the lead in police dramas like Key Hunter and G-Men '75. His talents weren't confined to the screen alone. Tamba lent his voice to characters like the Cat King in Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns and graced historical roles in television dramas, leaving an indelible mark on period pieces. In 2005, Tamba faced health challenges but continued to contribute until the end. Sadly, he passed away in Tokyo at 84 due to pneumonia on September 24, 2006. His legacy lives on through his son, actor Yoshitaka Tamba, while his last appearances in the 2005 Taiga drama Yoshitsune and the 2006 film Sinking of Japan remain a testament to his enduring impact on Japanese cinema and beyond.
You Only Live Twice
(Tiger Tanaka)
Minamoto Yoshitsune
Kwaidan
(Warrior (segment "Hoichi the Earless"))
Operation Diamond
(Kazuo Kasami)
Spycatcher J3: SOS Close Shave
(J1 (TULIP Japan Branch Chief))
Pigs and Battleships
(Slasher Tetsuji)
Tokyo Gang Vs. Hong Kong Gang
Demon Pond
South Pacific Waves Are High
Gozu
The Wolves
(Genryu Asakura)
King of Pornography
The Castle of Sand
(Detective Eitaro Imanishi)
Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
(Sanada)
Hawk of the Harbour
Tokyo Untouchable
(Goro Kawamoto)
The Cat Returns
(Cat King (voice))
長七郎江戸日記スペシャル 長七郎 大奥まかり通る
The Water Margin
(Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I)
13 Assassins
Under the Flag of the Rising Sun
(Sergeant Katsuo Togashi)
Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs
(Nagumo)
Futari dake no toride
The Happiness of the Katakuris
(Granpa Jinpei Katakuri)
Hunter in the Dark
(Okitsugu Tanuma)
Cherry Blossoms in the Air - The Suicide Raiders - Oh, Buddies!
The 5-Man Army
(Samurai)
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
(Master Zhang)
Violent Streets
(Shimamura Kansai)
Samurai Spy
(Sakon Takatani)
Goyokin
(Rokugo Tatewaki)
The Peking Man
(Osone)
Gamblers: The Dragon Tattoo
Hibari no san'yaku: Zoku Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge
Hibari no san'yaku: Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!
(Ryo Okamoto)
Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole
The Political Game
Silence
(Cristóvão Ferreira)
Revenge
(Shume Okuno)
The Sound of the Waves
The School Deviate Waru
The 7th Dawn
(Ng)
Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny
(Kagemetsuke)
Shadow Hunters
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
(Kichibei)
Three Outlaw Samurai
(Sakon Shiba)
Japanese Hell
(Asu Shino)
The Executioner II: Karate Inferno
(Shugi)
Assassination
(Hachiro Kiyokawa)
鬼姫競艶録
Submersion of Japan
(Prime Minister Yamamoto)
Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight
(Shino)
Umineko ga tonde
Blackmail Is My Life
Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu – TBS Warlord Special
Screwed
(Landlord)
The Villain from Edo Kochiyama Soshun
Mount Hakkoda
(Colonel Kojima)
Heat Wave
(Denkichi Tsuzaki)
Twilight Saloon
(Morimoto)
Aurora Borealis
(Tsuneiro Kamisaka)
Bridge to the Sun
(Jiro)
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Saikaido
Prophecies of Nostradamus
(Dr. Nishiyama)
Zero Fighter
(Captain Saito)
Crimson Bat - Oichi: Wanted, Dead or Alive
(Hyoe)
Ino Tadataka: Meridian dreams
Ankoku gai jingi
Zankokuna tsuki
The White Tiger Battalion
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan
(Soshun Kochiyama)
Dai shinrin ni mukatte tatsu
Shōwa Gokudōshi
Kuronekokan ni Kieta Otoko
Detective
Homicide
(Lieutenant Aikawa)
Hanran
(Captain Koda)
Kōgen ni ressha ga hashitta
Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny
A Taxing Woman's Return
(Sadohara)
Capone: Roppongi Renkin no Teio
Shogun's Shadow
(Hotta Masamori)
The Return of the Filthy Seven
The Gambler
Sky Scraper!
