top of page

BIOGRAPHY

Profile photo.jpg

​Who is Toshihiko Ito?

Born in1972

Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture

Since spend only 2 years.

I have no memory of Aomori.

 "transfer family" due to my father's work,

lived in Nagamachi, Sendai,Miyagi

when I was 3.

 

Lift a big stone

pinch my thumb

left thumb nail half I have to,

help mom take out the trash

get hit by a car 

but thanks to poly bucket!

narrowly escape

like "Captain Tsubasa"

But poly bucket are not my friend.

Probably 3 years old

already experienced bad years,didn't I ?

Midori Kindergarten and 

Miyako Elementary School 1st grader

were my childhood in Miyako, Iwate

Even after graduation,

when I pass by the kindergarten

Ms. Tashiro, who was my homeroom teacher always said

"Good day my prince"

be called out

prince character

Ofcourse in the old days story,I know.

2nd and 3rd grade elementary school student

lives in Nishinodaira, Sendai,Miyagi

when the 3rd grade

I was at Kongosawa Elementary School 

which became

a designated music research school

In addition to 5th and 6th graders

3rd and 4th grade chorus club established.

I had no interest in singing in chorus,

but my favorite girl comes in

I Immediately enter the club !

This is my encounter with the song

From 4th grade elementary school

I got a house in Koriyama, Fukushima,

so,

"Where are you from?"

if asked,

"Fukushima"

I will answer.

Anyway

Is it because Unuma-sensei who 

4th grade homeroom teacher of

Oyamada Elementary School

was a chorus teacher?

in music class,

Is it because I sang Sakura Sakura passionately?

Is it because of my interest in singing?

I was in Choir from 4th grade to 6th grade elementary school

However,

The world is football boom

thanks to "Captain Tsubasa",

I am totally addicted to soccer,

I wanted to join the soccer club !

At that time, the choir club had few men,

so I got 

full power stopping

So Joined the soccer club

in junior high school,finally

But in the world

"bebop high school" boom,

soccer club senior were just badass

Still addicted to soccer

Selected for prefectural selection

I couldn't help but enjoy playing soccer!

By the way,

the hairstyle of junior high school students

in Fukushima at that time was

shaved

Since I was a child

I had my hair cut by my dad,

I only have one barber experience

Experience the first "entrance exam"

in high school.

In junior high school,

I was always number 1 or 2 in my class

Because I got good grades

Number one in the prefecture at the time

Asaka High School to aim.

Anyways I hate math and

also declaring that take an exam

for private liberal arts only

Parents who wish me to go to public school 

Discouragement.

Although I successfully passed

the high school entrance examination

as an active player

The private liberal arts course

starts from the 3rd year.

If you don't like it, you don't do anything

Mathematics is almost "zero point"

I used to love soccer

but guradually felt like 

"I'm not good and halfway"

It's getting harder and harder to practice

even I was chosen as a regular member

cause my

incomprehensible prejudice 

Advisor Zenichiro

say it every time

Either do it or stop it!

to the word

One day I suddenly felt very unreasonable

If you say so, you think you won't quit, right?

and the bias switch is turned on

Then quit!

I will cut off and quit.

It was the spring of my sophomore year

in high school.

Now

What should I do now?

When I thought that, I passed by

singing

was.

It was the late 1980's

The world was "band boom" cause of "IKA-TEN"

There were two music circles in high school.

folk song club and guitar club

 

For some reason the folk song club

heavy metal band cover

the guitar club

"hound dog" cover was doing

 

Hesitantly

knocking on the door of the clubroom

"Um, I want to play the guitar"

I knocked on the gate of the guitar club.

Few days passed since then

I sang for a moment

Oh, that's fine, do you want to do vocals?

Tighten.

Aim from the beginning

 

But when I was in third grade

There are only four members.

Moreover,

I was made to be the head of the department

Director of guitar club that can't play guitar

for the first time and never ever

in the  history

No freshmen comes, of course.

I doubt if it still exists.

Excuse me, Senpai!

 

By the way, in this high school

who has excellent grades within the 50th

in the school mock exam

or

be a top performer in sports,

You will be given a golden pencil,named

Effort Pencil​

How many can we get this

by the time we graduate is

"the status"

of this school.

My total number of acquisitions is 

Two!

One for perfect attendance

Despite being a high school student,

I was never late and never absent !

and one for  an achievement for 

guitar club manager

I can't play the guitar!

And more

neither of them have

anything to do with grades!

In my childhood

I don't have any memory of

the play party or recital.

I don't even know if I did.

There was a drama club in high school.

However

In an atmosphere of inexplicable high tension

...put me off. ​

but

from childhood

I loved Jackie Chan and

Hollywood movies so much

that I always lined up to see them

on the first day of releasing.

