Tetsuro Tamba

Tetsuro Tamba (July 17, 1922 – September 24, 2006) was a distinguished Japanese actor known for his versatile talent across five decades. Recognized globally for his portrayal of Tiger Tanaka in the iconic 1967 James Bond film "You Only Live Twice," Tamba's cinematic journey was a remarkable blend of cultural bridges. Before embarking on his acting career, Tamba worked as an interpreter for the Allied Powers' Supreme Commander. Graduating from Chuo University in 1948, he later joined Shintoho company, making his debut in the film Satsujin Yougishain in 1951. Tamba's impact on Western audiences extended beyond Bond, with standout performances in films like Bridge to the Sun and The 7th Dawn. He earned acclaim in Japan as well, most notably as the lead in police dramas like Key Hunter and G-Men '75. His talents weren't confined to the screen alone. Tamba lent his voice to characters like the Cat King in Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns and graced historical roles in television dramas, leaving an indelible mark on period pieces. In 2005, Tamba faced health challenges but continued to contribute until the end. Sadly, he passed away in Tokyo at 84 due to pneumonia on September 24, 2006. His legacy lives on through his son, actor Yoshitaka Tamba, while his last appearances in the 2005 Taiga drama Yoshitsune and the 2006 film Sinking of Japan remain a testament to his enduring impact on Japanese cinema and beyond.

Known For: Acting

Born: Tokyo, Japan, 1922-07-17

Died: 2006-09-24

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1978	Ōgon no Hibi	Imai Sōkyū	0
2	1982	Matsudaira Ukon Jikencho		0
3	1982	Marco Polo	Vasaio	68
4	1983	Masked Blade		60
5	1984	水曜ドラマ宮本武蔵	平田無二斎	0
6	1984	Life of St. Blue Eyes	Takeyoshi Takagi	0
7	1985	Sanada Taiheiki	Sanada Masayuki	80
8	1986	Tokugawa Chronicles: Ambition of the 3 Branches	Naruse Hayatonosho	0
9	1986	Inochi	Takahara Masamichi	0
10	1986	Byakkotai	Jinbo Kuranosuke	0
11	1990	HOTEL	Ohara Tetsutaro	0
12	1990	Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen		95
13	1992	Hanshichi Torimonochō		0
14	1993	新幹線物語'93夏	黒木哲也	0
15	1994	Coming Home	Shirota Fukuzo	0
16	1995	Gokenin Zankuro		80
17	1995	Hashiran ka!	前田米吉	0
18	1997	Kaseifu wa mita!		0
19	1999	The Veteran Trio	Inui Sanshiro	0
20	2002	Toshiie and Matsu	Tarozaemon Iguchi	80
21	2003	Yumemiru Budo		0
22	2004	Order Made ~Shiawase Iro no Shinshi Fuku Mise~		0
23	2005	Yoshitsune	Minamoto no Yorimasa (Gen-ji)	85

