Hisashi Katsuta

Hisashi Katsuta (勝田 久, Katsuta Hisashi, 2 April 1927 – 21 February 2020) was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is best known for his voice-over portrayal of Professor Ochanomizu in three anime adaptations of the Astro Boy franchise, and also voiced Dr. Hoshi in Astroganger (1972–1973), Professor Tobishima in Groizer X (1976–1977), and Shin'ichirō Izumi in Tōshō Daimos (1978–1979).

Hisashi Katsuta
勝田 久
Born(1927-04-02)2 April 1927
Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Died21 February 2020(2020-02-21) (aged 92)
Ōme, Tokyo, Japan
Alma materTechnical Institute for Wireless-Communications
Occupation
  • Actor
  • voice actor
Years active1948–2020
Spouse(s)Katsumi (勝美)

Early life

Hisashi Katsuta was born on 2 April 1927 in Tokyo,[1][2] and was educated at Seigakuin Junior & Senior High School and the Technical Institute for Wireless-Communications (now the University of Electro-Communications).[3]

He had been interested in film and theater since childhood, and he and his elder brother would often see films.[4] He graduated from the Kamakura Academia Faculty of Theatre in 1949.[5] He became a member of the Toho Drama Club[6] in 1948,[5] and was also a member of the Tōkyō Hōsō Gekidan, Mori no Kai, Players Center, Tēbura, Rindō Pro, Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, and Arts Vision.[7][8][6]

Voice acting career

His voice acting career started in 1948 when he appeared in NHK's 1948 radio adaptation of the Shi Nai'an novel Water Margin,[9] and he was contracted to the broadcaster in 1949 before being released in 1954.[5] Katsuta would later become a pioneer in voice acting in Japan.[9] He started dubbing work with the Japanese dub of The Buccaneers, a television drama produced in the United Kingdom in 1956.[10] He later cited Surfside 6 and The Beverly Hillbillies, both American live-action shows in the 1960s, as two of his most memorable dubbing works.[10]

In 1963, he was cast as Dr. Ochanomizu in the anime Astro Boy.[11] The Ochanomizu character would become Katsuta's own magnum opus,[4] and he would later reprise his role in both the 1980 and 2003 anime adaptations of Astro Boy,[12] as well as the film adaptations Hero of Space and Shinsengumi.[11]

In addition to Dr. Ochanomizu, he also voiced Dr. Hoshi in Astroganger, Professor Tobishima in Groizer X, and Shin'ichirō Izumi in Tōshō Daimos.[11] In 1979, Katsuta voiced the fictional depiction of King Louis XV of France in The Rose of Versailles and a fictional depiction of the Sengoku-era samurai Sanada Yukimura in Manga Sarutobi Sasuke.[11][12] He had minor roles in several anime series, including Cat's Eye, Dororo, Jetter Mars, Katri, Girl of the Meadows, Kimba the White Lion, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Marine Boy, Megazone 23, Musashi no Ken, Oishinbo, Perman, Shin Jungle Taitei: Susume Leo!, The Monster Kid, and Voltes V.[11][12]

Katsuta was taught by "veteran voice actors" and felt that he wanted to teach voice actors, and after being a lecturer in several voice acting schools, he started a voice acting class in April 1982, which in April 1987 would later become the Katsuta Voice Acting Academy (勝田声優学院, Katsuta Seiyū Gakuin), where he would be dean.[5]

He later published a book on voice acting, Shōwa seiyū retsuden terebi sōsō-ki o koe de sasaeta meiyū-tachi (昭和声優列伝　テレビ草創期を声でささえた名優たち),[4] and later credited the fact that voice acting in Japan has a history as his reason for authoring the book.[10] He also published Soshite seiyū ga hajimatta (そして声優が始まった), an autobiography that feature thirty-two voice actors with a prominent impact on Japanese culture.[10] He was one of three winners of the Synergy Award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards on 7 March 2009.[13]

Death

Katsuta died of senility on 21 February 2020, at the age of 92[11][14] in a hospital in Ōme, Tokyo; he was survived by his wife Katsumi (勝美).[15]

Filmography

Animation
1963
1965
1967
1968
  • One Pack Tanteidan, at least sixteen minor characters[12]
  • Sasuke (anime), narrator[11]
1969
1970
  • Bakuhatsu Gorō, Aozora Gakuen Principal[12]
1971
  • Animetally Ketsudan, Sōsaku Suzuki[12]
1972
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1983
1984
1985
1988
1990
  • RPG Densetsu Hepoi, Takuwan Taoist[12]
2003

Film
1982
gollark: You won't necessarily not die, though.
gollark: You *can* not die if you're alive.
gollark: Just be alive, then you can not die.
gollark: Because I can make ridiculously overengineered weapons and/or bunkers.
gollark: The only combat thing I'm vaguely good at is modded Minecraft.

References
  1. "勝田 久". 日本タレント名鑑. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "勝田久(かつたひさし)の解説". goo人名事典. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. 日本タレント名鑑（2004年版）. VIPタイムズ社. 8 April 2004. p. 99. ISBN 978-4-9901242-2-9.
  4. "黒柳徹子も後輩！お茶の水博士の声の人が知るテレビ草創期". シネマトゥデイ. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. Profile of Katsuta Voice Actor Academy
  6. 勝田久 (1979). "著者略歴". 見えない主役 声優のすべて. 集英社.
  7. "勝田 久｜株式会社アーツビジョン". Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  8. 声優の世界－アニメーションから外国映画まで. ファンタスティックコレクション別冊. 朝日ソノラマ. 30 October 1979. p. 76.
  9. "「お茶の水博士」声優・勝田久さん死去 ９２歳、老衰". www.msn.com. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  10. "「昭和声優列伝」出版記念 勝田久さんインタビュー". ふきカエル. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  11. "Voice Actor Hisashi Katsuta Passes Away". Anime News Network. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  12. Profile at GamePlaza~Haruka
  13. "3rd Annual Seiyū Award Winners Officially Announced (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  14. "Astro Boy Star Hisashi Katsuta Dies at 92". Anime. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  15. "声優の勝田久さん死去 鉄腕アトムの「お茶の水博士」". 朝日新聞DIGITAL. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
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