Kenji Sawada
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Kenji Sawada | |
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Also known as | Julie |
Born | adult contemporary | June 25, 1948
Occupation(s) | Singer, composer, lyricist, actor |
Years active | 1967–present |
Labels | Polydor Japan, Toshiba EMI/Eastworld, Julie Label |
Website | Official |
Kenji Sawada (沢田 研二, Sawada Kenji, born June 25, 1948; real surname written as 澤田) is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band
As a singer, songwriter, and actor, Sawada prospered greatly on
Music career
Sawada was the lead singer of the best-known J-pop music act of the late 1960s
In 1968, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees was commissioned to compose two songs for the band in an attempt at international success. One of the songs was a hit in Japan, titled "Smile for Me" and sung by Sawada. In spite of his clear English pronunciation, the record did not make the pop charts in foreign markets as the Watanabe Productions management team had hoped. The band disbanded shortly after its release.
In 1970, after The Tigers broke up, Sawada formed the supergroup,
In the 1980s he was in Co-Colo with Hideki Ishima.[1]
Sawada also plays the shamisen. He appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in March 1969 (No. 28),[2] and is the only Japanese as a cover person of this magazine other than Yoko Ono.[citation needed]
Film career
Sawada's best-known roles include playing in Paul Schrader's biographical film movie about Yukio Mishima, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and playing in Takashi Miike's horror-comedy musical The Happiness of the Katakuris.
Personal life
He married
Discography
Awards
- 1972, 14th Japan Record Awards, Vocal Award
- 1973, 15th Japan Record Awards, Popular prize
- 1974, 16th Japan Record Awards, Vocal Award
- 1977, 19th Japan Record Awards, Grand Prix
- 1978, 20th Japan Record Awards, Best Award & Gold Award
- 1979, 21st Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1980, 22nd Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1981, 23rd Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1982, 24th Japan Record Awards, Gold Award & Planing Award
- 1982, 25th Japan Record Awards, Special Gold Award
- 2023, 77th Mainichi Film Awards, Best Actor[4]
Partial filmography
Film
- Statue in Fire (1974)[5]
- Que C'est Triste Paris (1976)
- Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko(1979)
- Samurai Reincarnation (1981), Amakusa Shirō[5]
- Tora-san, the Expert (1982)
- Capone Cries a Lot (1985)
- Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
- Hiruko the Goblin (1990)
- Boku to, bokura no natsu (1990)
- Yumeji (1991, Yumeji Takehisa[5]
- Osaka Story (1999)
- Pistol Opera (2001)
- The Happiness of the Katakuris (2002)
- It's a Flickering Life (2021), Satonao "Gō" Maruyama[6]
- The Zen Diary (2022), Tsutomu[7]
Television
- Sanga Moyu (1984), Charlie Tamiya[5]
- Hanekonma (1986), Takeshi Matsunami[5]
Japanese dub
- West Side Story (1979, TBS dub), Bernardo Nuñez (George Chakiris)[8]
See also
References
- ^ "First I had the idea, nobody cared. They said 'you're crazy!'". Jrawk.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Rolling Stone (No. 28, March 1969) "Japanese Rock: Kenji Julie Sawada of Julie and the Tigers"
- ^ "Yumi Ito of The Peanuts was a muse to both moth and men". Japantimes.co.jp. July 24, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "毎日映画コンクール 日本映画大賞に「ケイコ 目を澄ませて」". Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "沢田研二". NHK. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "キネマの神様". eiga.com. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "土を喰らう十二ヵ月". eiga.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ "ウエスト・サイド物語 -日本語吹き替え版". Fukikaeru. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
External links
- Kenji Sawada at IMDb
- Kenji Sawada at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)