{{Short description|Japanese actor (1933–2016)}} {{more citations needed|date=February 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = Mikijirō Hira | image = Hira Mikijiro.jpg | caption = Mikiro Hira from the February issue of Women's Life Ltd., "Women's Life" (1966) | birth_date = {{Birth date |df=y|1933|11|21}} | birth_place = [[Hiroshima]], Japan | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|10|23|1933|11|21|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Setagaya, Tokyo]], Japan | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1956–2016 | spouse = {{marriage|[[Yoshiko Sakuma]]|1970|1984|reason=divorce}} | children = [[Takehiro Hira]] | website = {{URL|http://www.k-factory.net/profiles/mikijiro-hira}} }}
{{nihongo|'''Mikijirō Hira'''|平 幹二朗|Hira Mikijirō|21 November 1933 – 23 October 2016}} was a Japanese [[actor]]. Starting as a stage actor in the 1950s, he also worked in film and television and was active until the time of his death. From the 1970s he starred in several of [[Yukio Ninagawa]]'s productions, including an acclaimed role as [[Macbeth]]. Described as "Japan's best Shakespearean actor",<ref name=Asahi>{{cite web|url=http://www.asahi.com/shimbun/award/stage/08_kouhyou.html |title=選考委員の講評 |trans-title=Selection Committee Members' Reviews |language=Japanese |date=30 January 2009 |access-date=22 December 2016 |publisher=[[Asahi Shimbun]]}}</ref> Hira received several awards throughout his career, including an excellence award at the 2011 {{ill|National Arts Festival (Japan)|ja|lt=National Arts Festival}} hosted by the Japanese government's [[Agency for Cultural Affairs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/geijutsubunka/jutenshien/geijutsusai/pdf/h18_h26.pdf |title=平成23年度（第66回） 文化庁芸術祭賞受賞一覧（参加公演） |trans-title=2011 (66th) Agency for Cultural Affairs National Arts Festival List of Awardees (Participating Performances) |language=Japanese |publisher=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]] |page=11 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>
==Biography== ===Early life=== Hira was born in [[Hiroshima]], Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.<ref name=Chunichi>{{cite web|title=平幹二朗さん死去 ８２歳 「蜷川マクベス」名演|trans-title=Mikijiro Hira, star of "Minagawa Macbeth" dead at 82 |date=24 October 2016 |url=http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/front/list/CK2016102402000116.html| publisher=Chunichi Shimbun|language=Japanese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024214348/http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/front/list/CK2016102402000116.html |archive-date=24 October 2016 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref> After graduating from {{ill|Joge High School|ja|広島県立上下高等学校}} in [[Jōge, Hiroshima|Jōge, Hiroshima Prefecture]],<ref name=kotobank>{{cite web|title=平幹二朗 |trans-title=Mikijirō Hira|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%B9%B3%E5%B9%B9%E4%BA%8C%E6%9C%97-1104186|publisher=Asahi Shimbun|language=Japanese|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref> he studied at the training school of the [[Haiyuza Theatre Company]] and officially joined the company in 1956.<ref name=Chunichi/> One of his early roles was in a production of [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe's]] ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]''.<ref name=kotobank/>
===Acting career=== Hira's television debut in the 1963 series ''[[Three Outlaw Samurai]]'', in which he played a nihilistic [[Rōnin|masterless samurai]], saw his popularity rise.<ref name=kotobank/> In 1968 he played Hamlet with the [[Shiki Theatre Company]], a role which received very high reviews.<ref name=Chunichi/>
===Performance style=== Hira's stage performances were heralded throughout his career. In 2009, [[Tokyo University]] [[professor emeritus]] of English literature {{ill|Yushi Odashima|ja|小田島雄志}} described Hira as Japan's best Shakesperean actor, noting the incandescence he brought to his roles as mythical characters.<ref name=Asahi/> The range in his performance as King Lear, from solemnness to madness, was praised by [[Kindai University]] professor and theatre critic {{ill|Kojin Nishido|ja|西堂行人}}.<ref name=Asahi/> An obituary by the [[Chunichi Shimbun]] identified Hira's special ability to deliver profound performances and his high-toned delivery of lines.<ref name=Chunichi/>
