Kiyoshi Kodama

**Kiyoshi Kodama** (児玉 清, *Kodama Kiyoshi*, real name: **Kiyoshi Kitagawa** (北川 清), born as **Kiyoshi Kodama** (小玉 清), January 1, 1934 – May 16, 2011) was a Japanese TV personality, film actor and voice impressionist. He hosted the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation quiz show Panel Quiz Attack 25 continuously for thirty-six years from its start in April 1975 until he was forced to step down due to poor health at the end of March 2011. His signature catchphrase on the show is "Attack Chance!"

An avid reader, Kodama hosted a TV book review show. He also published his own books. He was a voice actor for the voice of Robert Stephenson in the Japanese version of the 2004 animated movie Steamboy. Kodama also provided the voices for each anime series for Toei Animation during the 1960s and 1990s as a supporting characters or narration.

Kodama died of stomach cancer at a hospital in Chuo, Tokyo on 16 May 2011.

## Kiyoshi Kodama

### Birth date

January 1, 1934
Kita, Tokyo, Japan

### Death date

May 16, 2011 (age 77)
Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

### Occupation

TV personality
Actor
Voice actor

## Career

When he was in elementary school, Kodama had the experience of mass evacuation in World War II at Shima Onsen in Nakanojo Town, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan Kogei High School, he joined the drama club after enrolling in the German literature department of Gakushuin University. At first, Kyoshi became a tool clerk, but he was forced to go on stage because he was a large man (179 cm) at that time. After that, he meet Hideo Shinozawa, a senior at the university and a French literature department as a translator (same age, but Shinozawa passed the exam in active duty, so the university grade is one grade higher).

Shinozawa would later became an emeritus professor at his alma mater in Gakushuin University), and was selected as the protagonist stage acting for the French drama "Britanicus" (written by Jean Racine) planned by Shinozawa himself. Kodama didn't know French at all, but he played it and got high praise. However, Kodama was not originally aspiring to be an actor, and after graduating from the university he was aiming to go on to graduate school in order to become a scholar, but on the day of the graduation ceremony, his mother suddenly died and he had to find a job.

In April 1958, Kodama passed the interview test for the Toho New Face program, which his acquaintance had turned around and applied for an acting career. On the morning of the test day, he suddenly thought about it an hour ago, and the bus for Toho Photo Studio happened to be halted at the bus stop near his home in Okamoto, Setagaya City, Tokyo. Since he jumped on quickly, Kodama did not know that he brought a swimsuit and participated in the swimsuit examination with one pair of underwear pants and was exposed to strange eyes from the judges, but returned a witful answer to the question and bought joy on the contrary that there is an anecdote for that.

This anecdote is revealed in his first book "Losing is Beautiful" (published at Shueisha). In addition, although senior Shinozawa wanted to be an actor, contrary to Kodama, he became a scholar, and as a result, Shinozawa and Kodama went on the opposite course. Although it became exclusive to Toho, it has been a so-called extra for a long time as a passerby without dialogue. In 1959, he made his first film dedut on "Inao: Story of an Iron Arm", and until then he had been spending his days doing the catering work posted on the bulletin board of the studio, but this work was an actor who was unwilling for Kodama. It was a turning point when he started to get interested in the business.

One night while staying in Hakata (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture) for the location of this work at a coffee shop where he was invited by a younger star actor to stop by, the waitress who asked for a sign thought that Kodama was also a popular actor when he presented it, the child actor said, "This person is a small fish, so it doesn't make sense to get a sign!" And swore to my heart, "Let's do our best as an actor for 10 years!".

However, when he was selected as the partner of Yoko Tsukasa's first love interest in "Eternity of Love", which was released in April 1961, and became more prominent. When he appeared in Akira Kurosawa's "The Bad Sleep Well", Kodama repeated was unnecessarily exaggerated about his acting and frame-in, saying "Anyway, it stands out" and was bullied by Kurosawa who was furious about his acting role. Kodama, who was tempted by a friend, decided to hit "Kurosawa of the World", but managed to stop and finish the turn without putting it into practice.

Later, when he heard that Kurosawa had evaluated himself behind the scenes, he said, "If you keep that bloodiness for 10 years, it will be a thing". In August 1964, he married Machiko Kitagawa, a mid-career actress exclusively for Toho. At this time, his surname of his real name changed from Kodama to Kitagawa because his son was born. Soon after Machiko quit her acting career, not only the company but also veteran actress Natsuko Kahara regretted her and asked Machiko to let her know when she returned. Eventually, he left Toho in 1967 and became a freelancer, moving to a TV drama. He earns one son (Daisuke Kitagawa, who would later became a television personalities) and one daughter (Eiko Kitagawa) with his wife (out of the two, the daughter died from child birth before Daisuke).

Kodama gained his popularity with "Thank You", starring singer Kiyoko Suizenji, and has since been active in home dramas. However, TV dramas also have more cuts due to improvements in equipment and changes in production methods, making it impossible to perform through, and the production of home dramas has been steadily decreasing with the times, so Kodama gradually started working and came up with ideas to reduce it. Although he saved his acting career, Kodama became the host of ABC's quiz show "Panel Quiz Attack 25" in 1975, and has been the TV moderator for 36 years.

Since the 1990s, he has been reluctant to work in TV dramas, which was his main business, due to his dissatisfaction with the production method. There will be Takuya Kimura who will make the crying child silent. In 2002, the daughter (now an adult) left her 4-year-old son (Kodama's grandson) and died suddenly at the age of 36 due to scirrhous gastric cancer. From around this time, the number of appearances as actors increased, and it became popular among the younger generation. On the other hand, in December of that same year, the appearance of Nippon Broadcasting System's "Radio Charity Musicson" was well received, so from June 2003, he became in charge of the radio personality of "Telephone Life Counseling". It was also loved by listeners, such as answering their worries with the actual experience of Kodama.

In 2010, Kodama appeared in "Ryōmaden", the first NHK Taiga drama in 19 years, and played the role of Sakamoto Naotari, the father of the main character, Ryoma Sakamoto (played by Masaharu Fukuyama), as his final apperence. In April 2011, he was hospitalized due to liver disease and retired his career. Kodama was devoting himself to medical treatment with the aim of returning to his own activities, but died at St. Luke's International Hospital in Chuo-ku, Tokyo at 12:28 PM on May 16, and died at the age of 77. From the end of February of the same year, Kodama complained of poor physical condition and was examined at a hospital in Tokyo, where he was diagnosed with gastric cancer. When he was admitted to the hospital for examination from the end of March, cancer metastasis to the liver was discovered, and it was already inoperable. After his Golden Week in May, Kodama's condition suddenly to get worse and he died on May 16.

His final work was the NHK BS premium PR video recorded on March 23, 2011. Kodama's last TV appearance was "Welcome to Words House" (Nippon TV) broadcast on April 30 of that same year. The funeral and farewell ceremony was held at Gokokuji Temple on May 20, 2011, and many entertainers and broadcasters visited for condolences. The name of the law is "Shutokuin Shakushoyu". The body was cremated at the Ochiai Funeral Home. On May 27, 2011, after his death, the 37th Special Award of the Hosou Bunka Foundation Award was announced.