Tetsuro Tamba

Film

Television

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1954	Hanran	Captain Koda	0
2	1954	Submarine Ro Hasn't Surfaced		0
3	1954	日本敗れず		0
4	1955	The Sacrifice of the Human Torpedoes		0
5	1955	Mysterious Dwarf		0
6	1955	Twilight Saloon	Morimoto	80
7	1955	花眞珠		0
8	1956	Kuronekokan ni Kieta Otoko		0
9	1956	The Fencing Collegian		0
10	1956	Speed King		0
11	1956	Kingoro's Soldier		0
12	1956	The Prosecutor and His Sister		0
13	1956	Admiral Yamamoto and the Allied Fleets		50
14	1956	President Rai of Kingoro		0
15	1956	The Ceiling at Utsunomiya	Kurozumi Tenzen	58
16	1956	Devil Princess’ Beauty Competition		0
17	1957	Mysterious Clouds: Legend of Satomi's Heroic Deed	Aboshi Samajirô	0
18	1957	Storming Osaka Castle: The Sanada Ten Braves	Mondonoshô Hirano	0
19	1957	Emperor Meiji and the Great Russo-Japanese War	Rear Admiral Shimamura	0
20	1957	剣聖　暁の三十六番斬り		0
21	1957	The Ghost of Kasane	Jinjûrô Ômura	67
22	1957	Hibari no san'yaku: Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge		0
23	1957	Hibari no san'yaku: Zoku Kei tsuya yuki no jôhenge		0
24	1957	Queen of Asia		60
25	1958	A Wicked Woman	Ihei Ôsawa	65
26	1958	Emperor & Empress Meiji and the Sino-Japanese War	Keisuke Otori	0
27	1958	Quick on the Trigger		80
28	1958	Underwater Murder		0
29	1958	Kyōen Kobanzame		0
30	1959	The Pacific War and the International Military Tribunal		0
31	1959	Rajo to satsujin-meiro	Senba	0
32	1959	Mukeisatsu		0
33	1959	Kingorō no kaigun taishô		0
34	1960	Female Slave Ship		60
35	1960	Zero sen no jorō gun		0
36	1960	The Gambling Samurai	Fumizo Mitsuki	63
37	1960	Get 'em All	Tanabe	60
38	1961	Daredevil in the Castle	Sadamasa Ishikawa	74
39	1961	Pigs and Battleships	Slasher Tetsuji	71
40	1961	Kaachan		0
41	1961	Red Flowers of Hell		0
42	1961	Mist and Shadows	Yusuke Komiya	0
43	1961	Standing Towards the Great Forest		0
44	1961	The Yellow Climate		0
45	1961	Bridge to the Sun	Jiro	68
46	1961	Greed in Broad Daylight	Miyahara	70
47	1962	South Pacific Waves Are High		0
48	1962	Kuro to aka no hanabira		0
49	1962	Tales of Young Genji Kuro 3		72
50	1962	All Rascals		0
51	1962	The Challenge	Takayama	70
52	1962	G-Men in the Pacific	Mizuhara	60
53	1962	Zankokuna tsuki		0
54	1962	Four Sisters	Masao Igarashi	60
55	1962	Gang vs. Gang		70
56	1962	Harakiri	Hikokuro Omodaka	84
57	1962	A Flame at the Pier		60
58	1962	Hell's Kitchen		0
59	1962	Tokyo Untouchable	Goro Kawamoto	0
60	1962	Gang vs. G-Men	Toru Tezuka	60
61	1962	Umineko ga tonde		0
62	1962	Operation Diamond	Kazuo Kasami	0
63	1962	Uragirimono wa jigoku daze		0
64	1963	Eleven Gangsters		0
65	1963	Gang and G-Men Part 2	手塚徹	0
66	1963	Kizu-darake no futeki-sha		0
67	1963	Tokyo Untouchable: Escape	Goro Kawamoto	0
68	1963	Ano hito wa ima		0
69	1963	Futari dake no toride		0
70	1963	Element of Surprise		0
71	1963	Gang Loyalty and Vengeance	Gu Shimizu	50
72	1963	Tange Sazen		0
73	1963	13 Assassins	Doi Ōkō Toshi	74
74	1964	Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang		0
75	1964	Samurai from Nowhere	Gunjuro Ohba	71
76	1964	The Kingdom of Jirocho 3		0
77	1964	Jakoman and Tetsu	Jakoman	60
78	1964	Destroyer Yukikaze		0
79	1964	An Outlaw		48
80	1964	売春地下組織		0
81	1964	Three Outlaw Samurai	Sakon Shiba	75
82	1964	Homicide	Lieutenant Aikawa	0
83	1964	Assassination	Hachiro Kiyokawa	71
84	1964	The Shogun's Vault		65
85	1964	The 7th Dawn	Ng	65
86	1964	Giant Rumble		60
