Tsuruta Kôji

Tsuruta Kôji was an accomplished actor and singer, becoming an early idol in Japan following World War II. Although he longed to leave his mark as a film actor, he was arguably more popular as a singer for Victor Records. Tsuruta joined an acting troupe at age 14, but was drafted into the war at age 19, serving as a navy pilot until 1945.

Following the war, Tsuruta joined Shochiku studios and quickly rose to fame due to his appearance and vocal talents. In 1953, he received significant publicity when he turned down the studio's recommendation to form an on-screen pair with actress-singer Misora Hibari. This drew the ire of the Yamaguchi yakuza, culminating in an ambush on Tsuruta at an Osaka hotel. Tsuruta escaped with relatively minor injuries and continued acting undeterred.

In the mid-1950s, Tsuruta appeared prominently in Inagaki Hiroshi's Samurai trilogy, portraying Mifune Toshirô's rival Sasaki Kojirô in the latter two parts. In 1958, he became an exclusive actor for Toho, but by 1960 he had transferred to Toei, where he began appearing with Takakura Ken in a number of popular gangster films.

Tsuruta passed away in 1987 from lung cancer.