Tetsuya Watari

Born: 1941-12-28

He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Watari belonged to the karate club at university. He made his screen debut in 1964, in Isamu Kosugi's Abare Kishidō, and received one of the Elan d'or Awards. At Nikkatsu, Watari appeared in such films as Tokyo Drifter and the Outlaw series. Watari was mentored at Nikkatsu by Yujiro Ishihara. When Nikkatsu shifted to focusing on Roman Porno films in the early seventies, Watari was one of many actors who left the studio. Watari was due to play the main role in Kinji Fukasaku’s film Battles Without Honor and Humanity, but because of illness he was not able to appear. In 1974, he was forced to step down from the lead role of Katsu Kaishū in the Taiga drama Katsu Kaishū on NHK, again because of illness, after appearing in only nine episodes. In 1976, Watari won best actor of Blue Ribbon Award for his role in Kinji Fukasaku`s film Yakuza Graveyard. In Japan, Watari is probably still best known for his role as Keisuke Daiomon in the detective series "Seibu Keisatsu" on TV Asahi. He also appeared in the popular detective drama "Taiyō ni Hoero!" as a replacement for Yujiro Ishihara in 1986. Watari became the president of Ishihara Promotion after Yujiro's death in 1987 but in 2011 he resigned due to his declining health. On June 10, 2015 he was hospitalised after suffering a heart attack and underwent surgery. Seven days later it was announced that he was in rehabilitation and would be discharged from hospital in about a month. He had a younger brother, Tsunehiko Watase, who was also an actor. As a singer, Watari is known for his hit song "Kuchinashi no Hana" and he appeared in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1974 and 1993. He died of pneumonia on August 10, 2020, at the age of 78.


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Brother

as Jinseikai Boss
Released: 2000-12-13

A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles,...

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Tokyo Drifter

as Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo
Released: 1966-04-10

After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to...

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Yamato

as uncredited
Released: 2005-12-17

Directed by Junya Sato and based on a book by Jun Henmi, "Yamato" has a framing story set in the...

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Graveyard of Honor

as Rikio Ishikawa
Released: 1975-02-15

A self-destructive man becomes a powerful member of the Japanese mafia but quickly loses his...

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Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms

as Cao Cao (voice)
Released: 1992-01-25

Beginning during the Yellow Turban rebellion that initiated the downfall of the ruling Han...

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Outlaw: Goro the Assassin

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1968-11-02

On a cold winter day, Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) and Masahiko murder the mob boss of...

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Yakuza Graveyard

as Kuroiwa
Released: 1976-10-30

A police investigator cracks down on yakuza business, but once he realizes the police are in...

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Till We Meet Again

as uncredited
Released: 1966-06-01

College life starts off great for Michiko. She and her friend join the Italian Culture Research...

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Diary of Early Winter Shower

as Kounosuke Mibu
Released: 1998-11-14

Kounosuke Mibu and Tae Horikawa are unable to forget each other, even though they met and fell...

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Outlaw: Kill!

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1969-03-14

Goro has always been a lone wolf. When he arrives at an industrial city in Keihin, there is...

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Outlaw: Black Dagger

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1968-12-28

A street war breaks loose between two rival gangs in the Kansai region of Japan. Goro is in the...

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The Human Revolution

as uncredited
Released: 1973-09-08

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Ruthless Gambler

as uncredited
Released: 1970-03-29

Unlike traditional gangster movies, it is a gangster swashbuckler that mixes romance and...

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Sangokushi: The Yangtze Is Burning!

as Cao Cao (voice)
Released: 1993-03-20

Covering roughly 13 years, from Cao Cao's victory over Lu Bu in 198 CE, through the Battle of...

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Stray Dog

as Detective Murakami
Released: 1973-09-29

When his pistol is stolen, police detective Murakami is humiliated, especially when the gun is...

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Velvet Hustler

as Goro
Released: 1967-10-06

A young yakuza hitman named Goro does a job and needs to hideout away from Tokyo for a while. He...

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Showdown at Nagasaki

as Keiji Takama
Released: 1969-09-17

When Keiji Takama returns to Nagasaki, he finds many changes. The rights of the entertainment...

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The Cleanup

as Kurasawa
Released: 1969-12-31

A real all-star cast turns out for this modern yakuza yarn.

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Exiled to Hell

as uncredited
Released: 1969-01-22

It is the end of the Taisho era (1912-1926), and at the Hanazuki-tei theatre in Asakusa, the...

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Wild Cop 2

as uncredited
Released: 1973-12-01

Based on the comic Gokuburi Deka.

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Flower and Dragon

as uncredited
Released: 1973-03-17

Kingoro Tamai moves with his wife and son to the port city of Wakamatsu. He organizes the...

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Human Revolution II

as uncredited
Released: 1976-06-19

Dramatic story of one man trying to make a difference.