Kizu-darake no futeki-sha
Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
(Goro Kawamoto)
The Code of Man
Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather
(Uichi Suda, The Big Boss)
The Kingdom of Jirocho 3
Shura Group
Kim's War
The Duel in the forbidden territory
Red Flowers of Hell
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
Bond Girls Are Forever
(Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited))
The Exotic Locations of 'You Only Live Twice'
(Tiger Tanaka (archive footage))
Tokyo Drifters
Best Ever Bond
(Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited))
Mysterious Clouds: Legend of Satomi's Heroic Deed
(Aboshi Samajirô)
Element of Surprise
The Imperial Japanese Empire
(Hideki Tojo)
Zero
(Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto)
Battle Anthem
(Yamamoto)
Monument to Holy Service
Shura Group Part 1
Shura Group Part 2
剣聖 暁の三十六番斬り
You're My Destiny
Ronin on a Mission
(Ōishi Kuranosuke)
雪夫人繪圖
Seven Nights in Japan
(Terrorist Leader (uncredited))
The Gambling Samurai
(Fumizo Mitsuki)
Never Give Up
(General Wada)
Battles Without Honor and Humanity
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga
(Tatsuo Akashi)
April Fish
(Panapora Chief Handa)
Tokyo Blackout
(Nakata)
The Battle of Okinawa
(Lieutenant General Isamu Cho)
Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons
(Old Master)
Graveyard of Honor
(Tetsuji Tokura)
Blind Beast vs Dwarf Killer
A Class to Remember IV: Fifteen
(Tetsuo Hatake)
Jubaku: Spellbound
(Tajiro Kawakami)
Psychic: Traveler to the Unknown
Female Neo-Ninjas
(Time Patrol leader)
Tokyo Pop
(Mr. Dota)
Night Train
(Isaburo Tamura)
There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl
Be Free!
(Keizo Hasegawa)
Shogun's Ninja
(Tozawa Hakuunsai)
Dead Angle
August without Emperor
(Army General Mikami)
Flickering Flames
A Madcap Corporation
Suspicion
(Kanetaka Okamura)
Queen of Asia
Kingoro's Soldier
金語楼の雷社長
Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War
(Rear Admiral Shimamura)
The Fencing Collegian
Kyōen Kobanzame
Army Intelligence
(Lieutenant Colonel Akiyama)
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War
(Tatsuo Akashi)
The Shogun's Vault
An Outlaw
The Bad Boss
The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze
G-Men in the Pacific
(Mizuhara)
The Challenge
(Takayama)
All Rascals
Kuro to aka no hanabira
Tange Sazen
Daredevil in the Castle
(Sadamasa Ishikawa)
Rajo to satsujin-meiro
(Senba)
Mukeisatsu
Kukai
Flames of Blood
Conflagration
(Captain Munekata)
High Seas Hijack
(Captain Munekata)
The Alaska Story
(Arashuk)
Human Revolution II
Greatest Boss of the Showa Era
Samurai from Somewhere
Samurai from Nowhere
(Gunjuro Ohba)
Gang vs. Gang
Underwater Murder
Quick on the Trigger
The Ceiling at Utsunomiya
(Kurozumi Tenzen)
Submarine Ro Hasn't Surfaced
Speed King
Harakiri
(Hikokuro Omodaka)
A Flame at the Pier
Abashiri Prison
(Tsumaki)
The Wild Daisy
(Gozaburo Saito)
Call from Darkness
(Sugibayashi)
Shinran: Path to Purity
Nezumi Kozō kaitō den
Choshichiro's Edo Diaries: The Yagyu Conspiracy
(Yagyu Munefuyu)
The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal
Kaachan
Kingorō no kaigun taishô
The Incident
(Lawyer Kikuchi)
Gambler's Farewell
(Tetsuji Kasai)
The International Gang of Kobe
(Rinsei)
Mysterious Pygmy
All Men Are Brothers
(Lu Chun I)
Nichiren
Thirst for Love
(Kosuke Aso)
Yakuza Ladies 3
(Takeo Sakanishi)
Jakoman and Tetsu
(Jakoman)
Greed in Broad Daylight
(Miyahara)
The Bullet Train
(Sunaga)
Blood of Revenge
(Yutaro Nomura)
The Ghost of Kasane
(Jinjûrô Ômura)
A Wicked Woman
(Ihei Ôsawa)
Four Sisters
(Masao Igarashi)
Organized Violence II
(Police Inspector Kitagawa)
Four Days of Snow and Blood
(Jinzaburi Shinzaki)
King of the Gang
Penitentiary Brothers
The Private Police
Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3
The Way to The Gold Medals
(President Sakakibara)
Fireflies in the North
(Ishikura)
The Last True Yakuza
(Kazumasa Tashiro)
Gang vs. G-Men
(Toru Tezuka)
Dissolution Rites
(Sakai)
Yakuza Skirmishes
Quarreling with Yakuza
Black Lizard
(Kuroki)
The Ando Gang Documentary Film
Portrait of Chieko
(Kotaro Takamura)
Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle
(Tamba (voice))
Shogun's Samurai
(Ogasawara Gensinsai)
The Fall of Ako Castle
(Yanagisawa)
Samurai Reincarnation
(Muramasa)
13 Assassins
(Doi Ōkō Toshi)
Wild Cop 2
Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn
(Lord Tsushima Yagyu)
The Geisha
(Kochi Notable)
The Imperial Navy
(Jisaburo Ozawa)
The Yellow Climate
The Classroom of Terror
The Armed Organization
Red Peony Gambler: Biographies of a Gambling Room
To Trap a Kidnapper
Eleven Gangsters
Port Arthur
(Gentaro Kodama)
Twilight of the Cockroaches
(Grandpa (voice))
The Shogun Assassins
(Kato Kiyomasa)
Get 'em All
(Tanabe)
L・O・V・I・N・G
The Thousand Year Fire
Once and For All
A Case of Murder by the Atami Station Taxi Stand
The Story of a Man Among Men
Destroyer Yukikaze
Blood and Law
Rise and Fall of Chivalry
The Gambler's Counterattack
(Chief Inspector)
Organized Violence
Informal Dress
Japan's Violent Gangs: The Boss and the Killers
The Kii River
(Shintani Kosaku)
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
(Gu Shimizu)
Mist and Shadows
(Yusuke Komiya)
The Sacrifice of the Human Torpedoes
Female Slave Ship
The Sand Boat
Japan's Top Gangster
(Noboru Yamaguchi)
Operation Plazma in Osaka
The Twilight Samurai
(Tozaemon Iguchi)
Organized Crime: Killer's Glory
1750 Days of Turbulence
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
Postwar Secrets
(Kuroki)
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
Murderer!
(Nīto Kouken)
The Bushido Blade
(Lord Yamato)
Love: Starting on a Journey
Tale of Ninja Duty
(Mumyo Tsunataro)
Emperor & Empress Meiji and the Sino-Japanese War
(Keisuke Otori)
Karafuto 1945 Summer
Yakuza Warfare
School Be-In Bully
(Ryotaro Sakurazawa)
Vendetta of Obligation
The Great Duel
The Human Revolution
The Making Of The Katakuris
Game of Chance 3
Company Buggers
Gamblers and Racketeers
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
Cabaret
(Yakuza boss)
Secret Prophecies of Nostradamus
(Himself)
Message from Space
(Ernest Noguchi)
The Stupid Teacher
(Utaemon Baba)
The Supernormal II
Sugata Sanshiro
(Iinuma)
Troops of Darkness
Teruo Ishii Fan Club
Taira no Kiyomori
The Great Shogunate Battle
Gang and G-Men Part 2
(手塚徹)
Lone Rebel
The Corporation
T.R.Y.
Hell's Kitchen
Drive for the Future
(Akiji Nishikawa)
花眞珠
Tabaruzaka
The Prosecutor and His Sister
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
(吉野博士)
Admiral Yamamoto and the Allied Fleets
The Hitman Blood Smells Like Roses
Zero sen no jorō gun
Snake Woman's Curse
(Commander)
Tokyo: The Last War
Yakuza Demon
(Michitane Tendou)
Ōgon no Hibi
(Imai Sōkyū)
Kaseifu wa mita!
Order Made ~Shiawase Iro no Shinshi Fuku Mise~
Yoshitsune
(Minamoto no Yorimasa (Gen-ji))
Yumemiru Budo
Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
Matsudaira Ukon Jikencho
HOTEL
(Ohara Tetsutaro)
Toshiie and Matsu
(Tarozaemon Iguchi)
Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches
(Naruse Hayatonosho)
水曜ドラマ 宮本武蔵
(平田無二斎)
Gokenin Zankuro
Hanshichi Torimonochō
Hashiran ka!
(前田米吉)
Coming Home
(Shirota Fukuzo)
Sanada Taiheiki
(Sanada Masayuki)
新幹線物語'93夏
(黒木哲也)
Marco Polo
(Vasaio)
Inochi
(Takahara Masamichi)
Byakkotai
(Jinbo Kuranosuke)
The Veteran Trio
(Inui Sanshiro)
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
(Idea)
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
(General Manager)
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die
(Writer)
Three Outlaw Samurai
(Producer)
Tetsuro Tamba's Spirit World
(Director)
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!
(Executive Producer)
Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!
(Screenplay)
Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole
(Director)
Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole
(Screenplay)
The Sand Boat
(Executive Producer)
The Sand Boat
(Screenplay)
The Sand Boat
(Director)