Bunta Sugawara

Bunta Sugawara (菅原 文太 Sugawara Bunta?, born August 16, 1933) is a Japanese actor from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Throughout his career, he appeared in almost 200 feature films. He is the father of actor Kaoru Sugawara and two daughters.

Sugawara dropped out of Waseda University and worked as a model before becoming an actor in 1958, though his first acting gig was in the 1956 Toho film Aishu no Machi ni Kiri ga Furu. He began working with the studio Shintōhō, where he had starring roles despite being a newcomer. But after two years with them, the company filed for bankruptcy. Sugawara then moved to Shochiku, but because of the low pay and roles which he felt were no good, he left and went to Toei in 1967 after being recommended by Noboru Ando.

He didn’t achieve major success until 1973 at the age of 40, when he starred in Kinji Fukasaku’s five-part yakuza epic Battles Without Honor and Humanity. The role of Shōzō Hirono still remains his most well-known. Sugawara also notably starred in Fukasaku’s Street Mobster and Cops vs. Thugs.

On February 23, 2012, Sugawara announced his retirement from acting. He came to the decision after the Great East Japan Earthquake and being hospitalized in the winter of 2011. Though he said he might consider future roles. —Wikipedia