Kōji Mitsui

Mitsui Koji March 6 1910 April 20 1979 was a Japanese actor His real name was Mitsui Hikohide After the war he played an active role as a supporting actor in films directed by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu His former stage name was Mitsui Hideo Changed his stage name to Mitsui Koji in Ozus Hen in the Wind 1948 His role as the playboy Kisaburo in Kurosawa Akira s The Lower Depths 1957 won him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 12th Mainichi Film Awards and the 8th Blue Ribbon Awards solidifying his status as a supporting actor After going freelance in 1960 he worked not only in films but also in television dramas and on stage but after undergoing surgery for a stomach ulcer in 1971 his health deteriorated and he scaled back his acting career He died of heart failure on April 20 1979 at a hospital in Kamakura He was 69 years old