Watari Tetsuya was a Japanese actor, enka singer, entertainer, and businessman born in Yasugi, Nogi, Shimane, Japan, but grew up in Awaji, Hyogo, Japan. He served as the second president of Ishihara Promotion Co., Ltd., and was a consulting director.

He attended Ishiya Elementary School in Awaji, Mita Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, and graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Aoyama Gakuin University.

During his time at university, he was a member of the karate club (practicing the Japan Karate Association's Shotokan style) and later became the chairman of the Aoyama Gakuin University Karate Club Alumni Association. He held a second-degree black belt in karate and a first-degree black belt in judo.

To attend university, he moved to Tokyo. He and his younger brother lived together in a boarding house in Kasumigi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. During his studies, Nikkatsu was searching for a newcomer to play the role of the lead opposite Asaoka Ruriko in her 100th film. Without his knowledge, his brother and friends from the karate club secretly applied for him.

Since he had always enjoyed tinkering with machines since childhood, he initially hoped to pursue a career as a maintenance technician at Japan Airlines. However, he failed the employment exam because all the questions were in English. While visiting Nikkatsu Studios' cafeteria, he was scouted. In 1964, he joined Nikkatsu Studios.

In March 1965, he made his debut in the film "Abare Kishido".

In 1971, with Nikkatsu's shift towards the Roman Porno genre, he departed from the studio in July 1971.

From 1971 onwards, he starred consecutively in films produced by Shochiku. Despite receiving offers from various film companies, including Toei, he was deeply impressed by the work ethic of the staff from Ishihara Promotion who were on loan for the production. Therefore, in 1971, he joined Ishihara Promotion, which was on the verge of bankruptcy due to debt.

In 1974, he was selected to star in the NHK historical drama series "Shogun". However, during filming, he suffered from persistent high fever and was hospitalized. He had to withdraw from the series after the 9th episode. Following complications from a severe cold, he developed acute liver dysfunction and was admitted to the National Atami Hospital, where he remained hospitalized for nine months. It was later revealed that he had a collagen disease.

By autumn, Watari's health had improved, and he made an appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen at the end of the year, marking his first live performance on television.

In 1975, he was offered the lead role in "To That Bridge". a production by Geinosha, a subsidiary of Toho. However, this project fell through. Watari's hospitalization lasted for a total of two and a half years.

He contributed to the reconstruction of Ishihara Production and also served as vice president under Ishihara.

In March 1989, during the filming of the fifth episode of "Gorilla: Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Team 8," there was a scene where the character played by Watari had to sprint after getting off a helicopter. Upon landing from the helicopter, Watari experienced severe pain in his left leg but dismissed it as a simple sprain, deciding to continue filming despite the discomfort. However, the pain only intensified, and the next day, after visiting a hospital, he was diagnosed with a ruptured calf muscle, requiring a month and a half of recovery. This injury resulted from the initial sprain worsened by continuing with the filming. Nevertheless, Watari, feeling responsible for not disrupting the shooting schedule, insisted on continuing filming. This incident left him with a lasting limp as a consequence of the injury.

In 1991, he announced that he had rectal cancer. An account of his battle with the disease is documented in Kashiwagi Junichi's book "Tetsuya Watari: Ore". Through this, he revealed that he was an ostomate, someone who uses an artificial anus.

On May 11, 2011, he announced his resignation as the president of Ishihara Promotion, effective from March 28.

On June 10, 2015, he was urgently hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction. It was revealed on July 17 that he had undergone surgery. He was discharged from the hospital after about a month. On November 10, he returned to work for the first time in 1 year and 3 months, participating in the filming of a commercial for "Matsubayume," a product by the sake brewery company.

On August 10, 2020, he passed away due to pneumonia at the age of 78 (80 by age count in Japan). Following Watari's wishes, his death was not immediately announced. Ishihara Promotion staff were informed of his passing on August 12, with the public announcement made after the completion of a family funeral on August 14. There were no farewell gatherings or memorial services per Watari's wishes.

(Source: Japanese = Wikipedia || Translation = MyDramaList) Edit Biography