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It Is a Long Walk

as uncredited
Released: 2000-09-15

Screen icon Sayuri Yoshinaga stars in this historical melodrama about geishas in the southern...

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Outlaw: Gangster VIP

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1968-01-13

Goro had grown up in the yakuza world. As an active member of the Mizuhara family crime...

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The Stormy Man

as Shôichi Kokubu
Released: 1966-10-03

A remake of the 1957 classic "Man Who Raised a Storm" with Watari Tetsuya in the title role.

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My Sweetheart

as Akai
Released: 1967-11-03

It had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by...

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Lady Joker

as Seizo Monoi
Released: 2004-12-11

Men and women caught up in a downward spiral of corruption, discrimination, poverty and death...

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The Swan Elegy

as uncredited
Released: 1966-10-29

A girl is in love with two men.

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Farewell to the Code

as Goro Takei
Released: 1971-09-11

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The Man of Victory

as uncredited
Released: 1967-02-25

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Theater Of Life

as uncredited
Released: 1972-07-15

Centred on Aonari Hyokichi, a young literary man with aspirations to become a writer, and the...

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The Black Sheep

as uncredited
Released: 1967-01-03

Japanese drama film.

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Tokyo Drifter 2: The Sea Is Bright Red as the Color of Love

as Tetsu
Released: 1966-11-09

The film focuses on the romantic life of Tetsu (Watari), the drifter, and the girls he loves but...

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Step on the Gas!

as uncredited
Released: 1970-10-24

Yūji, fresh out of prison on parole, meets a stranger named Nao that asks for his assistance...

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Burning Clouds

as uncredited
Released: 1967-05-03

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The Final Winner?

as uncredited
Released: 1968-08-28

In a high school, two men are fighting over a beautiful female teacher who has been assigned as...

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The Heart of Hiroshima

as Yukio Mihara
Released: 1966-09-17

One morning, Kazue is nearly knocked over by a motorbike in front of an instrument store,...

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前科・仮釈放

as Ôhara Ryûji
Released: 1969-05-14

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Savage Wolf Pack

as uncredited
Released: 1969-02-22

A professional hunter, Tetsuya, returns from Alaska to find that his hometown had become a...

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Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1968-04-28

Goro (Tetsuya Watari) wants to put his dark past behind. He heads to Hirosaki City to offer his...

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Wild Cop

as uncredited
Released: 1973-06-09

Based on the comic Gokiburi Deka.

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Conflagration

as Third Officer Inoue
Released: 1975-07-12

Global South guerrillas hijack the Japanese oil tanker Arabian Light, threatening to blow it up...

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The Blazing Continent

as uncredited
Released: 1968-12-14

A youthful Nikkatsu drama about a Japanese painter who travels to Australia and falls in love.

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East China Sea

as Naoyoshi
Released: 1968-10-05

Rokurō starts a part-time job on a fishing boat, but the ship has an engine failure in the...

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Kin chan no Cinema Jack

as uncredited
Released: 1993-05-22

Kin chan no Cinema Jack is an anthology film starring Yuen Biao and produced by Jackie Chan

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Suparuta Kyouiku Kutabare Oyaji

as uncredited
Released: 1970-08-12

In a match where professional baseball referee Yuzo Tagami was observing a young referee, Hara,...

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The Fatal Raid

as uncredited
Released: 1969-08-23

Kazama and three others defeated Yoshie Sangyo, but the Nishio group was disbanded due to public...

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Seishun no Sabaki

as uncredited
Released: 1965-04-14

University karate club member Kikuo is actually the son of a yakuza boss. However, he disliked...

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Goryokaku

as uncredited
Released: 1988-12-30

After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, there was a series of battles fought while the former...

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The Stars and I Decided...

as Saburo Ohinata
Released: 1965-08-14

The brother of an up-and-coming kendoka is mysteriously murdered while working on a new model of...

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Sword and Flower

as uncredited
Released: 1972-04-14

Masuda Toshio film starring Watari Tetsuya and Mori Masayuki, about a lone-wolf type (Watari)...

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Kanto Drifter

as uncredited
Released: 1971-02-06

Young man returns from prison and sets out to destroy the gang that killed his friends and boss...

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The Wild Sea

as Yoji Kitami
Released: 1969-10-15

Yoji Kitami, a fisherman's son, is a student in Tokyo. His father had died at sea and Taichiro,...

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Monument to the Girl's Corps

as Young man
Released: 1968-09-21

In 1943, critical developments in the Pacific War have placed Japan at a disadvantage, although...

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Rebellion Reward

as Shun Muraki
Released: 1973-02-17

The film tells about drug trafficking from Vietnam to Tokyo and Okinawa. Tetsuya Watari plays a...

