Kurosawa Toshio

No relation to director Kurosawa Akira.

Dropped out of high school and joined Toho in the 4th New Face Class of 1964. He made his acting debut that same year in the film Hibari Chiemi Izumi Sanninyoreba.

He landed his first leading role in 1966 with the film Hit and Run. During his time at Toho, he appeared in several notable films including The Adventure of Kigan Castle (1966) and Japan's Longest Day (1967). He left the studio system to become a freelance actor in 1971.

Kurosawa found success in both film and television. He is well known for his role as Ashio Ryûrei in the cult classic Lady Snowblood (1973) and appeared in the Hissatsu series on television. He also had a successful singing career, releasing the hit song "Tokiniwa Shôfu no Yôni" in 1978.

Kurosawa was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1992. He published his memoirs, detailing his personal experiences with cancer, in 2008.