Takeshi Kaga
Takeshi Kaga, real name Shigekatsu Katsuta, is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji TV.
Biography
Kaga was born on October 12, 1950, in the city of Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. His first experience on stage was at the age of seven when he joined the Kanazawa City Boys choral group.In 1972, he joined the Japanese theatrical company Gekidan Shiki. While with the company, he played the role of Jesus in the Japanese stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and role of Tony in West Side Story. In 1980 he left Shiki to play the role of Sanada in the movie The Beast To Die. He starred in several movies throughout the 1980s, but his most famous role would be that of "Chairman Kaga", the eccentric and flamboyant host of Ryōri no Tetsujin, a cooking competition show. It became very popular, not only in Japan, but around the English-speaking world. Previously broadcast on the Food Network, then on the Fine Living Network in the United States and on SBS in Australia, under the name Iron Chef, the show is now being carried on the Cooking Channel in the United States, and in the UK in . The host of Iron Chef America, Mark Dacascos, is claimed on ICA to be Takeshi's nephew, though the stated relationship is actually between the fictional characters played by the two men.
Despite his international fame with the show, he has not given up his love for musicals. In 1987 he starred in the popular Japanese production of Les Misérables as Jean Valjean and Javert. He reprised his role as Valjean in 1995 as the representative of Japan during the encore of the 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at the Royal Albert Hall in London. During the encore, Valjeans from 17 different countries joined the cast on stage. He also starred in Macbeth in 2000, and in Jekyll & Hyde as well as in The Threepenny Opera in 2001. In 2009, he starred in a Japanese-language version of La Cage aux Folles .
He has also lent his voice to Japanese anime. Notably, he voiced Jirarudan, an antagonist, in 1999's Pokémon the Movie - Revelation Lugia, the second Pokémon movie, and also sung his theme song, "Ware Wa Collector." He also notably voiced Dr. Kiriko in 2005's Black Jack: The Two Doctors of Darkness.
After Iron Chef ended, he returned to acting in movies and dramas. He also hosted Time Shock 21, a quiz show on Asahi Television in Japan. In 2005, Kaga performed as the lead in the Japanese production of Michael Frayn's Democracy and starred in the blockbuster film Sengoku Jieitai 1549. Kaga also appeared in both installments of the highly successful Death Note film series as Soichiro Yagami.
More recently, he played Emperor Kinkaku in the film adaptation of the TV series Saiyuki. He also provided the voice for Golbez in the Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy IV, and has reprised the same role in for the PSP.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role |
| 1980 | The Beast To Die | Tetsuo Sanada |
| 1981 | Akuryoto | Kosuke Kindaichi |
| 1982 | Suspicion | Katsuo Toyosaki |
| 1984 | Mahjong horoki | dosa-Ken |
| 1986 | cabaret | Takigawa |
| 1988 | Kimurake no hitobito | Hazime Kimura |
| 1993 | ' | Momoo Momoyama |
| 1996 | Sasurai no Trouble buster | Kunihiko Ugajin |
| 1996 | Ultraman Zearth | Akuma Ogami / Alien Benzene |
| 1997 | Ultraman Zearth 2 | Alien Benzene |
| 1999 | ' | Jiraldan |
| 2005 | Sengoku Jieitai 1549 | Tsuyoshi Matoba / Oda Nobunaga |
| 2005 | Black Jack: Two Doctors in Black | Dr. Kiriko |
| 2006 | Moyurutoki THE EXCELLENT COMPANY | Fukai |
| 2006 | Death Note | Soichiro Yagami |
| 2006 | ' | Soichiro Yagami |
| 2007 | Saiyuki | Kinkaku Daio |
| 2008 | ' | Mysterious Gentleman |
| 2009 | Zero Focus | Gisaku Murota |
| 2009 | Warau keikan | Masazumi Ishioka |
| 2011 | ' | Yosuke Ando |
| 2011 | Ninja Kids!!! | Yukitaka Saito |
| 2011 | Kaibutsu-kun | Kaibutsu Daio |
| 2013 | Bushi no Kondate | Naomi Maeda |
| 2015 | ' | Captain |
| 2017 | Dr. Shigemura | |
| 2019 | Whistleblower | Motonari Nashida |
| 2019 | Listen to the Universe | Masayuki Onodera |
| 2019 | Mio's Cookbook | Uneno Sōma |
Television
| Year | TV show | Role |
| 1978 | Ougon no hibi | Dom Justo Takayama |
| 1980–1981 | Tenno no ryoriban | Shintaro Takayama |
| 1981 | Honzitsumo seitennari | Masamichi Ohara |
| 1981 | G-Men '75 | Kusaka |
| 1983 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | Ishida Mitsunari |
| 1983 | Ooku | Tokugawa Yoshimune |
| 1984 | Shitetsuensen 97bunsyo | Nara |
| 1987–1988 | Jungle / NEW Jungle | Kuniaki Tsugawa |
| 1990 | Tobugagotoku | Okubo Toshimichi |
| 1992 | Kireini naritai | Moriya Hirose |
| 1993-2001 | Ryōri no Tetsujin | Chairman Kaga |
| 1993 | Furikaereba yatsugairu | Junichi Nakagawa |
| 1994 | Furuhata Ninzaburo | Junichi Nakagawa |
| 1994 | Shizukanaru Don | Ryugi Naruto |
| 1995 | Kura | Izo Tanouchi |
| 1999 | jyoi | Atsuro Wakisaka |
| 2000 | Renai chudoku | Kojiro Itsuji |
| 2003 | Black Jack ni yoroshiku | Yoshiyuki Yasutomi |
| 2004 | FIRE BOYS - Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M | Hazime Gomi |
| 2007 | Yukan Club | Tokimune Shochikubai |
| 2008 | Oh! My Girl!! | Kazuo Ishizaka |
| 2009 | Dandy Daddy? ~Renaishosetsuka Ryunosuke Izaki~ | Taizo Sasaki |
| 2010 | Kaibutsu-kun | Kaibutsu Daio |
| 2010 | JOKER Yurusarezaru sosakan | Masaaki Izutsu |
| 2011 | Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda | Yosuke Ando |
| 2011 | Good Life~Arigato,papa.sayonara~ | Shinpei Yukimura |
| 2011 | The Bull Doctor | Izuru Jyomongi |
| 2016 | Daisaku Hongō | |
| 2017 | Blazing Transfer Students | Takizawa Noboru |
| 2018 | Segodon | Shimazu Narioki |