===Personal life=== Hira married actress [[Yoshiko Sakuma]] in 1970 and they had a son, [[Takehiro Hira|Takehiro]], who was born in 1974 and is also an actor. The pair divorced in 1984.<ref name=Chunichi/> In 1998 Hira received a [[Medals of Honor (Japan)|Medal of Honour]] from the Japanese government and in 2005 he was appointed to the [[Order of the Rising Sun|Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class]].<ref name=Chunichi/>
===Death=== On October 23, 2016, he died at his home in [[Setagaya, Tokyo]] at the age of 82.<ref name=Chunichi/> At the time of his death he had a role in [[Fuji Television]]'s [[Getsuku|Monday night]] drama ''[[Cain and Abel (2016 TV series)|Cain and Abel]]'', which was taken over by [[Akira Terao]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20161031/geo16103105040014-n1.html |title=平幹二朗さん代役に寺尾聰！「カインと－」主人公の祖父役で第４話から登場 |trans-title=Mikijirō Hira's replacement is Akira Terao! Will appear as main character's grandfather from 4th episode of "Cain and" |work=Sankei Sports |date=31 October 2016 |language=Japanese |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref> Hira's final performance, in the second episode of ''Cain and Abel'', was filmed on 29 September and aired on 24 October, shortly after his death.<ref name=Cain>{{cite web |url=http://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20161025-OHT1T50075.html |title=平幹二朗さん最後の出演シーンで視聴率上昇「カインとアベル」第２話の平均視聴率８・６％ |trans-title=Mikijirō Hira's final scene increases ratings: Second episode of "Cain and Abel" averages 8.6% |language=Japanese |date=25 October 2016 |work=Hochi Shimbun |access-date=22 December 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031090630/http://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20161025-OHT1T50075.html |archivedate=31 October 2016 }}</ref> Hira also had a role in [[NHK]]'s production of ''[[Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit]]''. Filming of the second season finished earlier in 2016 and premiered in January 2017. In the third season, which premiered in November 2017, Hira was replaced by [[Takeshi Kaga]].<ref name=Moribito>{{cite web|url=http://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/2016/10/31/0009627320.shtml |title=平幹二朗さん代役に鹿賀丈史「想い受け継ぎ、魂込めて」 ＮＨＫ「精霊の守り人」 |trans-title=Takeshi Kaga to replace Mikijirō Hira in NHK's "Moribito" |language=Japanese |work=Daily Sports |date=31 October 2016 |access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>
==Filmography== === Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Director ! class = "unsortable" | Notes |- | 1962 | ''The Inheritance'' | Yasuko's lover | [[Masaki Kobayashi]] | |- | 1964 | ''[[Adventures of Zatoichi]]'' | Gounosuke | [[Kimiyoshi Yasuda]] | |- | 1964 | ''[[Three Outlaw Samurai]]'' | Einosuke Kikyo | [[Hideo Gosha]] | |- | 1965 | ''[[Sword of the Beast]]'' | Gen'nosuke | Hideo Gosha | |- | 1966 | ''[[The Face of Another (film)|The Face of Another]]'' | Psychiatrist | [[Hiroshi Teshigahara]] | |- | 1968 | ''[[The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun]]'' | Grunwald the Demon of Ice | [[Isao Takahata]] | Voice |- | 1982 | ''[[Willful Murder]]'' | Superintendent General Okuno | [[Kei Kumai]] | |- | 1982 | ''[[To Trap a Kidnapper]]'' | Detective Kenmochi | [[Shunya Itō]] | |- | 1985 | ''[[Early Spring Story]]'' | Takenaka | [[Shinichiro Sawai]] | |- | 1988 | ''[[Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis]]'' | [[Yasumasa Hirai]] | [[Akio Jissoji]] | |- | 1988 | ''[[Oracion]]'' | Masuhara | Shigemichi Sugita | |- | 1994 | ''[[Rampo (film)|Rampo]]'' | Marquis Ōgawara | Rintarō Mayuzumi | |- | 1997 | ''[[Sharan Q no enka no hanamichi]]'' | Daisuke Naruto | [[Yōjirō Takita]] | |- | 2001 | ''[[Pistol Opera]]'' | Gorō Hanada | [[Seijun Suzuki]] | |- | 2005 | ''[[Azumi 2: Death or Love]]'' | [[Sanada Masayuki]] | [[Shusuke Kaneko]] | |- | 2005 | ''[[Princess Raccoon]]'' | Azuchi Momoyama | [[Seijun Suzuki]] | |- | 2008 | ''[[Aibō the Movie]]'' | Kimihiko Mikuriya | Seiji Izumi | |- | 2009 | ''[[Goemon (film)|Goemon]]'' | [[Sen no