Toru Watanabe

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Toru Watanabe
Born(1961-05-12)12 May 1961
Oyama, Tochigi, Japan
Died28 November 2022(2022-11-28) (aged 61)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer

Toru Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺 徹, Hepburn: Watanabe Tōru; 12 May 1961 – 28 November 2022) was a Japanese actor and singer. He starred in Taiyō ni Hoero! (1981), Yoake no Runner (1983), and Kaze no Naka no Aitsu   [ ja ] (1984), and won the 1985 Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. He released several singles, one of which topped at #2 on the Oricon Singles Chart.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Watanabe was born on 12 May 1961 in Oyama, Tochigi. [1] [2] His mother worked as a poster girl for a local restaurant her family ran, and his father worked as a nagashi accordionist. [2] [3] The family moved frequently, around "the heart of the Kantō Plain, on the borders of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Saitama prefectures", and he once lived in a six-story tenement house in the Kosuna area in Koga, Ibaraki. [2] He was educated at Ibaraki Prefectural Koga Third High School  [ ja ]. [4] He later attended the Bungakuza Theatre Institute and joined the agency in 1985. [1]

Media career

In 1981, he debuted as Junji Takemoto/Rugger in the TV drama Taiyō ni Hoero! , before starring in the 1984 Nippon TV drama Kaze no Naka no Aitsu   [ ja ]. [5] [6] In 1987, he played Hiroshi Kiyomitsu in the film Actress   [ ja ]. [7] He won the 1982 Golden Arrow Award for Best Newcomer in Broadcasting. [8] He starred in his film debut in Yoake no Runner (1983). [9] He was one of the winners of the 1985 Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year. [10]

In 1982, he released his first single "Kare (Rival)". [6] He rose to popularity with his second single "Yakusoku", made for Glico Almond Chocolate commercials, topping at #2 on the Oricon Singles Chart. [5] [11] Three more singles, "Ai no Naka e" (1982), "Yaketsuku Memory", and "Again" (both 1983), reached the top 30 of the same chart. [11] He also appeared on several variety shows. [9] He appeared alongside Jackie Chan in Kirin Company's commercial for its Nama A Beer. [12] The Yomiuri Shimbun noted that he had a reputation for his cheerful personality. [13]

Watanabe also performed on the stage for several decades, including at Bungakuza. [1] He won the 2000 Kikuta Kazuo Theater Prize  [ ja ] Theater Award for his roles as Teppei Ōmori in Akasatana   [ ja ] and Yamauchi Kazutoyo in Kōmyō ga Tsuji   [ ja ]. [14]

In 2019, he served as the emcee of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 74th National Athletic Meet  [ ja ] in Ibaraki Prefecture. [15]

Illness and death

Watanabe suffered from chronic health problems. He was reportedly a voracious eater, consuming 6,000 calories a day, and he normally ate six meals a day, including three bento boxes during filming. [16] [17] He once peaked at 130kg, before slimming down to 90 kg, and he was later diagnosed with diabetes. [16] After having a heart attack, he was diagnosed with ischemic heart disease in April 2021, underwent surgery for aortic valve stenosis in May, and was discharged from the hospital with a weight of 79 kg. [18] [16] [19] He resumed activities in July 2021. [20] He dropped out of several planned stage performances due to his illness that year. [9] He often underwent dialysis due to chronic kidney failure from diabetes. [21]

On 19 November 2022, his final appearance before his death was a remote appearance at the Akita University Medical Forum; [22] despite his precautionary negative COVID test, the forum had went remote. [23] After returning to Tokyo the next day, he was diagnosed with bacterial gastroenteritis and hospitalized. [6] He died of sepsis at 9:01 PM on 28 November 2022. [9] He was 61. [13]

A family funeral was held in Tokyo on 5 December, with his eldest son as the chief mourner, and the same day his wife and eldest son held a joint press conference about his death. [24] His dharma name was "Yōkōin Kentoku Tetsushinkoji (陽光院賢徳徹真居士)". [25] A farewell ceremony was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa on 28 March 2023, with approximately 1,200 people in attendance. [5]

Personal life

After co-starring together in Kaze no Naka no Aitsu, Watanabe married singer and actress Ikue Sakakibara in October 1987. [6] Their wedding reception took place at Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa and was broadcast live on Nippon Television Network, hosted by Kazuo Tokumitsu and reaching an audience rating of 40.1%. [3] [26] The couple had two children, actors Yūta  [ ja ] and Takuya. [27] In 1993, after reports surfaced that he had been having an affair with a 27-year-old model for more than nine months, he denied the affair at a press conference. [17]

