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| Masanari Nihei in August 2015. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Actor Masanari Nihei passed away on August 21 of aspiration pneumonia at age 80. A private funeral has already been held.
Mr. Nihei was born on December 4, 1940, in Nagatacho, Tokyo. He was selected as a member of the 15th Toho New Face class in 1960 and made his film debut in 1961. He was often featured in the Young Guy series with Yuzo Kayama and various Crazy Cats flicks throughout the decade. He even turned up in several tokusatsu productions at Toho, most notably Gorath (1962).
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| Masanari Nihei (right) poses with fellow Ultra-series luminary Koji Moritsugu. Photo by Brett Homenick. |
Mr. Nihei would get his big break in 1966 when Ultraman (1966-67) was launched on Japanese television. Playing Science Patrol member Ito (Ide in the Japanese version), he would ultimately become one of the most recognizable characters in the Ultra-franchise.
I was privileged to meet Mr. Niehei just once. It was an event held in August 2015 with Ultra Seven’s Koji Moritsugu. Mr. Nihei was very friendly and full of energy. He was really enjoying himself at the event, so I was surprised that it seemed he never turned up anywhere else. But I’ll always remember that fun afternoon with Nihei-san.
Rest in peace, Nihei-san.
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