Akio Isono

Isono Akio was born in Tsurumi, near Yokohama in 1910. His family were engaged in the newspaper sales business. Later he moved to Asakusa in Tokyo and graduated from Miimi Elementary School. In 1917 at the age of seven, he became a pupil of Hanayanagi Shotaro, who was known as a great actor of the new school, and trod the boards for the first time in child roles at the Hongoza theater. After that he went on to perform in all the theaters run by Shochiku. In 1921, he performed in his first leading film role in Yamakururu under the direction of Ushihara Kiyohiko, and he then alternated leading roles on the stage with those at Shochiku Pictures. In 1925, he became the exclusive property of Shochiku Cinema, Kamata Studios and starred in a number of films. Isono, together with Mitsui Hideo and Abe Shozaburo won great popularity with Yotamono Trio and beginning with the 1931 Reijo to Yotamono there followed a series of films. In 1932 at the advent of the talkie era, he took the lead in Shimazu Yasujiro's Arashi no Naka no Shojo, for which his performance won great critical acclaim. In 1943, he retired from Shochiku. After that he joined the Warai no Okoku theatrical group on stage. He went on to perform in television and film after the war. His gentle and humorous acting style won him great acclaim. He died on 21st January 1986.