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Toyokawa Etsushi (Osaka, 1962- )
 Like many popular Japanese entertainers, Toyokawa Etsushi is widely
known by the abbreviation of both his names, in this case Toyoetsu. His wide range of talents - as well as acting he writes and
directs - include TV, movies and theater and the breadth of his
acting ability has seen him play roles as diverse as a gay doctor
in an arranged marriage, a deaf and mute artist and a sinister
yakuza boss. The latter role was alongside the as yet unknown
Russell Crowe in the reasonable 1996 thriller No Way Back. He has also co-starred with some of Japan's most glamorous leading
ladies, including Tokiwa Takako (Aishite Iru to Itte Kure, Say You Love Me, 1995), Nakayama Miho (Love Letter, 1995) and Fujiwara Norika (Kikenna Kankei, 1999).
Toyokawa dropped out of Kwansei Gakuin University after one year to pursue an acting career. He entered a theatrical
troupe in Tokyo and spent the next decade as a struggling stage
and TV actor until he found success playing the elder of two brothers
with supernatural powers in the 1992 TV drama Night Head. He learned sign language for his role in Aishite.. and the series
sparked nationwide (though shortlived) interest in the language.
Other successful drama series include Kono Yo no Hate (Until the End of the World, 1994) and Aoi Tori (Blue Bird, 1997).
From 2000, Toyokawa starred in the hugely popular 'Love Beer!'
series of commercials for Sapporo Beer with Yamazaki Tsutomu. Both actors have a somewhat stoic image and these commercials
used that to great effect. Using high-speed Matrix-like photography,
the ads had seasonal themes with the protaganists playing table
tennis at a hot spring, singing karaoke or engaged in a snowball
fight.
At 186cm Toyokawa is tall by Japanese standards and this, coupled
with his ability to play 'difficult' roles better than anyone
else, is sure to keep him standing above his peers for some time
to come. |