Rikyū]] | [[Kazuaki Kiriya]] | |- | 2010 | ''[[13 Assassins (2010 film)|13 Assassins]]'' | [[Doi Toshitsura]] | [[Takashi Miike]] | |- | 2011 | ''[[Ninja Kids!!!]]'' | Headmaster Ōkawa | Takashi Miike | |- | 2012 | ''[[The Tibetan Dog]]'' | Tenzing (Adult) | [[Masayuki Kojima]] | Voice |- | 2013 | ''[[The Eternal Zero]]'' | Hasegawa | [[Takashi Yamazaki]] | |- |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Network ! class = "unsortable" | Notes ! class = "unsortable" | Ref. |- | 1963–1969 | ''[[Three Outlaw Samurai]]'' | Einosuke Kikyo | [[Fuji Television|Fuji]] | | |- | 1970 | ''Mominoki wa Nokotta'' | Kai Harada | [[NHK]] | [[Taiga drama]] | |- | 1973 | ''[[Kunitori Monogatari]]'' | [[Saitō Dōsan]] | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 1979 | ''[[Fumō Chitai]]'' | Tadashi Iki | [[Tokyo Broadcasting System|TBS]] | | |- | 1988 | ''[[Takeda Shingen (Taiga drama)|Takeda Shingen]]'' | [[Takeda Nobutora]] | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 1992 | ''Nobunaga'' | Zuiten | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 2001 | ''Hōjō Tokimune'' | [[Hōjō Shigetoki (born 1198)|Hōjō Shigetoki]] | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 2005 | ''[[Yoshitsune (TV series)|Yoshitsune]]'' | [[Emperor Go-Shirakawa]] | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 2006 | Kemonomichi | Kitō Kōta | TV Asahi | | |- | 2007 | ''[[Mito Kōmon]]'' | [[Tokugawa Mitsusada]] | TBS | | |- | 2008 | ''[[Atsuhime (drama)|Atsuhime]]'' | [[Zusho Hirosato]] | NHK | Taiga drama | |- | 2014 | ''[[Team Medical Dragon]]'' | Shuzō Sakurai | Fuji | | |- | 2016 | ''[[Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit]]'' (Season 1) | Hibitonan | NHK | | <ref name=Moribito/> |- | 2016 | ''[[Shizumanu Taiyō]]'' | [[Prime Minister of Japan|The Prime Minister]] Tonegawa | [[WOWOW]] | | |- | 2016 | ''[[Cain and Abel (2016 TV series)|Cain and Abel]]'' (Episodes 1-2) | Sōichirō Takada | Fuji | Final role | <ref name=Cain/> |- | 2016 | ''[[Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit]]'' (Season 2) | Hibitonan | NHK | | <ref name=Moribito/> |}
=== Theater === *''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' *''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' *''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'' *''[[Hamlet]]'' *''[[Iliad]]'' *''[[King Lear]]'' *''[[Macbeth]]'' *''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' *''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' *''[[Macbeth|NINAGAWA Macbeth]]'' *''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' *''[[Othello]]'' *''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' *''[[Rokumeikan (play)|Rokumeikan]]'' *''[[The Tempest]]'' *''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'' *''[[Twelfth Night]]'' *''[[The Winter's Tale]]''
=== Dubbing roles === *''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'' (2001) – King Kashekim Nedakh<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.thecinema.jp/vod/atlantis-the-lost-empire-movie/|title= アトランティス 失われた帝国|access-date= January 30, 2023|work= The Cinema}}</ref>
== Awards and honours == ===Awards=== 2008: Asahi Performing Arts Awards - Artist Award (for his performances in ''King Lear'' and ''Yama no Kyojintachi'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asahi.com/shimbun/award/stage/08.html |title=Asahi Performing Arts Awards 2008 |date=30 January 2009 |language=Japanese |publisher=Asahi Shimbun|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>
===Honours=== *[[Medals of Honor (Japan)|Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon]] (1998)<ref name=Chunichi/> *[[Order of the Rising Sun|Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette]] (2005)<ref name=Chunichi/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150213035956/http://www.k-factory.net/profiles/mikijiro-hira Official profile] {{in lang|ja}} *{{IMDb name|0386179}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hira, Mikijiro}} [[Category:1933 births]] [[Category:2016 deaths]] [[Category:Japanese male stage actors]] [[Category:Actors from Hiroshima Prefecture]] [[Category:Taiga drama lead actors]] [[Category:Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class]]