87	1964	Revenge	Shume Okuno	75
88	1964	Detective		0
89	1964	Samurai from Somewhere		70
90	1964	Gamblers and Racketeers		0
91	1965	Kwaidan	Warrior (segment "Hoichi the Earless")	77
92	1965	Tale of Ninja Duty	Mumyo Tsunataro	10
93	1965	Abashiri Prison	Tsumaki	71
94	1965	Ankoku gai jingi		0
95	1965	Samurai Spy	Sakon Takatani	66
96	1965	The Gambler		0
97	1965	The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry		60
98	1965	Blood and Law		0
99	1965	Blood of Revenge	Yutaro Nomura	66
100	1965	High-Ranking Yakuza		0
101	1966	Thirst for Love	Kosuke Aso	55
102	1966	Sazen Tange and The Secret of the Urn	Lord Tsushima Yagyu	66
103	1966	Greatest Boss of the Showa Era		0
104	1966	The Kii River	Shintani Kosaku	80
105	1966	Continental Drifter		0
106	1966	Spycatcher J3: SOS Close Shave	J1 (TULIP Japan Branch Chief)	60
107	1967	Organized Violence		60
108	1967	Dissolution Rites	Sakai	60
109	1967	Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido		0
110	1967	Gamblers: The Dragon Tattoo		0
111	1967	Once and For All		0
112	1967	You Only Live Twice	Tiger Tanaka	66
113	1967	Portrait of Chieko	Kotaro Takamura	0
114	1967	Organized Violence II	Police Inspector Kitagawa	60
115	1967	Hawk of the Harbour		0
116	1967	King of the Gang		0
117	1967	The Return of the Filthy Seven		0
118	1967	Game of Chance 3		50
119	1968	Army Intelligence	Lieutenant Colonel Akiyama	0
120	1968	Gambler's Farewell	Tetsuji Kasai	60
121	1968	The Code of Man		0
122	1968	Blackmail Is My Life		64
123	1968	Diamonds of the Andes		0
124	1968	The Bad Boss		0
125	1968	The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze		60
126	1968	Snake Woman's Curse	Commander	55
127	1968	Black Lizard	Kuroki	67
128	1969	Goyokin	Rokugo Tatewaki	76
129	1969	Sky Scraper!		0
130	1969	Penitentiary Brothers		0
131	1969	The Private Police		70
132	1969	Lone Rebel		0
133	1969	Red Peony Gambler: Biographies of a Gambling Room		59
134	1969	The 5-Man Army	Samurai	67
135	1969	Japan's Violent Gangs: The Boss and the Killers		0
136	1969	やくざ番外地　抹殺		0
137	1970	Rise and Fall of Chivalry		65
138	1970	Crimson Bat - Oichi: Wanted, Dead or Alive	Hyoe	73
139	1970	The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan	Soshun Kochiyama	68
140	1970	Cherry Blossoms in the Air - The Suicide Raiders - Oh, Buddies!		0
141	1970	Postwar Secrets	Kuroki	100
142	1970	Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny		66
143	1971	King of Pornography		59
144	1971	The Battle of Okinawa	Lieutenant General Isamu Cho	75
145	1971	The Gambler's Counterattack	Chief Inspector	70
146	1971	The Wolves	Genryu Asakura	74
147	1971	The Armed Organization		80
148	1971	Troops of Darkness		60
149	1971	Silence	Cristóvão Ferreira	72
150	1972	Under the Flag of the Rising Sun	Sergeant Katsuo Togashi	76
151	1972	The Water Margin	Jade Unicorn, Lu Chun I	68
152	1972	Organized Crime: Killer's Glory		0
153	1972	Shadow Hunters		65
154	1972	Shōwa Gokudōshi		0
155	1972	New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm		0
156	1972	Yakuza Skirmishes		0
157	1972	Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny	Kagemetsuke	70
158	1972	Informal Dress		0
159	1973	Battles Without Honor and Humanity		74
160	1973	Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight	Shino	68
161	1973	Quarreling with Yakuza		50
162	1973	The School Deviate Waru		0
163	1973	Japan's Top Gangster	Noboru Yamaguchi	0
164	1973	The Human Revolution		0
