Japanese character actor Katsumasa Uchida, best known for playing villains throughout his decades-long career, passed away on January 31 after a 10-year battle with stomach cancer. He was 75.
Born on September 19, 1944, Mr. Uchida began his acting career in 1968 on television and became a staple of the medium or decades to come, appearing in such popular titles as Mito Komon and G-Men '75.
While he was known or his bad-guy roles in Japan, in the West, Godzilla fans recognize him for one of his rare turns as one of the good guys: Interpol agent Jiro Murakoshi in Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). He also played the assassin Goro Tatsumi in the Toho actioner Espy (1974).
I tried interviewing Mr. Uchida twice -- once in September 2014 and the other last year. There was a last-minute cancellation in 2014, and last year his management told me that he was too ill to participate.
A private funeral was held on February 2. Rest in peace, Mr. Uchida.
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