Ueda Kichijirô

Ueda Kichijirô was an eloquent character actor often cast as antagonists and valued by prominent directors, including Kurosawa Akira and Inagaki Hiroshi. Ueda joined the Shinkokugeki theater in 1918 at the age of 14, where he studied under actor Sawada Shôjirô. He rose through the ranks to become an esteemed member of the troupe before resigning in 1926.

In 1934, he appeared in an early talking picture which caught the eye of director Inagaki Hiroshi, who recommended him to Nikkatsu studios. Following World War II, he appeared in several notable works, particularly Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), in which he played the brash peasant listening to the woodcutter's story. Gaining a reputation for his exaggerated acting style and vocal range, Ueda was not bound under contract to any one studio and worked with all the major Japanese film studios throughout his career.

In 1971, Ueda underwent surgery to treat laryngeal cancer, which left his voice nearly unrecognizable. He passed away in 1972.