165	1973	Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War	Tatsuo Akashi	73
166	1973	The Ando Gang Documentary Film		60
167	1973	Wild Cop 2		65
168	1973	Submersion of Japan	Prime Minister Yamamoto	67
169	1974	Violent Streets	Shimamura Kansai	69
170	1974	Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs	Nagumo	64
171	1974	Secret Prophecies of Nostradamus	Himself	0
172	1974	Prophecies of Nostradamus	Dr. Nishiyama	60
173	1974	Karafuto 1945 Summer		85
174	1974	The Castle of Sand	Detective Eitaro Imanishi	74
175	1974	The Executioner II: Karate Inferno	Shugi	55
176	1975	雪夫人繪圖		0
177	1975	All Men Are Brothers	Lu Chun I	69
178	1975	Tidal Wave	Prime Minister Yamato	0
179	1975	The Bullet Train	Sunaga	68
180	1975	Conflagration	Captain Munekata	40
181	1975	Company Buggers		70
182	1975	The International Gang of Kobe	Rinsei	57
183	1976	Operation Plazma in Osaka		65
184	1976	Human Revolution II		0
185	1976	The Classroom of Terror		60
186	1976	Seven Nights in Japan	Terrorist Leader (uncredited)	65
187	1976	The Corporation		10
188	1976	Zero Fighter	Captain Saito	42
189	1976	Murderer!	Nīto Kouken	70
190	1977	The Alaska Story	Arashuk	60
191	1977	Flickering Flames		100
192	1977	Mount Hakkoda	Colonel Kojima	64
193	1977	High Seas Hijack	Captain Munekata	100
194	1977	Sugata Sanshiro	Iinuma	0
195	1978	Shogun's Samurai	Ogasawara Gensinsai	70
196	1978	Message from Space	Ernest Noguchi	58
197	1978	The Incident	Lawyer Kikuchi	63
198	1978	Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron	Kichibei	63
199	1978	Monument to Holy Service		0
200	1978	August without Emperor	Army General Mikami	70
201	1978	Never Give Up	General Wada	57
202	1978	The Fall of Ako Castle	Yanagisawa	66
203	1979	Nichiren		0
204	1979	Hunter in the Dark	Okitsugu Tanuma	65
205	1979	Dead Angle		70
206	1979	The Shogun Assassins	Kato Kiyomasa	50
207	1980	Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga	Tatsuo Akashi	67
208	1980	The Way to The Gold Medals	President Sakakibara	0
209	1980	The Sand Boat		0
210	1980	Port Arthur	Gentaro Kodama	73
211	1980	Drive for the Future	Akiji Nishikawa	0
212	1980	Shogun's Ninja	Tozawa Hakuunsai	62
213	1981	The Last Days of Planet Earth	Dr. Nishiyama	0
214	1981	Flames of Blood		70
215	1981	Samurai Reincarnation	Muramasa	60
216	1981	The Bushido Blade	Lord Yamato	54
217	1981	The Wild Daisy	Gozaburo Saito	60
218	1981	The Imperial Navy	Jisaburo Ozawa	63
219	1981	Call from Darkness	Sugibayashi	57
220	1982	Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather	Uichi Suda, The Big Boss	63
221	1982	The Villain from Edo Kochiyama Soshun		0
222	1982	The Imperial Japanese Empire	Hideki Tojo	50
223	1982	Suspicion	Kanetaka Okamura	67
224	1982	To Trap a Kidnapper		60
225	1983	Samon’s Hell Revenge: Unauthorised Jutte Records 2 - The Assassination of the Shogun		80
226	1983	Battle Anthem	Yamamoto	70
227	1983	The Duel in the forbidden territory		0
228	1983	The Geisha	Kochi Notable	64
229	1983	The Tale of Saikaido		0
230	1983	Lady Vengeance and the 47 Ronin		0
231	1983	A Madcap Corporation		0
232	1983	L・O・V・I・N・G		0
233	1984	Choshichiro's Edo Diaries: The Yagyu Conspiracy	Yagyu Munefuyu	0
234	1984	Kukai		90
235	1984	Zero	Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto	42
236	1984	Fireflies in the North	Ishikura	53
237	1984	Kōgen ni ressha ga hashitta		0
238	1984	The Story of a Man Among Men		60
239	1984	Nezumi Kozō kaitō den		0
