Itô Hisaya

A graduate of Hosei University, Itô Hisaya initially managed an electronics store before launching his acting career with Toei in 1954. He transferred to Toho in 1957, making his studio debut in The Mysterians.

Over the next decade, he became a fixture in Toho's science fiction and war films. His clean-cut yet intense features allowed him to play both authoritative figures—like the kidnapped scientist in Atragon (1963) and Major Tada in Destroy All Monsters (1968)—and cold-blooded villains.

His most iconic role is Malmess, the assassination squad leader in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). Interestingly, the part was originally written for Tsuchiya Yoshio, but Itô made the sunglasses-wearing villain distinctly his own.

After Toho's contract actor system was dismantled in 1970, he largely retired from film to focus on television work before eventually leaving the industry entirely. He passed away in 2005.