Watanabe had also spoken about his experiences with death threats made by a maternal uncle against his father. [28] Watanabe built two houses in Setagaya, both after each of his sons was born; by 2022, the latter was worth an estimated 400 million yen. [3]

Watanabe loved mayonnaise so much that he secretly consumed it even though his wife, worried about his health, limited the condiment in the household. [19] At his farewell ceremony, attendees received a specially designed bottle of mayonnaise in his honour. [29]

Filmography

Discography

Albums

TitleDetails
Kakenukeru made (駆け抜けるまで…) [33]
Talking (in all-caps) [34]
  • Released: 1 January 1983
  • Label: Epic/Sony
Dramatic Road (ドラマティック・ロード) [35]
  • Released: 21 November 1983
  • Label: Epic/Sony
Mr. Sentimental (Mr.センチメンタリスト) [36]
  • Released: 21 March 1986
  • Label: Epic/Sony

Singles

TitleYearDetailsPeak chart positionsSales
JPN [11]
"Rival" (彼《ライバル》) [37] 1982
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Epic/Sony
——
"Yakusoku" (約束) [38] 1982
  • Released: 25 August 1982
  • Label: Epic/Sony
2—
"Ai no Naka e" (愛の中へ) [39] 1982
  • Released: 10 December 1982
  • Label: Epic/Sony
6—
"Yaketsuku Memory" (灼けつくメモリー) [40] 1983
  • Released: 21 May 1983 [11]
  • Label: Epic/Sony
27—
"Again" (stylized in all-caps) [41] 1983
  • Released: 21 September 1983
  • Label: Epic/Sony
21—
"Hitomi Serious" (瞳・シリアス) [42] 1984
  • Released: 1 May 1984
  • Label: Epic/Sony
——
"Ki ni Naru Aitsu" (気になるあいつ) [43] 1985
  • Released: 1985
  • Label: Epic/Sony
——
"Netsujō" (熱情) [44] 1986
  • Released: 1 February 1986
  • Label: Epic/Sony
——
"Vitamine CM" (ビタミンCM) [45] 1991——
"Tōi Yume ni Aeru made" (遠い夢に逢えるまで) (with Kuniko Yamada  [ ja ] [46] 1995——

