WKiyoshi Atsumi, born Yasuo Tadokoro, was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show theater in Asakusa. After two years of fighting pulmonary tuberculosis, he made his debut on TV in 1956 and on film in 1957. His vivid performance of a lovable, innocent man in the film “Dear Mr. Emperor” in 1963 established his reputation as an actor.
WBakushō Mondai (爆笑問題) is a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Yūji Tanaka and Hikari Ōta under the entertainment agency, Titan Inc. The comedians first met when they were students in the Department of Fine Arts at Nihon University, and they formed Bakushō Mondai in 1988 after dropping out of school. The name of the duo means literally "burst into/roaring laughter", "problem/question". The tsukkomi of the two, Tanaka, had a testicle removed because of testicular cancer, and this frequently elicits jokes by the group's boke, Ōta, as well as other personalities that they may be performing with. Ōta is generally the higher profile of the two, and frequently dominates shows that they host with his long-winded speeches.
WJunzaburō Ban was a Japanese comedian and actor. His real name was Hirosada Suzuki .
WThe Tokyo Shock Boys , or Dengeki Network , is a Japanese group of four men who perform dangerous and crude stunts.
WHideharu Egashira , better known by his stage name, Egashira2:50 , is a Japanese comedian. He is known for his appearances in many TV shows and his transgressive style.
WKen'ichi Enomoto was a popular Japanese singing comedian, mostly known by his stage name Enoken (エノケン).
WRyō Fukawa , also known as ROCKETMAN, is a Japanese comedian and musician. He belongs to Watanabe Entertainment. On television he generally takes minor roles and is characterized by his childlike temperament and boyish looks. He is also a member of the owarai group, No Plan.
WRoppa Furukawa was a Japanese comedian.
WGokuraku Tombo , meaning Heavenly Dragonfly was a manzai comedy duo consisting of Keiichi Yamamoto and Koji Kato . Members of the Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainment conglomerate, they performed on the Fuji TV variety show Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! Their main act was based on arguing and fighting in public.
WGorgeous is a Japanese comedian.
WHajime Hana was a Japanese actor. He was the leader of the comic jazz band The Crazy Cats, which featured such talent as Hitoshi Ueki and Kei Tani, and which starred in a series of film comedies and in TV variety shows such as "Shabondama Holiday." He won the award for best actor at the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards for Kaisha monogatari: Memories of You.
WHanawa (はなわ) is a Japanese singer and comedian raised in Saga City. He plays the bass guitar. He rose to fame in Japan for a comical song about Saga Prefecture and its oddities.
WHideo Higashikokubaru is a Japanese politician. He originally rose to fame as a comedian and actor under the stage name Sonomanma Higashi , and was known for his role in the popular game show Takeshi's Castle.
WKuniaki Takizaki , more commonly known as Neko Hiroshi , is a Japanese-born owarai comedian who uses his short stature, at 1.45 meters and 45 kilograms (99 lb), and cat persona in his act. He is also an avid marathon runner. In 2011, he became a naturalized citizen of Cambodia, and intended to compete in the Olympics for Cambodia.
WJun Inoue is a Japanese tarento, singer, actor, and comedian. His former stage name is Junji Inoue .
WMakoto Izubuchi is a Japanese comedian, professional wrestler and tarento ("talent") better known for his performing name of Razor Ramon Real Gay , which he adopted from his comedy partner Razor Ramon Hard Gay. He is better known for his work in Hustle and TV appearances.
WRome Kanda is a Japanese tarento, comedian and actor who resides in the United States. He currently resides and works in Los Angeles, California.
WToshiaki Kasuga is a Japanese comedian best known as the boke half of the comedy duo Audrey alongside Masayasu Wakabayashi. He is 176 cm tall. On stage, he usually wears a pink vest and white pants.
WKatsura Bunshi VI is a Japanese TV presenter and rakugo artist. Bunshi Katsura VI is his stage name and his real name is Shizuya Kawamura .
WKatsura Shijaku II was a Japanese rakugo performer of the late 20th century, who often performed in English. He was born Tōru Maeda in Kobe, the son of a brick-maker. In 1960 he entered the tutelage of the rakugo performer Katsura Beichō III (桂米朝), and upon completion of his study, was given the stage name Katsura Koyone X (桂小米). He changed his stage name to Shijaku Katsura in 1974.
WKatsura Utamaru was a Japanese rakugo comedian best known for hosting the Shōten comedy show on Nippon TV. He is known as a master of the Japanese comic art of rakugo, in which a single performer or storyteller appears on stage and tells comedic stories to the audience.
WTakeshi Kitano is a Japanese comedian, television presenter, actor, filmmaker, and author. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, abroad he is better known for his work as a filmmaker. With the exception of his works as a film director, he is known almost exclusively by the stage name Beat Takeshi .
WYoshio Kojima is a Japanese comedian famous for appearing only in a small bathing suit, during both performances and interviews. Among his well-known catchphrases are Sonna no kankei nee and Oppapī (おっぱっぴー), an abbreviation of "Ocean Pacific Peace", (オーシャン・パシフィック・ピース). All of his catchphrases are typically said followed by a signature dance, which has him hunched over, making a punching motion towards the ground while his hind leg is kneed upward simultaneously. A soundbite such as Oppapī, or something similarly random, is commonly used by Japanese comedians as an easy to remember and easy to repeat hook that can help popularise them and their comedy.
WKazuhito Kosaka , better known by his stage names Daimaou Kosaka and Pikotaro , is a Japanese comedian, television personality and entertainer. Kosaka insists that Pikotaro is another person promoted by him, but they are considered the same person. He is currently signed with Avex Management Inc. under Avex Group.
