Hiroyuki Watanabe (渡辺 裕之, Watanabe Hiroyuki, December 9, 1955 – May 3, 2022) was a Japanese actor. He primarily acted in dramas, of which a handful are tokusatsu series. One of his latest roles was as Taiga Saejima in the tokusatsu series GARO. He also played Kamen Rider Gaoh in the Kamen Rider Den-O movie, Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!.

Hiroyuki Watanabe
渡辺 裕之
Born(1955-12-09)December 9, 1955
Ibaraki, Japan
DiedMay 3, 2022(2022-05-03) (aged 66)
Kanagawa, Japan
Alma materTakushoku University
OccupationActor
Years active1980–2022
Spouse
Hideko Hara
(m. 1994)

Life

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Watanabe was born on December 9, 1955, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He graduated from Takushoku University, Faculty of Commerce. During his studies at the university, he learned German while working for the German airline company Lufthansa.[1] Watanabe also spoke English.

Watanabe began his career in entertainment by appearing in a Coca-Cola television commercial in 1980.[2]

He married actress Hideko Hara (原 日出子, Hara Hideko) in 1994.

Watanabe was found dead at his private gym in the basement of his home on May 3, 2022,[3] and his death was announced by his management agency on May 5.[4] The cause of death was reportedly suicide by hanging.[3][4]

In a statement released through her agency, Hara said that during the self-isolation period forced by COVID-19, Watanabe began to express anxiety and was having trouble sleeping. He had just been diagnosed with dysautonomia and was beginning treatment around the time of his death.

Filmography

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Films

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Television

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Japanese dubbing

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References

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  1. ^ "故郷を誇りに、真っ直ぐに : 映画「天心」に出演している 渡辺 裕之さん". Joyo Living 常陽リビング. October 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "渡辺裕之、行きつけのイタリアンで語る「大林宣彦監督の遺言」". Smart FLASH (in Japanese). Kobunsha. July 7, 2020. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "渡辺裕之さん死去、66歳 自宅トレーニング室で発見 「縊死されました」妻原日出子事務所代表". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "訃報 渡辺裕之" [Obituary Hiroyuki Watanabe] (Press release) (in Japanese). YK Agent. May 5, 2022. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "オン・ザ・ロード". Shochiku. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "忠犬パルマの実話もとにした日露合作「ハチとパルマの物語」特報公開". Natalie. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "映画『信虎 信玄陣没!国主の帰還』について". Miyaobi Publishing. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "ペルセポネーの泪". eiga.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "ポプラン". eiga.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "永遠の1分。". eiga.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  11. ^ "貞子DX". eiga.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "原田龍二、令和の"虎さん"に? 痛快娯楽任侠映画『虎の流儀』2作連続公開決定". Oricon. June 24, 2022. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "近江商人、走る!". eiga.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  14. ^ "銀平町シネマブルース". eiga.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
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