Tarō Sagami
Description
Tarō Sagami, also known as Takeshi Sagami, was a Japanese voice actor active from the 1960s until the early 1980s. He was born on March 24, 1931, in Tokyo, Japan, and passed away on March 30, 1981. Before and during his voice acting career, Sagami was also a performer and teacher of rōkyoku, a form of traditional Japanese narrative singing.
Sagami worked across numerous classic anime series and foreign film dubs during a formative period for Japanese animation. He is recognized for his roles in several major productions of the era. In the monster-themed comedy series Kaibutsu-kun, he provided the voice for the character Franken, a role he reprised in the second television series as well as the 1981 film Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shōtai. His other notable anime voice work includes playing Kenken in the Japanese dub of the animated series Pinocchio: The Series, Brando in the original 1963 Astro Boy series, Hyōroku in the 1965 series Kimba the White Lion, and Brake in Fight Da!! Pyuta.
His career also included guest and supporting roles in other prominent anime titles of the time, such as Gatchaman, Hakushon Daimaō, Marine Boy, Lupin the Third Part II, and Yatterman. Beyond anime, Sagami was a prolific contributor to Japanese-language dubbing of foreign films and television series. His dubbing credits include work on the Japanese television broadcasts of films such as Ben-Hur, Easy Rider, Planet of the Apes, and the television series Columbo. In addition to voice work, he performed as a singer, recording an insert song for the Japanese broadcast of the American animated series The Funky Phantom.
Sagami worked across numerous classic anime series and foreign film dubs during a formative period for Japanese animation. He is recognized for his roles in several major productions of the era. In the monster-themed comedy series Kaibutsu-kun, he provided the voice for the character Franken, a role he reprised in the second television series as well as the 1981 film Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shōtai. His other notable anime voice work includes playing Kenken in the Japanese dub of the animated series Pinocchio: The Series, Brando in the original 1963 Astro Boy series, Hyōroku in the 1965 series Kimba the White Lion, and Brake in Fight Da!! Pyuta.
His career also included guest and supporting roles in other prominent anime titles of the time, such as Gatchaman, Hakushon Daimaō, Marine Boy, Lupin the Third Part II, and Yatterman. Beyond anime, Sagami was a prolific contributor to Japanese-language dubbing of foreign films and television series. His dubbing credits include work on the Japanese television broadcasts of films such as Ben-Hur, Easy Rider, Planet of the Apes, and the television series Columbo. In addition to voice work, he performed as a singer, recording an insert song for the Japanese broadcast of the American animated series The Funky Phantom.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shōtai
- JapaneseAnime overview: Pinocchio: The Series
- JapaneseAnime overview: Kaibutsu-kun