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Dreams Come True at Night

as Makoto Katagiri
Released: 1967-01-14

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富士山頂

as 加田雄平
Released: 1970-02-28

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The Code of Man

as uncredited
Released: 1968-02-13

Tetsuya Watari, a modern youth idol, co-stars with Tetsuro Tamba for the first time, and a young...

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The Blossom and the Sword

as Seijirô Tanaka
Released: 1973-11-17

Tai Kato’s early 20th century set yakuza epic about an ordinary merchant girl (Hiroko Maki) who...

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Love Eternal

as Makoto Kanô
Released: 1966-07-09

A deep mist envelops the port city of Yokohama. The scent of crime is everywhere. As an...

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Your Life

as uncredited
Released: 1966-08-13

A moodo/akushon yakuza picture with heavy emphasis on poignant seishun romance.

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Abduction

as uncredited
Released: 1997-06-07

The film opens with kidnappers of a corporate executive making an unusual ransom demand: that a...

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Outlaw: Heartless

as Goro Fujikawa
Released: 1968-08-01

Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) was indebted to Mitsugimoto. Sawada, a low rank yakuza with a...

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Villain

as Masato Kogure
Released: 2012-11-30

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In Tears

as uncredited
Released: 1965-10-01

Hiroshi is the second officer on board the Hakuromaru. Lead by his captain, he heads out to town...

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Song of my Life

as Takuya Tsugami
Released: 1968-05-29

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Clockwork- Goodbye Winter

as uncredited
Released: 1986-10-10

Ayumi Ishida won the Blue Ribbon for the Best Actress.

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Pay Off Your Debt!

as uncredited
Released: 1970-09-01

Asakura was told he could leave the gang if he killed Takahata, but he failed and was sentenced...

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Chase That Man

as uncredited
Released: 1972-02-23

The story of the desperate struggle between the police and a large crime syndicate.

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The Aftermath of War

as uncredited
Released: 1967-11-18

After World War II life in Japan was hard. There was lawlessness, rapine, never enough food or...

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Kanto Kanbu-kai

as uncredited
Released: 1971-04-24

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Showdown in Gangland

as uncredited
Released: 1970-03-07

Rivalry between two young gangster groups who seek to extend their influence.

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Red Glass

as Hiroshi
Released: 1966-05-18

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Profile of a Boss' Son

as uncredited
Released: 1970-01-24

Four years ago, Teppei Hondo killed two people from the Shinwa group for the murder of his...

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Again

as uncredited
Released: 1984-02-18

An anthology that embodies the essence of Toei action films with a stylish flair, this movie...

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Expelled from the Kanto Mob

as uncredited
Released: 1971-07-03

In the late Taisho era. Umeshima Jinbei, the president of the Kanto Umeshima Kai, divided the...

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AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo

as Muneaki Seta
First aired: 2002-10-09

Detective Ukyo Sugishita confronts crime on the basis of his own convictions. He has a partner...

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SMAP×SMAP

as Skit Guest
First aired: 1996-04-15

SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the...

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Yoshitsune

as Taira no Kiyomori (Hei-shi)
First aired: 2005-01-09

Yoshitsune is a Japanese television drama series originally broadcast between 9 January and 11...

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Hideyoshi

as Oda Nobunaga
First aired: 1996-01-07

A dramatized biography of the second of Japan's three legendary leaders. Rising from obscurity,...

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Katsu Kaishu

as Katsu Kaishu (adult)
First aired: 1974-01-06

Katsu Kaishū deals with end of the Edo period. Based on Kan Shimozawa's novels "Katsu Kaishū "

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No Dropping Out: Back to School at 35

as Yukinobu Asada
First aired: 2013-04-13

The drama will center around how a 35 year old changes the school and influences her fellow...

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Epic Chushingura

as Horibe Yasubei
First aired: 1971-01-05

Daichūshingura is a television dramatization of the events of the Forty-seven Ronin. The first...

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Haguregumo

as uncredited
First aired: 1978-04-02

Set at the end of the Edo period, the series depicts Kumo's family with his wife, Kame, their...

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Flower of Ice

as uncredited
First aired: 2008-09-06

Seno Kyoko is a pianist who receives an inheritance from her uncle, and begins living happily...

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Marusa!!

as Chikara Kokuryo
First aired: 2003-04-08

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Family: Absence of the Wife, Existence of the Husband

as uncredited
First aired: 2006-10-20

Kamikawa Ryohei is a 35-year-old man who works in a foreign company and lives a happy family...

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The Street Lawyers

as uncredited
First aired: 2006-04-08

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Gion Bayashi

as uncredited
First aired: 2005-09-24

Irie is ordered to investigate George Hakushu, a key person in the missile defense program. The...

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Bloody Journal of the Shinsengumi

as Kondo Isami
First aired: 1998-10-08

Shinsengumi Keppuroku is a novel by Ryōtarō Shiba and a television series which aired in...

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浮浪云

as uncredited
First aired: 1978-04-02

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