Beloved Actor Found Dead at His Home After Collapse: Toshiyuki Nishida Was 76

Toshiyuki Nishida, a Japanese Academy Award-winning actor known for his roles in The Silk Road and the Tsuribaka Nisshi franchise, has died at the age of 76, reports the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Nishida’s office announced his passing on Thursday, Oct. 17, saying that he had been found collapsed in his home in Setagaya, Tokyo that day. He was unresponsive and confirmed dead at the scene. Nishida’s agency noted that the actor had attended a press conference on Oct. 8 for a film and had work scheduled for the day he passed. While Nishida had a chronic heart condition, his agency said he lived a normal day-to-day life.

Nishida was born on Nov. 4, 1947, in Kōriyama, Fukushima, and joined the Gekidan Seinenza Theatre Company in 1970, according to his bio. He became known for playing a variety of roles both on the big screen and small, including in the Tsuribaka Nisshi film series and the NHK historical drama Tobu Ga Gotoku, in which he played Saigo Takamori.

Nishida won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in 1988’s The Silk Road and 1993’s Gakkô (A Class to Remember). He also received accolades for his performance in Best Film winner Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 (1993). Nishida also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for 2003’s Get Up! and Tsuribaka Nisshi 14 of the same year.

Nishida also appeared in other works throughout his career including Yatsudai Shogun Yoshimune, Aoi Tokugawa Sandai and Yae no Sakura. Outside of Japan, Nishida was best known for his role as Pigsy in the first season of Monkey and for his role in the 2008 film The Ramen Girl, in which he played the sensei actress Brittany Murphy’s character.

Nishida’s prominent career led him to serve as president of the Japan Actors Union and vice president of the Japan Academy Film Prize Organization Committee. He was a ‘Frontier Ambassador’ for his hometown of Kōriyama and received the Order of the Rising Sun in 2018.

Outside of acting, Nishida also embraced his musical side, recording the hit song, “Moshimo Piano ga Hiketa Nara (If Only I Could Play the Piano)” in 1981. He also played the lead role in the musical Fiddler on the Roof over 260 times in his career.