Tetsuo Ishidate, Toshiyuki Nishida…they are also great human beings!　Hidehiko Ishizuka of “Honjamaka” loves “great actors

Let me introduce you to the charms of a great actor.

Hello, everyone. My name is Hidehiko Ishizuka, and since I don’t have time to go strawberry picking, I am eating strawberry parfait at a restaurant.

This time, I would like to write about some of my favorite actors.

What triggered me to watch serial dramas was “Kikinaru Yome-san” (Nippon Television Network Corporation), which was broadcast from ’71 to ’72. When I was in elementary school, I would rush home after school and watch the reruns from 4:00 pm.

I loved Rumi Sakakibara (75), who resembled Sally from “Sally the Magician,” but I also loved Tetsuo Ishidate (64), whose presence was irresistible.

After that, I fell in love with dramas in which he appeared, such as “Don’t Call Me Papa” and “Mizumore Kousuke” (both on Nippon TV). Mr. Ishidate is an “actor” who makes people laugh and cry.

At the time, Mr. Ishidate always wore his hair in a “mousy” style in all his appearances, which was also very cool.

The scene that left the greatest impression on me was the scene in “Don’t Call Me Papa” where he repeatedly climbs the stairs leading to his room on the second floor of his lodgings, falling down and up again while laughing. It is the only scene in my life where I laughed out loud.

The Impact of “Sleeping in a Bedrag

I also liked Toshiyuki Nishida (76 years old). I remember him from “Genta Ikenaka 80 Kilometers” (Nippon TV). I loved the loving dialogue between Hiroyuki Nagato (77 years old), who played the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, and Mr. Nishida, who played the exclusive photographer, despite their contentious tone.

What shocked me was Nishida’s sleeping habit when he woke up in the morning. I felt that even a hairline is an “art” when it goes beyond a certain degree. In recent dramas, I have seen her hair styled neatly after a night’s sleep, and I don’t feel that it is realistic. Nishida-san may be the only one who has always been sloppy in his work.

I once met Mr. Nishida at Toei’s studio. I visited him for an interview when “Tsuribaka nisshi” was being filmed. I can only thank Nishida-san for making coffee for me and allowing me to stand in for him in camera tests.

In the past, when I had the opportunity to work on a TV drama series called “Detective 110 Kilometers” (TV Asahi), I would read the script and imagine what Nishida-san would do in this play. I also felt honored to play the role of a man who is 30 kilograms heavier than me.

I wanted to work with Mr. Ishidate and Mr. Nishida in the drama. Incidentally, it was like a dream come true when I had the opportunity to co-star with Kaoru Sugita (61), who appeared in both “Don’t Call Me Papa” and “Genta Ikenaka 80 Kilos,” in a TV Tokyo drama in the “Wednesday Mystery 9” slot.

The last is Shingo Yanagisawa (64). When I was a high school student, I saw Mr. Yanagisawa in the drama “The Flying Couple” (Fuji TV) when I saw the movie “Rocky” and wanted to become an actor. I was mesmerized by his performance and thought to myself, “What a fun actor he is! I was fascinated.

When I researched Mr. Yanagisawa, I found out that he was a member of “Gekidan Himawari. I followed her lead and became a research student of the Himawari Theater Company.

Although we worked together more in variety shows than in TV dramas, I still found her to be a wonderful person. Someday I would like to work with Mr. Yanagisawa on a drama that makes people laugh and cry.

From the June 5 and 12, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY