Masao Nakasone
Description
Masao Nakasone was a Japanese voice actor and actor active from the late 1950s through the early 1970s. He was born on July 17, 1935. He began his career in 1958 as a sixth-term member of the TBS broadcast theater troupe, where his peers included fellow voice actor Nobuo Tanaka. His professional activity spanned both live-action television and animation, primarily during the formative years of Japanese television.
Nakasone is most famously known as the voice behind the original Ultraman in the 1966 tokusatsu series of the same name. He was responsible for the character’s iconic grunts and battle cries, including the well-known "Shuwatch!" Although he was originally intended to also provide Ultraman’s speaking voice, he was unavailable for the first episode’s recording sessions, and the role of the character’s dialogue initially went to another actor. However, Nakasone did eventually voice Ultraman’s spoken lines in the thirty-third episode during a confrontation with Alien Mefilas. His vocal contributions for Ultraman, particularly the battle grunts, were archived and reused extensively in subsequent Ultra Series productions for decades, appearing in shows such as Ultraseven, Return of Ultraman, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Ginga, among many others.
In the field of anime, Nakasone built a substantial body of work during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He is recognized for playing the role of Zannin in the 1972 series Devilman. His other significant anime voice roles include Antonio Inoki in Tiger Mask, the first voice of Coach Inokuma in Attack No. 1, and Blue da in Triton of the Sea. He also appeared in the original 1963 Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) and had roles in classic series such as Princess Knight, 8 Man, Kimba the White Lion as Ham Egg, Giant of the Stars as Kai, and Apache Baseball Team as the father of Abashiri. His live-action television work included voice roles in the tokusatsu series Mirror Man and Rainbow Man, as well as a minor part in the drama Seinen Shintai. Additionally, he worked on dubbing foreign productions for Japanese audiences, providing voices for episodes of The Twilight Zone, Thunderbirds, and Columbo.
Masao Nakasone passed away on September 2, 1993. His influence, however, has proven enduring; his vocal performances for Ultraman have remained a permanent part of Japanese popular culture, continually reused in new productions and media featuring the iconic character.
Nakasone is most famously known as the voice behind the original Ultraman in the 1966 tokusatsu series of the same name. He was responsible for the character’s iconic grunts and battle cries, including the well-known "Shuwatch!" Although he was originally intended to also provide Ultraman’s speaking voice, he was unavailable for the first episode’s recording sessions, and the role of the character’s dialogue initially went to another actor. However, Nakasone did eventually voice Ultraman’s spoken lines in the thirty-third episode during a confrontation with Alien Mefilas. His vocal contributions for Ultraman, particularly the battle grunts, were archived and reused extensively in subsequent Ultra Series productions for decades, appearing in shows such as Ultraseven, Return of Ultraman, Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Ginga, among many others.
In the field of anime, Nakasone built a substantial body of work during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He is recognized for playing the role of Zannin in the 1972 series Devilman. His other significant anime voice roles include Antonio Inoki in Tiger Mask, the first voice of Coach Inokuma in Attack No. 1, and Blue da in Triton of the Sea. He also appeared in the original 1963 Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) and had roles in classic series such as Princess Knight, 8 Man, Kimba the White Lion as Ham Egg, Giant of the Stars as Kai, and Apache Baseball Team as the father of Abashiri. His live-action television work included voice roles in the tokusatsu series Mirror Man and Rainbow Man, as well as a minor part in the drama Seinen Shintai. Additionally, he worked on dubbing foreign productions for Japanese audiences, providing voices for episodes of The Twilight Zone, Thunderbirds, and Columbo.
Masao Nakasone passed away on September 2, 1993. His influence, however, has proven enduring; his vocal performances for Ultraman have remained a permanent part of Japanese popular culture, continually reused in new productions and media featuring the iconic character.