BIOGRAPHY
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.