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Name: SHISHIDO JOE
Code Name: Ace no Joe
Born: December 6, 1933
From: Osaka, Japan
Actor Shishido Joe was born on December 6, 1933, in Osaka, Japan. After graduating from high school in 1952, Shishido entered Nihon University with a major in theater in the Department of Art. In 1954, he was recruited by Nikkatsu to be a member of their first group of star rookies, and immediately withdrew from college.
Shishido made his screen debut in the February 1955 release Keisatsu-ki (Police Report). Shishido initially played the role of a lover with a skinny face, but decided to puff up his cheeks by plastic surgery in an attempt to emerge as an impudent bad guy. This bold decision paid off when he won a major role in the 1958 Moeru Nikutai (Burning Flesh), which was released simultaneously with Ishihara Yujiro's classic Arashi o Yobu Otoko (A Roaring Drummer). At the height of the hard-boiled action boom in 1960-61, Shishido frequently co-starred with Akagi Kei'ichiro (known as the Japanese James Dean) and Kobayashi Akira and won the nickname Ace no Joe. His original style of acting was a highlight in a number of hard-boiled action films such as Colt wa Ore no Passport (Colt is my Passport), Koroshi no Raku'in (Branded to Kill), and Mina-goroshi no Kenju (Pistol of Death).
When Nikkatsu was on the verge of collapse in 1968, he began to appear in films by other companies. Since the 1970s, Shishido has remained a popular figure in prime time TV shows mainly as a comedian. Especially, he was a popular host on the TV restaurant guide show Kuishimbo Banzai (Hooray the Gourmets), one of the longest running TV series in Japan. Today, Shishido Kai, his son, is following his father's footsteps as a newly emerging star.
Biography by Tatsuya Fukushima for Yaju no Yabai Gumi . 2003-2005.