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWork(s)ResultRef.
198220th Golden Arrow Awards Golden Arrow Award for Best Newcomer in BroadcastingWon [8]
19859th Elan d'or Awards Newcomer of the Year HimselfWon [10]
200026th Kikuta Kazuo Theater Awards  [ ja ] Kikuta Kazuo Theater Prize  [ ja ] Theater AwardTeppei Ōmori in Akasatana  [ ja ] and Yamauchi Kazutoyo in Kōmyō ga Tsuji  [ ja ]Won [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "渡辺　徹". Bungakuza (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Watanabe, Toru (2 December 2022). "〈渡辺徹さん死去〉極貧の少年時代、一念発起して家を建てた父、その家で新妻の榊原郁恵は「夏のお嬢さん」を歌った". Bunshun Online (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Hiroko Ohnishi. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "渡辺徹さんの死は美談ばかりではなかった…妻・郁恵さんを苦しめた「不倫と牛飲馬食」｜週刊誌からみた「ニッポンの後退」". Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese). 18 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "渡辺徹さんにを委嘱" (PDF). Kōhō Koga (in Japanese). 1 September 2007. p. 5.
  5. 1 2 3 "渡辺徹さんお別れの会 幅広い人脈1200人が出席 角野卓造、サンドウィッチマン…愛されキャラしのぶ". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 28 March 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "渡辺徹さん 敗血症のため死去、61歳 先月20日に発熱、腹痛などで入院治療も28日亡くなる". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 "映画女優 : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  8. 1 2 "GOLDEN ARROW AWARDS 受賞者一覧" (PDF). Japan Magazine Publishers Association. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "俳優の渡辺徹さん死去 「太陽にほえろ！」刑事役、６１歳". jiji.com (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  10. 1 2 エランドール賞歴代受賞者一覧 [List of Élan d'Or awardee] (in Japanese). All Nippon Producers Association. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "渡辺徹のシングル売上TOP4作品". Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Kurei, Hibiki (2023). "オレたちを熱狂させたスーパースター、ジャッキーは何者だ？！". Show 50-nen Otoko (in Japanese). No. 24.
  13. 1 2 "俳優の渡辺徹さんが敗血症のため死去、６１歳…「太陽にほえろ！」など出演". Yomiuri Online (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  14. 1 2 "菊⽥⼀夫演劇賞（2010年〜2000年 受賞者）". eibunkyo.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "渡辺徹さんの訃報に係る知事談話". Ibaraki Prefecture (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 "渡辺徹、デビュー以来の70キロ台で退院". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 9 June 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  17. 1 2 "(2ページ目)渡辺徹さんの死は美談ばかりではなかった…妻・郁恵さんを苦しめた「不倫と牛飲馬食」". Nikkan Gendai (in Japanese). 18 December 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "渡辺徹、心筋梗塞の手術していた 復帰後の体重はデビュー以来の70キロ台". Oricon News (in Japanese). 8 June 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  19. 1 2 "渡辺徹 初めて冷やし中華作ったと明かすも…「特権」大量マヨネーズに心配の声続出". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 7 June 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "渡辺徹 闘病支えた息子からの還暦祝い赤パンツ「うれしすぎて、入院中ずっとはいた」". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 12 July 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  21. ↑ "渡辺徹さん死去 61歳 敗血症 病気と闘った半生 10月舞台はほっそりした姿 榊原郁恵とおしどり夫婦". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 2 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "渡辺徹さん、秋田での医療フォーラムが最後の仕事に サキホコレ弁当「ホッとする」". Akita Sakigake Shimpō (in Japanese). 22 August 2025. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "渡辺徹さん長男裕太「3日前病院に行ったら顔色も変わっていて、意識もなかった」直前様子明かす". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 5 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "渡辺徹さんの妻・榊原郁恵が会見「渡辺徹は偉大だったんだな」長男・渡辺裕太と". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 5 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  25. ↑ Sakakibara, Ikue (20 July 2023). "榊原郁恵 彼がくれた最後の優しさ。「コロナ禍でもあるし、大事をとって別の部屋で寝よう」家で過ごした最後の日に寝室を別にしたのが心残りで…". Fujin Kōron (in Japanese). p. 5. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  26. ↑ "榊原郁恵 夫・渡辺徹の結婚は「テレビで中継しなきゃいけないっていうのがちょっと大変だった」". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  27. ↑ "榊原郁恵、俳優の長男&次男と並び笑顔「次男さんが徹さんにそっくり」「イケメンがおふたり」 親子3ショットに反響". Oricon News (in Japanese). 2 June 2025.
  28. ↑ Watanabe, Toru (2 December 2022). "(2ページ目)〈渡辺徹さん死去〉極貧の少年時代、一念発起して家を建てた父、その家で新妻の榊原郁恵は「夏のお嬢さん」を歌った". Bunshun Online (in Japanese). Interviewed by Hiroko Ohnishi. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  29. ↑ "渡辺徹さん「お別れの会」会場には思い出の品で「渡辺徹展」最後は全員で代表曲「約束」歌唱". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 28 March 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  30. ↑ "そろばんずく : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  31. ↑ "リンキング・ラブ : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ・動画". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  32. ↑ "棘の中にある奇跡 笠間の栗の木下家 : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  33. ↑ 駆け抜けるまで. (cover). Toru Watanabe. Epic Records Japan. 1982. 28-3H-62.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / TALKING（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  35. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / Dramatic Road（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  36. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / Mr.センチメンタリスト（邦楽）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  37. ↑ 彼《ライバル》 (cover). Toru Watanabe. Epic/Sony. 1982. 07-5H-117.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / 約束（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  39. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / 愛の中へ（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  40. ↑ 灼けつくメモリー (cover). Toru Watanabe. Epic/Sony. 1983. 07-5H-163.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / AGAIN（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  42. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / 瞳・シリアス（音楽ソフト）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  43. ↑ 気になるあいつ (cover). Toru Watanabe. Epic/Sony. 1985. 07-5H-25.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ↑ "【買取】渡辺徹 / 熱情（邦楽）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  45. ↑ "【8cm】ビタミンCM 新品CD". Book Off (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  46. ↑ "【買取】山田邦子＆渡辺徹 / 遠い夢に逢えるまで（邦楽）". Suruga-ya (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 November 2025.
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