Ryō Ikebe

Ryō Ikebe (池部 良, Ikebe Ryō, February 11, 1918 – October 8, 2010) was a Japanese actor. He graduated from Rikkyō University and originally wanted to be a director, but ended up debuting as an actor at Tōhō in 1941. He did not achieve popularity until starring in a series of youth films in the late 1940s. He expanded his acting range in the 1950s, while still frequently appearing in genre films, such as Tōhō tokusatsu films and yakuza films at Tōei. He was also known as an essayist. On October 8, 2010, he died of blood poisoning at the old age of 92, making him the oldest actor survived in the 20th century. 
==Life & Career==
Ikebe originally aspired to be a director, but by the time he graduated from film school in 1941 the war time effort had put a damper on the film industry and there was no vacancy for assistant directors. He managed to land some small acting roles before he was drafted in the Imperial Japanese Army and deployed to China during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. In 1944 his transport ship was sunk by US bombers and he swam for 10 hours before being rescued by the navy. After the war he was undecided on whether or not to continue pursuing a career in film, but was persuaded to do so by director Kon Ichikawa. 
Throughout the 40s and 50s Ikebe appeared in dramas, romances, and gangster films, and he became well-known for his handsome appearance. In 1965 Ikebe became president of the Japan Actors Guild, at which time he dealt with a gun-running scandal involving actors and yakuza. He left Toho that same year and founded his own production company, but the venture quickly floundered and left him in debt. Fellow actor Ken Takakura lured Ikebe into co-starring in the Remnants of Chilvalry in the Showa Era yakuza film series, which became an immense hit and restored Ikebe’s fortunes, and was something of a renaissance for the actor’s later career. Ikebe is best known to sci-fi fans as the young scientist leading the charge in Battle in Outer Space (1959). He played a similar role in 1977’s War in Space, which was styled as a loose sequel to the 1959 original.
==Filmography==
*All films on IMDb