In my high school days

Watched all the movies that come to Fukushima!

despite being a examinee student

Weekends are full of movies.

At the beginning of each month

The general store in the neighborhood

was secretly selling

Buying up series shareholder certificates

It was a simultaneous screening at the time.

2 movies for 500 yen was able to see

At the premier high school in the prefecture

After class ends on Saturday morning

everyone in the afternoon

Sneak into the study room at the prep school

Studying is the norm.

But !

I was alone at the 

Saturday afternoon theater!

The end credits run

when the light comes on,

it was often rented out

Alone in the cinema !

like my own movie theater.

One day

winter of the third year of high school

In hollywood movie "Crisis 2050"

I found a Japanese actor

"Tetsuya Bessho"

In the program I always bought

Studied English drama at Keio University

Then go to America alone.

moved by the history of him

I decided

OK ! Let's go to the university

to do English plays!

So I driven by great hope

In the winter of  3 grade high

Finally wake up to study for the exam.

"I want to do an English play!"

I don't know if I can do an English play there

I started to select the famous university whichi has

a literature department

or a foreign language course.

However

I was a regular student in the 400th

out of 450 mock exams 

I was a failure.

My homeroom teacher said 

"Ito-kun, first of all, it's impossible."

and stopped me.

But I have a good English skills

and had many good episodes

from many moviesto arrange and use

to compose creative essays.

Furthermore,

as for the world history,

I memorize everything on the text !

including textbook pages filling in all with

"a check pen"

This examination style has made

the starting point of an actor !

I supoose

So I got accepted to

Rikkyo University Faculty of Letters Department of English and American Literature

Aoyama Gakuin University Faculty of Letters Department of English and American Literature

Dokkyo University Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Studies

Decided to go to Rikkyo

which has a liberal atmosphere

I'm looking for an environment where I can do

"English plays"

ESS (English Speaking Society)

I was invited to an English circle called.

that's it again Fateful Encounter!

in it, called

"Drama Section"

The department that does the English play is

what I looking for !

to join

Four University English Drama Competition

(Four University English Theatrical)

composed by

Rikkyo, Waseda, Keio

Consists of Hitotsubashi & Tsuda Juku

At a historic English drama competition

that has continued since before the war

Fight for victory and prizes

In a full-fledged English drama circle

 

It was an English drama competition that exactly !

Tetsuya Bessho was active in Keio!

But the competition is once a year...!

"That's not enough!"

I asked for a place where I could play in English.

such as

MP (Model Production)

BBP (Beyond Broadway Production)

MLS (Model Language studio)

 

that student English drama groups

and English schools

​moreover

UPS (United Performers Studio)

 

practicing

New York Actors Studio's Method

attending an acting seminar that teaches

Ms. Yoko Narahashi , Mr. Frank Casaro 

Learn the basics of method acting from etc.

 

before graduation

I passed the audition of

american drama school in Niigata

which created by joint production of

USA, UK, Japan

 

Taking lessons byartists from abroad,

Moreover I was invited as tuition exemption of

internship student

Studying various fields of the performing arts

while standing on stages

from musicals to original plays !

 

without questioning

"Why Niigata?"

upon graduation

To the unexperienced zone Niigata!

···But

Surprised by the environment far from ideal

What am I doing ?

I've come all the way to Niigata, haven't I ?

There were days when I cried out regret to

the Sunset on the Sea of Japan.

“Maybe I should try tap dancing.”

In the class I met my great teacher

Ms.Sumiko Tazawa.

in Nagaoka,Niigata.

The teacher who teaches ballet and tap dance.

The world of Western dance  is small

I want to create works with people of various genres

as she said and amusing me.

Thanks for the teacher

experience a lot of Niigata culture

while learning about various artistic activities,

many creative encounters

and knew the joy of collaborating

meet great people

Spend two years of precious and anthropogenic long term.

 

belatedly there

notice the obvious.

 

"I'm Japanese."

 

​Because of we are the same Japanese, I guess,

the Japanese lines were heard too theatrical and

It sounded embarrassing.

But in English,

I don' t know why butfor some reason,

I felt the true feelings deep in my heart

even though I played with big movement.

many races and

swirl of many cultures

diverse

It must have been a yearning for America.

 

Even though I'm Japanese

What to do if you can't act in Japanese!

Such 1997 Year

Disbanded "Ongaku-za" revived

a national audition will be held.

I wanted to use this opportunity to return to Tokyo.

Took audition

and  remain in final passage 70 people 

and participated in called "Power Camp" 

whichi is One month audition workshop

 

Singing, Ballet, and Jazz

I can choose between a beginner class and an advanced class.

This is also an extension of the audition!

without any hesitation I choose 

advanced class !

But I can't dance or sing !

in the final selection

They said

"can't dance, can't sing

I thought that something strange had come

Look at this month's hard work

I wanted to bring in a new breeze"

unexpected leading role I selected for !

