Ryo Ishibashi

Ryo Ishibashi
Born	(1956-07-20) July 20, 1956 Kurume, Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan
Spouse(s)	Mieko Harada (1987–present)

Ryo Ishibashi (石橋 凌, Ishibashi Ryō, born July 20, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He is known around the world for his roles in the classic Japanese Horror films Suicide Club and Audition. He is also recognized in America for his role as Nakagawa in The Grudge and The Grudge 2.

Ishibashi was born in Kurume, Fukuoka, Kyūshū, Japan. He started his career by starting his own band called the ARB (Alexander Ragtime Band) in 1977. The band made their debut in 1978, and made over a dozen albums until they broke up in 1990. Ishibashi has subsequently resumed his musical activity and re-formed ARB with an album, Real Life in 1998. In 1986, Ishibashi made his movie debut in the film A-Hômansu in which ARB's 13th single "After 45" was used as its theme song. Ryo Ishibashi has been concentrating on his acting career, and has appeared in several movies outside his native country Japan, and became an internationally recognized celebrity.

He won the award for Best Actor at the 11th Yokohama Film Festival for A Sign Days and at the 5th Japan Film Professional Awards he took the Best Actor award for his role as a yakuza hitman in Another Lonely Hitman.

Ishibashi has been married to Mieko Harada since 1987 and has three children.

Filmography

Films

• A Homansu (1986)
• A Sign Days (1989)
• American Yakuza (1993)
• Blue Tiger (1994)
• Natural Woman (1994)
• Another Lonely Hitman (1995)
• Back to Back (1996)
• Kids Return (1996)
• Audition (1999)
• Brother (2000)
• Suicide Club (2002)
• Moon Child (2003)
• The Grudge (2004)
• The Grudge 2 (2006)
• Shamo (2007)
• War (2007)
• Gyakuten Saiban (2012)

Television

• Takeda Shingen (1988) – Oda Nobunaga

External links

• Ryo Ishibashi at the Internet Movie Database
• Ryo Ishibashi Official Website (actor)
• Ryo Ishiabshi Official Website (singer)