History Creator / YujiroIshihara

* BloodBrothers: Was this with Tetsuya Watari, whom he shared a birthday with, and mentored when the former started in Nikkatsu. Others he picked up included ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' star Shintaro Katsu, ''yakuza'' film legend Ken Takakura, and Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: He once did covers of [[https://youtu.be/5WuKFleV_UY "Autumn Leaves", "I Left My Heart in San Fransisco", and "As Time Goes By".]]

Ishihara got his start in 1956 when he starred in Nikkatsu's ''Season of The Sun'', the MovieOfTheBook for one of the novels written by his brother, Shintaro.[[note]]Who would serve as Tokyo's Governor from 1999 to 2012 as an infamous ultraright pundit.[[/note]] The movie with an instant hit, with thousands of young men imitating Ishihara's looks and demeanor, eventually evolving into what was known as the "Sun Tribe" counterculture movement. Yujiro would quickly become the Nikkatsu's top-billed star, starring in hit after hit, from rebellious youth dramas, [[FilmNoir neo-noir crime movies]], [[RomanticComedy Romantic Comedies]], and gangster pictures, while working with legendary directors such as Toshio Matsuda and Koreyoshi Kurehara. In his time he was given [[RedBaron nicknames such as "The King" and "The Boss"]], channeling his inner Music/ElvisPresley (whom he met and struck a rapport with during his yearly Hawaiian vacations) and Music/FrankSinatra.

However, today, his legend and legacy are far from forgotten in Japan. His films and three shows are fondly remembered and are constantly rerun on Japanese TV, Ishihara Promotions is still up and running while keeping his memory alive, a museum in his Hokkaido hometown was opened in July 1991 (before closing in 2017), and as the ultimate mark of dedication by his legions of fans, the 1999 memorial commemoration of his death brought 170,000 of them to his grave in Tokyo.

* TheCameo: In ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock My Youth In Arcadia]]'''s prologue as Phantom F. Harlock I. He also appeared in an episode of one of Japan's first cop shows, ''Dial 117''

* TrueCompanions: His "Ishihara Corps", with Tetsuya Watari and Hiroshi Tachi. The fact that they still run his production company to this day is definitely a mark of the close relationship they had.

However, today, his legend and legacy are far from forgotten in Japan. His films and three shows are fondly remembered and are constantly rerun on Japanese TV, Ishihara Promotions is still up and running while keeping his memory alive, a museum in his Hokkaido hometown was opened in July 1991, and as the ultimate mark of dedication by his legions of fans, the 1999 memorial commemoration of his death brought 170,000 of them to his grave in Tokyo.

* ''5000 Kilometers to Glory'', based on the winning team of the 1969 Japan Prix.

* TheAce: Basketball player, actor, singer, songwriter, producer.
* BloodBrothers:
** Was this with Tetsuya Watari, whom he shared a birthday with.
** Was also this with ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' star Shintaro Katsu, ''yakuza'' film legend Ken Takakura, and Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima.
* BigEater: As he aged, he put on a lot of weight.
* CoolCar: He drove around in a gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Nissan Gazelle.
* LifeOfTheParty: His trademark.

* MrFanservice: In his younger years.
* ImageSong: ''Brandy Glass'', his bestselling single.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: [[https://youtu.be/5WuKFleV_UY His covers of "Autumn Leaves", "I Left My Heart in San Fransisco", and "As Time Goes By".]]

* TheBigGuy: Especially in his later years.
* TheCameo: In ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock My Youth In Arcadia]]'''s prologue as Phantom F. Harlock I.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
** Kaiseki dishes, curry rice, beef steak, and potato croquettes, all washed down with brandy.
** Subverted with chicken, which he hated.
* TrueCompanions: His "Ishihara Corps", with Tetsuya Watari and Hiroshi Tachi.

* BloodBrothers: Was this with Tetsuya Watari, whom he shared a birthday with.

* RedBaron: "The King", and "The Boss".

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Kaiseki dishes, curry rice, beef steak, and potato croquettes, all washed down with brandy.

* ''Red Hankerchief''

* ''I Am Waiting'

* ''Samurai Banners'', a samurai EpicMovie based on the 4th Battle of Kawanakajima

[[SuperCouple In 1962, Ishihara would marry his frequent costar Mie Kitahara]], then his DistaffCounterpart with Nikkatsu's actresses. She would soon retire as an actress, and [[HappilyMarried the two would remain together until Yujiro's death in 1987.]] As the decade wound down, Ishihara branched out, costarring with Creator/ToshiroMifune, his rival for Japanese box-office supremacy, in several [[AllStarCast All-Star ensembles]], namely in Kei Kumai's ''The Sands of Kurobe'', Hiroshi Inagaki's ''Samurai Banners'', and Koreyoshi Kurehara's ''5000 Kilometers to Glory''.