240	1985	Love: Starting on a Journey		25
241	1985	The Sound of the Waves		0
242	1985	The Last True Yakuza	Kazumasa Tashiro	48
243	1985	Vendetta of Obligation		0
244	1986	Cabaret	Yakuza boss	47
245	1986	April Fish	Panapora Chief Handa	55
246	1986	Be Free!	Keizo Hasegawa	0
247	1986	The White Tiger Battalion		0
248	1987	Tokyo Blackout	Nakata	55
249	1987	Night Train	Isaburo Tamura	10
250	1987	Shinran: Path to Purity		50
251	1987	Ronin on a Mission	Ōishi Kuranosuke	0
252	1987	You're My Destiny		60
253	1987	Twilight of the Cockroaches	Grandpa (voice)	60
254	1987	There Goes Benio, the Smart Girl		60
255	1987	Tabaruzaka		0
256	1988	A Taxing Woman's Return	Sadohara	64
257	1988	Tokyo Pop	Mr. Dota	69
258	1988	Tokugawa Ieyasu – TBS Warlord Special		0
259	1989	Shogun's Shadow	Hotta Masamori	69
260	1989	Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World: What Happens When You Die	吉野博士	0
261	1989	長七郎江戸日記スペシャル長七郎大奥まかり通る		0
262	1989	Yakuza Ladies 3	Takeo Sakanishi	60
263	1989	The Political Game		0
264	1989	Four Days of Snow and Blood	Jinzaburi Shinzaki	69
265	1989	Tokyo: The Last War	Kanaami Kohou	61
266	1990	Tetsuro Tamba's Great Spirit World 2: I was surprised when I died!!	Ryo Okamoto	0
267	1990	13 Assassins		70
268	1990	Aurora Borealis	Tsuneiro Kamisaka	49
269	1990	School Be-In Bully	Ryotaro Sakurazawa	0
270	1990	1750 Days of Turbulence		85
271	1991	Female Neo-Ninjas	Time Patrol leader	40
272	1991	Heat Wave	Denkichi Tsuzaki	59
273	1991	Kim's War		0
274	1991	The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses		52
275	1991	Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky	Master Zhang	68
276	1991	源氏九郎颯爽記　秘剣揚羽の蝶		0
277	1991	Yakuza Warfare		60
278	1991	The Great Shogunate Battle		60
279	1991	The Tale of Genji		0
280	1991	Minamoto Yoshitsune		50
281	1992	Taira no Kiyomori		0
282	1993	The Supernormal II		40
283	1993	Emperor of Upheaval		0
284	1994	Psychic: Traveler to the Unknown		0
285	1994	Tetsuro Tamba’s Great Spiritual World 3: Amazing Reincarnation Story That Ran Around the Whole		0
286	1997	The Peking Man	Osone	30
287	1998	Screwed	Landlord	51
288	1999	Crayon Shin-chan: Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel Good Final Battle	Tamba (voice)	64
289	1999	Jubaku: Spellbound	Tajiro Kawakami	60
290	1999	Japanese Hell	Asu Shino	42
291	2000	The Stupid Teacher	Utaemon Baba	0
292	2000	A Class to Remember IV: Fifteen	Tetsuo Hatake	80
293	2000	Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons	Old Master	61
294	2001	Blind Beast vs Killer Dwarf		35
295	2001	The Making Of The Katakuris		60
296	2001	Ino Tadataka: Meridian dreams		0
297	2002	Shura Group Part 1		0
298	2002	Shura Group		0
299	2002	The Happiness of the Katakuris	Granpa Jinpei Katakuri	69
300	2002	Graveyard of Honor	Tetsuji Tokura	63
301	2002	The Cat Returns	Cat King (voice)	71
302	2002	Deadly Outlaw: Rekka	Sanada	67
303	2002	The Twilight Samurai	Tozaemon Iguchi	78
304	2002	Bond Girls Are Forever	Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)	59
305	2002	Best Ever Bond	Tiger Tanaka (archive footage) (uncredited)	50
306	2002	Shura Group Part 2		0
307	2003	T.R.Y.		70
308	2003	A Case of Murder by the Atami Station Taxi Stand		0
309	2003	Yakuza Demon	Michitane Tendou	60
310	2003	Gozu		68
311	2004	Capone: Roppongi Renkin no Teio		0
312	2004	The Thousand Year Fire		50
313	2005	Demon Pond		66
314	2006	Teruo Ishii Fan Club		0