WYuriko Kotani is an England-based Japanese comedian and the BBC Radio New Comedy Award winner.
WShinji Maki was a Japanese mandan comedian who played the ukulele.
WHitoshi Matsumoto , or Matchan as he is commonly known, is one of Japan's most popular comedians and TV hosts. He is one half of the comedy duo Downtown alongside Masatoshi Hamada. Like Hamada, Matsumoto was born and raised in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture.
WKunihiro Matsumura is a Japanese comedian and impressionist most known for his impersonations of famous figures such as Beat Takeshi and Takanohana Kōji. He was also the original host of the hit comedy reality show Susume! Denpa Shonen. While originally making his obesity part of his jokes, Matsumura suffered a heart attack when he tried to run the Tokyo Marathon in 2009 as part of a TV show. He recovered and subsequently tried to maintain his weight.
WHisaya Morishige was a Japanese actor and comedian. Born in Hirakata, Osaka, he graduated from Kitano Middle School, and attended Waseda University. He began his career as a stage actor, then became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchukuo. He became famous in films first for comedy roles, appearing in series such as the "Company President" (Shacho) and "Station Front" (Ekimae) series, produced by Toho. He appeared in nearly 250 films, both contemporary and jidaigeki. He was also famous on stage playing Tevye in the Japanese version of Fiddler on the Roof. He also appeared in television series and specials, and was the first guest on the television talk show Tetsuko's Room in 1975. He was long-time head of the Japan Actors Union. Among many honors, Morishige received the Order of Culture from the Emperor of Japan in 1991.
WKiyoshi Nishikawa is a Japanese comedian and actor and former politician.
WIssey Ogata is a Japanese actor and comedian. He was interested in plays since childhood. After he graduated from Toyotama High School in Japan, he joined a theatrical company and appeared on the stage. Later, he jumped at the opportunity to be an entertainer when he took the gold medal at the audition called "Birth of Comedians". Then, he started garnering roles on Japanese TV. Shows he appeared on include Fuji TV's Evil Grandmother and NHK's RinRinto.
WJimmy Onishi is a Japanese painter and comedian. His real name is Hideaki Onishi , in which his given name is a combination of Hide (秀) from daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Aki (明) means "bright" which relates to the New Year celebrations and he is born in New Year's Day.
WHikari Ōta is a Japanese television comedian.
WFrankie Sakai was a Japanese comedian, actor, and musician.
WDandy Sakano (ダンディ坂野) is a Japanese comedian, best known for his flamboyant clothing and "Gets" catch phrase.
WYasuo Saitō , also known by the stage name Yakkun Sakurazuka , was a Japanese comedian, singer, and voice actor.
W5th Sanyutei Enraku was a Japanese rakugo comedian best known for hosting the Shōten comedy show on Nippon TV. His comedic career spanned several decades.
WShofukutei Tsurube II , born Manabu Suruga , is a Japanese rakugo comedian and actor.
WEiji Sugiyama , better known by his stage name Sugi-chan (スギちゃん), is a Japanese comedian. He has enjoyed success since 2012 with a comedy routine that frequently uses a catch line in which he describes his own antics as "wild".
WMasaki Sumitani is a Japanese comedian, retired professional wrestler, and tarento ("talent") also known under his performing name of Razor Ramon Hard Gay , which he adopted from Razor Ramon. His act was featured on the Bakusho Mondai no Bakuten! (Daibakuten) Saturday variety show on TBS Television in Japan, in 2005.
WSatoru Ikezaki , better known for his stage name Sunshine Ikezaki , is a Japanese comedian. His talent agency is Watanabe Entertainment.
WMinoru Takase was a Japanese comedian and actor.
WYūji Tanaka is a Japanese comedian. He is best known as half of the owarai duo Bakusho Mondai along with Hikari Ota. He also played Mike in the Japanese dub of the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. and Br'er Fox in the Japanese dub of the Disney movie Song of the South. Tanaka was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2010, but was successfully treated following surgery.
WShinosuke Tatekawa is a rakugo performer. His real name is Teruo Takeuchi . With his comic group, Rokunin-no-Kai, formed in 2003, he has helped to popularise rakugo among young Japanese people. He is also well known as a TV presenter, and has presented the primetime NHK General show Tameshite Gatten (ためしてガッテン) since it started in 1995.
WHōsei Tsukitei , formerly known as Hōsei Yamasaki is a Japanese solo comedian and rakugo performer, signed with Yoshimoto Kogyo. He is best known for being one of the five members of Downtown Gaki no Tsukai's regular cast. His role on the show is usually divided up between the suberi-kyara and the ijime-kyara.
WHitoshi Ueki was a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting. His film credits stretch from 1960 to 1995.
WGary "Gedde" Watanabe is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for voicing the character of Ling in the 1998 animated film Mulan and its 2004 sequel, Mulan II as well as playing Long Duk Dong in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles.
WNatsuko Yokosawa is a Japanese actress and comedian from Itoigawa, Niigata.
WTakashi Yoshida is a Japanese comedian who performs boke in the comedy duo Black Mayonnaise. His standing position is in the right. His partner is Ryuichi Kosugi. He is represented with Yoshimoto Kogyo.
WHollywood Zakoshisyoh is a Japanese comedian from Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture who has appeared in many television variety shows, as well as television dramas, radio and web series. His real name is Shigeki Nakazawa . After going through Yoshimoto Kogyo and Watanabe Entertainment, he currently belongs to the SMA NEET Project. His stage name during his kombi years was Zakoshisyoh . His is nicknamed "Zakoshi," (ザコシ) "Zakoshisyoh". Martial artist Shinya Aoki is his cousin.