Sadly, the good times for Ishihara wouldn't last forever. A series of small scandals rocked his personal life for a while, before he was hospitalized in 1978 due to liver cancer (no doubt accumulated from his chronic smoking and drinking habits) and again in 1981 because of an aortic aneursym. However he beat both thanks to surgery, and returned to work soon afterwards. However by 1987, his smoking, drinking, LifeOfTheParty lifestyle, and BigEater habits finally caught up with him and he died on July 17, 1987 of liver cancer at the age of 52.

* BloodBrothers: Was this with Tetsuya Watari, whom he shares a birthday with.

** Subverted with chicken, which he hated.

Ishihara got his start in 1956 when he starred in Nikkatsu's ''Season of The Sun'', the MovieOfTheBook for one of the novels written by his brother, Shintaro.[[note]]Who would become Tokyo's Governor in 1999 to 2012 as an infamous ultraright pundit.[[/note]] The movie with an instant hit, with thousands of young men imitating Ishihara's looks and demeanor, eventually evolving into what was known as the "Sun Tribe" counterculture movement. Yujiro would quickly become the Nikkatsu's top-billed star, starring in hit after hit, from rebellious youth dramas, [[FilmNoir neo-noir crime movies]], [[RomanticComedy Romantic Comedies]], and gangster pictures, while working with legendary directors such as Toshio Matsuda and Koreyoshi Kurehara. In his time he was given [[RedBaron nicknames such as "The King" and "The Boss"]], channeling his inner Music/ElvisPresley (whom he met and struck a rapport with during his yearly Hawaiian vacations) and Music/FrankSinatra.

* TheCameo: in ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock My Youth In Arcadia]]'''s prologue as Phantom F. Harlock I.

* TheCameo: in ''[[Anime/Captain Harlock My Youth In Arcadia]]'''s prologue as Phantom F. Harlock I.

* TheCameo: in ''Anime/MyYouthInArcadia'''s prologue as Phantom F. Harlock I.

Ishihara got his start in 1956 when he starred in Nikkatsu's ''Season of The Sun'', the MovieOfTheBook for one of the novels written by his brother, Shintaro.[[note]]Who would become Tokyo's Governor in 1999 to 2012 as an infamous ultraright pundit.[[/note]] The movie with an instant hit, with thousands of young men imitating Ishihara's looks and demeanor, eventually evolving into what was known as the "Sun Tribe" counterculture movement. Yujiro would later become the Nikkatsu's top-billed star, starring in hit after hit, from rebellious youth dramas, [[FilmNoir neo-noir crime movies]], [[RomanticComedy Romantic Comedies]], and gangster pictures, while working with legendary directors such as Toshio Matsuda and Koreyoshi Kurehara. In his time he was given [[RedBaron nicknames such as "The King" and "The Boss"]], channeling his inner Music/ElvisPresley (whom he met and struck a rapport with during his yearly Hawaiian vacations) and Music/FrankSinatra.

TheSeventies brought a shockwave into Japanese cinema with the sudden boom in television, and the new craze began to cut into the Japanese film industry's usual patrons. Moving with the times, and despite swearing that he'd never make the jump to the small screen, Ishihara landed a starring role in the iconic CopShow ''Series/TaiyoNiHoero'' as Superintendent Shunshuke "Boss" Todo. As with many of his contemporaries, the transition from movies to film was surprisingly easy and the show was an instant success, lasting 14 years and 718 episodes while serving as the TropeCodifier for every subsequent Japanese cop show.

1976 marked an even bigger milestone for The Boss when he founded his own production company, Ishihara Promotions, and released hi first independent TV series, ''Daitokai'' (''The Big City''), a cop show that was equally groundbreaking as ''Taiyo'' (being equal parts human drama and CopShow). While it only lasted for three years and 131 episodes, it would become legendary for its over-the-top action scenes and later paved the way for the much more famous ''Series/SeibuKeisatsu'' in 1979 and solidified Ishihara's legend for a new generation of fans.

However, today, his legend and legacy are far from forgotten in Japan. His films and three shows are fondly remembered and are constantly rerun on Japanese TV, Ishihara Promotions is still up and running and keeping his memory alive, a museum in his Hokkaido hometown was opened in July 1991, and as the ultimate mark of dedication by his legions of fans, the 1999 memorial commemoration brought 170,000 of them to his grave in Tokyo.

!!Tropes attributed to him include...

* SuprisinglyGoodEnglish: [[https://youtu.be/5WuKFleV_UY His covers of "Autumn Leaves", "I Left My Heart in San Fransisco", and "As Time Goes By".]]

* TrademarkFood: Loved to eat chicken.