Jerry Ito
Jerry Ito | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gerald Tamekichi Itō June 12, 1927 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 2007 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | The New School Actors Studio |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Spouse | Sakae Itō |
| Father | Michio Itō |
| Relatives | Teiji 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Umi no yarodomo | Arab | |
| Tokyo no Tekisasujin | [3] | ||
| 1959 | Jan Arima no shûgeki | Milland | |
| The Manster | Superintendent Aida | ||
| 1960 | Pineapple butai | Sgt. March | |
| 1961 | Kanashiki 60 sai | [3] | |
| Mothra | Clark Nelson | ||
| The Last War (Sekai daisenso) | Watkins | ||
| 1962 | Gekkyū dorobo | Jose Dagon | |
| 1962 | Nippon musekinin yaro | Gary | |
| 1963 | Interpol Code 8 (Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: shirei dai hachigo) | Rudolf Kent | |
| 1963 | Yabunirami Nippon | John Machihei | |
| 1963 | The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (Eburi manshi no yūga-na seikatsu) | Pete Nicholas | |
| 1963 | Ankokugai No. 1 | Anpo | |
| 1964 | You Can Succeed, Too (Kimi mo shusse ga dekiru) | McGregor | |
| 1968 | Shin Abashiri Bangaichi | Jimmy Nakata | |
| 1970 | Hakurai jingi: Kapone no shatei | Huber | |
| 1977 | Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (Golgo 13: Kūron no kubi) | Polanski | |
| 1978 | Message from Space (Uchu kara no messeji) | Commander |
Television
[edit]| 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 | ||
| 1978 | UFO daisensou: Tatakae! Reddo taigâ | Dr. Amano | |
| Edogawa Rampo no bijo | Georges 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
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jerry Itô - The Godzilla Cineaste". godzillacineaste.net. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Jerry Ito: A S`Wonderful Life". www.scifijapan.com. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ "Jerry Ito – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ 「『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
- ↑ "Sakae Ito aka (Hanayagi Wakana)". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
External links
[edit]- Jerry Ito at IMDb
- Jerry Ito at the Internet Broadway Database
- Aiken, Keith; Ryfle, Steve (2007-07-30). "Jerry Ito: A S'Wonderful Life".
| International | |
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| National | |
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 | This article about a United States film and television actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 1927 births
- 2007 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male singers
- American military personnel of Japanese descent
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male stage actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American male singers
- American male actors of Japanese descent
- Deaths from pneumonia in California
- Deaths from stomach cancer in California
- Male actors from New York City
- American screen actor, 1920s birth stubs
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- United States Army personnel of the Korean War
- American expatriates in Japan
- Actors Studio alumni
- The New School alumni