Acting · Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan · Born September 21, 1949
Yūsaku Matsuda was a Japanese actor. He was born in Shimonoseki, to a Japanese father and a Zainichi Korean mother. He became an actor when he was 23 as a rookie police officer for the 1970s Japanese TV detective drama called Taiyō ni hoero! Apart from this role, his other defining role on television was in Tantei monogatari. He featured in many other TV shows and movies. He won the award for best actor at the 8th Hochi Film Award for Detective Story and The Family Game. He specialized in physical action movies. The 1989 movie Black Rain — directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia— opened the door for Matsuda as an international actor. However, shortly after he made this movie, he died due to bladder cancer. He was survived by his second wife and three young children.
MovieThe Chaser
1989
as Naoya Kaneshiro
MovieBlack Rain
1989
as Sato
Sakurako wa warau: Last emperor ni shikakerareta ayashii onna no wana
1988
MovieA Chaos of Flowers
1988
as Takeo Arishima
MovieWuthering Heights
1988
as Onimaru
MovieA Homance
1986
as Kaze
追う男
1986
MovieAnd Then
1985
as Daisuke Nagai
MovieDansen
1983
as Mitsuo Tajima aka Goro Tomonaga
TVNettaiya
1983
MovieDetective Story
1983
as Shuichi Tsujiyama
MovieThe Family Game
1983
as Yoshimoto
MovieCliff of Death
1982
MovieKagero-za
1981
as Shungo Matsuzaki
MovieYokohama BJ Blues
1981
as BJ
MovieThe Beast to Die
1980
as Kunihiko Date
TVZoku zoku jiken
1980
MovieTarget
1980
as Yûsaku Matsuda
MovieRape Hunter: Target Woman
1980
as Insurance Salesman
MovieThe Execution Game
1979
as Shohei Narumi
TVDetective Story
1979
as Shunsaku Kudo
MovieThe Resurrection of the Golden Wolf
1979
as Tetsuya Asakura
MovieNo Grave for Us
1979
as Katsuo Shima
MovieMurder in the Doll House
1979
as Toshio Katsu
MovieAmeyuki-san
1979
as Shinzaburō
MovieThe Killing Game
1978
as Shohei Narumi
MovieThe Most Dangerous Game
1978
as Shouhei Narumi
MovieProof of the Man
1977
as Detective Munesue
TVFushoku no kōzō
1977
as Omachi Shinichi
TVBig City: Days of Struggle
1976
MovieMurderer!
1976
as Futago Rokube
MovieThe Classroom of Terror
1976
TVOur Medal
1975
as Nakano Yuji
MovieThe Four Roughnecks
1974
TVRed Maze
1974
MovieThe Assassination of Ryoma
1974
as Yûta
MovieTomodachi
1974
MovieHorror of the Wolf
1973
as Dō Haguro
TVBark at the Sun
1972
as Shibata Jun (Jeapan)
