BIO

Bokuzen Hidari | 左卜全 was born Ichirou Mikajima in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, in 1894.   His father was an elementary school principal.   His half-sister was the poet Yoshiko Mikajima (1886-1927).   The family moved to Tokyo in 1905.

In 1914, Hidari entered a Japanese opera school to train as a singer and Butoh dancer.   He performed in regional troupes over the next 20 years before moving back to Tokyo and joining a theatre in Shinjuku.

At about this time, one of his legs became infected with gangrene.   Even though the doctor recommended amputation, Hidari, fearing for the loss of his livelihood, fought to keep the leg even though it meant using crutches for the rest of his life - except when performing.

Hidari made his film debut, at the age of 55, in director Akira Kurosawa’s Scandal (1950).   He became part of Kurosawa’s stock company and appeared in another 6 of the director’s films through 1965.

A beloved character actor, Hidari appeared in more than 135 motion pictures through 1971.

He died of cancer in Tokyo, in 1971, at the age of 77.

NOTED FILMS