Kamatari Fujiwara

Kamatari Fujiwara (藤原 釜足 Fujiwara Kamatari, January 15, 1905 - December 21, 1985) was a Japanese actor.

Born in Tokyo, he was a long-time member of director Akira Kurosawa's stock company, making his first appearance in a Kurosawa film alongside Takashi Shimura in 1952's Ikiru. He continued to appear in Kurosawa's films until his death. Though a capable and highly professional actor, his subtle technique was very often overshadowed by the charismatic performances of Shimura and Toshirō Mifune. Today he is remembered primarily for his supporting appearances in Kurosawa's films, particularly as the suspicious farmer Manzo in Seven Samurai, the deranged former mayor in Yojimbo, the spidery treasure-seeking farmer in The Hidden Fortress, and the drunken Kabuki actor in The Lower Depths.

Kama, as he was affectionately known, had difficulty remembering lines. When Arthur Penn, an American film director, needed a Japanese actor for his film Mickey One, Kurosawa suggested Fujiwara. It was his only role in a non-Japanese film, and, considering that it contained no lines, it was suited to the forgetful actor's sensibilities.

Fujiwara retired in the late 1970s, though he continued to make occasional television appearances. His final film role was a memorable cameo in Juzo Itami's The Funeral (お葬式, 1984).