But at the time I was 25, like Pointy pencil

irrational self-confidence

and

boring mean

so

claim myself season.

without going well

As it is in the proguram

in the end

just before the opening night,

I was deprived of the leading role.

Dew and disappearing famous Parco Theater starring ...

but thanks to the experience

Encounter the musical world in earnest

Connect with musical friends

what I am now

Undeniable fact.

 

​After that, the base was returned to Tokyo

Anyway, I wanted to have a various experience,

I wanted to explore

different approaches and possibilities !

As usual, thought like

without belonging to a theater company or an Entertainment office,

did the numerous small theaters stages,

experienced in mime roles in opera.

Especially

I really loved the play

"Winds of GOD"

the master piece

which created by Masayuki Imai,

my beloved "Aniki"

who was passionate actor now passed away,

I perticipated in the first movieas an extra,

and personally

borrow a script and performed independently twice,

In this work,

I played main character "Aniki" played by Mr. Imai

In the year 2000

Opportunity arrives.

They will hold an audition.

for the "winds"

on performing in English in London !

Immediately,I contacted to my close friend from English drama

Shinichi Tanaka

We used to play" Winds" together

and took the audition together.

 

We remain until the end

Strangely, Tanaka and I

same candidate last two.

Tanaka was raised in Canada and was a returnee.

Tall and well balanced.

While feeling half harsh

Mr. Imai will ask the last question.

Which role would you like to play?

I answer without hesitation.

It's Aniki

No, Aniki is me.

what else?

No one but Anik

 

I must be stupid, Iknow.

But that was my honest feeling.

did that impress to him?

From Mr. Imai

Would you like to do my understudy?

Because Mr. Imai is directing

Except for the performance, he left it to "Under"

So I,

from the rehearsal room

to a dress rehearsal in a London theater

can live as aniki

Of course I never made it to the show

but Mr. Imai taught me a lot that

What do I need as a main character?

and in 2003, passed

Toho Musical "Les Miserables"

at the same time, also passed

 

"The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise

the audition for combat team

"Battle Core"

In a situation where one of them has to give up

miraculously able to related to both !

So I'd been to 

Shooting in New Zealand for 3 months.

 

What is "Battle Core"?

Between stunts and extras

To create a powerful battle scene

important position.

15 minutes for the last battle scene,

shoot for two weeks over !

Sword fight and bayonet battle, bow

Military basic actions, formations, guns

training such as 6 weeks

Take pictures of various battle materials.

Take as many pictures as they can!

During the shooting of battle scenes every day,

up shot I got it too

I was nervous as I watched the premiere, but...

Cut all my works...

The result was

On days when my shooting is off

Those who want to participate are asked to participate.

​Yokohama port extra scene

Well, after a lot of training abroad

First-class staff and cast

The experience of appearing in Hollywood blockbusters

and end credits for

TOSHIHIKO ITO as "BATTLE CORE"

 

This was my

"Hollywood Debut"

"Les Miserables"

From 2003 to 2009in original production

 the role of "Grantaire" 

Although I left once, after 8 years blank

again from 2017 to 2021

in the new production version as 

"Factory forman" 

By the way, in 2003's "Les Miserables"

dream first co-star will fulfill

with Mr.Tetsuya Bessho

One Fukushima boy who just loved movies

Inspired by the acting of the actor

who saw on the screen,

aspiring to be an actor

and co-starring on the same stage !

Life is dramatic

after that

as an actor

boldly take on the challenge of being involved

straight play

musical

opera

narration

etc

Activities centered on the stage.

Cause I am a freeiancer,

it's really difficult to take chances on movies or TV,

but on

"Sukiyaki Western Django"

directed by Takashi Miike

"Night People"

directed by Hajime Kadoi

Then, while both are one scene on 

but left strong impression.

 

also active in numerous TV commercial narration

captivating with "voice"

Kanebo Cosmetics

"Kate"

In a series that Kimura Kaela

 welcomed as a muse

win the every audition and

tied to on-air.

I really admire the work of a voice actor

I have no connection with the voice actor yet


​​​Launched with senior actors since 2001

as a flagship member

Theater unit "Cement Kingyo"

making comedy play,

and also

Recitation play with my Wife, Rin Ito

"Evening drink of the Ito family"

arranged favorite movie for two people

both are continues to perform irregularly

as a life work.

script write, composition, direction etc.

From Small theater like Underground Works

to big theater  like famous musicals

Regardless of frame or style

from multiple perspectives

continues to act as  an "actor"

in July 2022

Lived Half a century.

Being able to continue being an actor

up to age 50 as almost freelancer 

is miracle

thanks to the various relationship,

​ living as an actor

for my family.

bottom of page