Akira Nagoya

(1930 - 2003)

Akira Nagoya was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who specialized in playing comical roles. He's well know for playing Yūtarō Asahina in the Tokusatsu superhero series Ultraman Taro. After graduating from junior high school in 1949, he entered the Tokyo Broadcasting Company (NHK) training school as a third-year student. His classmates included Hisashi Katsuta and Kazue Takahashi, who later became active as voice actors. In 1959, he joined the Bungakuza theatre company; in 1963, he participated in the founding of the theatre company Kumo. When Kumo disbanded in 1975, he moved on to work as a freelance theatre artist, appearing on stages such as Jijinkai and Komatsuza.