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Jerry Ito

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerry Ito
Born
Gerald Tamekichi Itō

(1927-06-12)June 12, 1927
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 2007(2007-07-08) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materThe New School
Actors Studio
OccupationsActor, singer
SpouseSakae Itō
FatherMichio Itō
RelativesTeiji Itō (cousin)
Teimoc Johnston-Ono (cousin)
Koreya Senda (uncle)
Kisaku Itō (uncle)
Teiko Itō (aunt)

Gerald Tamekichi “Jerry” Itō (Japanese: ジェリー・伊藤; July 12, 1927 – July 8, 2007) was an American actor, singer, and tarento, who spent most of his professional life in Japan.[1] He was part of a showbusiness family, headed by his father Michio Itō.

Early life and education

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Itō was born into a showbusiness family in New York City in 1927. He was the son of Japanese dancer and choreographer Michio Itō and American dancer Hazel Wright. His uncles included playwright and actor Koreya Senda and art director Kisaku Itō, and his cousins included composer Teiji Itō and Olympic judoka Teimoc Johnston-Ono.[1] His paternal grandfather and namesake, Tamekichi Itō, was an architect who designed the Ginza Wako department store.[2]

Itō served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, where he was attached to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan, was a member of the American Theatre Wing.[1] After his discharge, he studied acting at The New School, and appeared in a stage adaptation of All the King's Men.[3] However, he was recalled to service during the Korean War, this time in the Army, where he worked for Special Services. After his second discharge, he joined the Actors Studio.[1]

Career

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After appearing in the Broadway play The Teahouse of the August Moon,[4] Itō moved to Japan in the mid-1950s, where he married his wife Wakana Hanayagi. While taking Japanese-language classes, he worked as an English-language dubber for Toho Studios.[3] He was later signed to Toho's stage division, though he was frequently loaned out to other film studios due to the lack of roles for Anglophone stage actors.[1]

He established himself as a gaijin tarento (foreign talent), frequently cast as foreigner character in Japanese films. Among his most internationally-recognized parts were as Clark Nelson, the principal antagonist of the 1961 kaiju film Mothra by Toho.[2] He played Ernest Mason Satow in several Taiga dramas. He also recorded several albums for Toshiba Records and was a frequent guest on talk shows.[3] He also appeared in the stage musical Once Upon a Mattress,[2] and was a spokesmodel for Shiseido. From 1995 to 1997, Itō was a cast member of the NHK educational program Let's Play English.[1][5]

Personal life

[edit]

Itō was married to Wakana Hanayagi (real name: Sakae Itō), a Nihon-buyō dancer who taught at the University of Toronto and Yale University.[6]

Later life and death

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After suffering a stroke in 1997, Itō moved to Los Angeles for treatment at UCLA Medical Center's Speech Pathology Clinic, where he was involved with the Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation. He lived there until his death from pneumonia in July 2007, four days before his 80th birthday.[1]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1957Umi no yarodomoArab
Tokyo no Tekisasujin [3]
1959Jan Arima no shûgekiMilland
The MansterSuperintendent Aida
1960Pineapple butaiSgt. March
1961 Kanashiki 60 sai [3]
MothraClark Nelson
The Last War (Sekai daisenso)Watkins
1962Gekkyū doroboJose Dagon
1962Nippon musekinin yaroGary
1963Interpol Code 8 (Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: shirei dai hachigo)Rudolf Kent
1963Yabunirami NipponJohn Machihei
1963The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (Eburi manshi no yūga-na seikatsu)Pete Nicholas
1963Ankokugai No. 1Anpo
1964You Can Succeed, Too (Kimi mo shusse ga dekiru)McGregor
1968Shin Abashiri BangaichiJimmy Nakata
1970 Hakurai jingi: Kapone no shatei Huber
1977Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (Golgo 13: Kūron no kubi)Polanski
1978Message from Space (Uchu kara no messeji)Commander

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1958 Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai Army MP
1967 Dekkai Seishun Jerry Takai 1 episode
1967 San shimai Ernest Mason Satow
1968 Ryōma ga Yuku
Maboroshijō
Mighty Jack Roberto Okamura 1 episode
John Manjirō
Fuji Santaro 1 episode
1970 Surōnin Hanayama Daikichi Donickel Willman
1974 Katsu Kaishū Ernest Mason Satow
1977 Nippon no Sengo Courtney Whitney
Kashin Edward Snell
1978UFO daisensou: Tatakae! Reddo taigâDr. Amano
Edogawa Rampo no bijoGeorges Point 1 episode
1979 Daitokai Sherwin 1 episode
Tokusō Saizensen George Haraguchi 2 episodes
1980 Tokumei Keiji Ferdinand Garcia 1 episode
Hijō no raisensu Charles E. Crawford 1 episode
1981 Black Jack (Kayama Yuzo no Blackjack) Captain Kenneth 1 episode
1982 Bid for Power Watanabe
1983 Ōoku 1 episode
1985 Yomeshūtome Jindori Gassen
1986 Taiyō ni Hoero! Thomas Bernardo 1 episode
1995-97 Let's Play English Grandpa Jerry

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jerry Itô - The Godzilla Cineaste". godzillacineaste.net. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  2. 1 2 3 "俳優、歌手のジェリー伊藤さん死去 - 演劇 - 文化・芸能". www.asahi.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jerry Ito: A S`Wonderful Life". www.scifijapan.com. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  4. ↑ "Jerry Ito – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  5. ↑ 「『母と子のテレビタイム』」『放送教育』第51巻第4号、日本放送教育協会、1996年7月1日、18 - 19頁
  6. ↑ "Sakae Ito aka (Hanayagi Wakana)". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
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