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Gorō Naya

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Gorō Naya
納谷悟朗
Born(1929-11-17)17 November 1929
Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
Died5 March 2013(2013-03-05) (aged 83)
Chiba, Chiba, Japan
Occupation(s)Actor, voice actor, narrator, theatre director
Years active1951–2012
Known for
SpouseKachiko Hino
RelativesRokurō Naya (brother)

Gorō Naya (納谷悟朗, Naya Gorō, 17 November 1929 – 5 March 2013) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He was part of Theatre Echo all his career, and was the older brother of actor and voice actor Rokurō Naya.

Biography

Gorō Naya was born on 17 November 1929 in Hokkaidō. At the age of 15, he joined the Kamikaze, believing "My life is to die for His Majesty the Emperor."[1] Afterwards he thought he lost "things that take youth", and then attended Ritsumeikan University, becoming a dialect coach, specialising in that of Kyoto and finding himself interested in acting: "Eventually, I started thinking, "Hey, maybe you should do this." That's what started it. Until then, I had never thought about acting at all."[2]

Before joining Theater Echo in 1959,[3] he acted at the children’s stage company Todo and at Ina no Kai,[4] and performed in radio drama, gaining an affinity for narration.[1] He also developed a love of the stage, saying "Even if the content is the same, the atmosphere, including the play, will differ depending on the reaction of the audience. It’s only for one day." When he joined, new actors were selected for dubbing foreign-language films for TV. "There weren’t many actors who could dub the voices, so I was really busy." The transition was easy for him, as "I felt the same as if I had been given a role on stage. The only difference was that there was no audience in front of me."[1]

Naya became the official Japanese dubbing voice of actors Clark Gable, Charlton Heston, Lee Van Cleef and John Wayne after Akiji Kobayashi dropped out.[2] On whether his voice would be better than Kobayashi’s he said "I just did it because I was told to do it, and whether my performance was good or not is a matter for later.The evaluation was made by the audience, so there was no 'good' or bad."[5] Despite his prolific voice work, he did not like being referred to as a voice actor (or ateshi), claiming "I'm not proud of using it, but it wasn't a word I didn't like that much."[1] Naya got his younger brother Rokurō into voice acting while he was dubbing Conrad Philips in The Adventures of William Tell,[6] requesting he, with a similar voice to his own, dubbed Tell’s impostor.

In 1969 Naya began his association with Lupin the Third with the Pilot Film, voicing Goemon Ishikawa, a role subsequently taken by Makio Inoue. In 1971 he began voicing Koichi Zenigata, gaining a passion for his character. "I like the single-minded devotion to chasing after Lupin. This innocence (?) makes me very envious of someone like me, who has a lot of troubles in life."[7] He was best friends with Yasuo Yamada, voice of Arsène Lupin III until his death in 1995, having lived in a rented beach house with him.[3] Naya suggested to him "Let's keep chasing Lupin and Zenigata even if we both get old and wrinkled."

Also in 1971 he became the voice of the Great Leader in Kamen Rider. He would reprise the role many times over his career, saying "There are more jobs that are said to be, and I am doing it because I am grateful." In 1974 he became the voice of Juzo Okita in Space Battleship Yamato He was initially angry about being involved. "Why do I have to play such an old man?". Later he regretted the voice he chose for the character, believing "If you're an active captain, you're in your 50s, so I should have done it younger."[3]

Naya was a fan of the Hanshin Tigers, once commentating on a game as "Hanshin Crazy Goro Naya", and supported the Japanese Communist Party.[8] In 1985 he underwent surgery for a stomach ulcer, which hindered his physical and vocal ability. He lamented "I've been out of breath since the late 90s, and my physical condition has gotten worse. I was frustrated because people around me said, "I don't have a smooth tongue" behind my back."[9] At Yamada’s funeral he said "Hey, Lupin, who should I chase from now on? If you're dead, who will I chase now?"

He criticised the modern voice acting industry, claiming "There are too many voice actors who think that they should just give their voices. They don't think they have a customer in front of them."[9] In 2010 he stepped down from voicing Zenigata, the reason being "Zenigata never gets old, but I get older year by year, so it's a little bit difficult to match." He died on 5 March 2013, at age 83, due to chronic respiratory failure.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Invasion of Astro-Monster Councilman Voice only[10]
1969 Lupin the Third: Pilot Film Goemon Ishikawa Voice only
Flying Phantom Ship Ghost Captain Voice only
1970 30,000 Miles Under the Sea King Magma VII Voice only
1971 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Goro Voice only
1972 Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell Great Leader of Shocker Voice only
1973 Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants Great Leader of Destron Voice only
1974 Prophecies of Nostradamus Kazuo Ota
1978 Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato Juzo Okita Voice only
The Mystery of Mamo Koichi Zenigata Voice only
1979 Galaxy Express 999 Dr. Pan Voice only
Aim for the Ace! Chairman Ryuzaki Voice only
The Castle of Cagliostro Koichi Zenigata Voice only
1982 Future War 198X Tono Voice only
1983 Crusher Joe Kowalsky Voice only
Final Yamato Juzo Okita Voice only
Golgo 13: The Professional Leonard Dawson Voice only
1984 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Lord Yupa Voice only
1985 Night on the Galactic Railroad Dr. Bulganillo Voice only
Legend of the Gold of Babylon Koichi Zenigata Voice only
Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight Kuramoto and Narrator Voice only
1986 Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies Bongo Voice only
1995 Farewell to Nostradamus Koichi Zenigata Voice only
1996 Lupin III: Dead or Alive Koichi Zenigata Voice only
1997 Noiseman Sound Insect Professor Franken Voice only
2003 Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost Wirepuller of Smart Brain
2004 Casshern Narrator
2007 Kamen Rider: The Next Great Leader Voice only
2011 OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders Great Leader Voice only

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1965-1967 Kimba the White Lion Clave 52 episodes
1966-1968 Yuusei Kamen Hoihensu 39 episodes
1967-1968 Princess Knight Sir Nylon 52 episodes
1968-1969 Dororo Kagemitsu Daigo

Tanosuke

26 episodes
1968 Star of the Giants President Hidaka Episode 7 “Ball of Vanity”
Humanoid Monster Bem Prison Director Episode 4
1970 Akakichi no Eleven Narrator 18 episodes
1971-1972 Ryu the Primitive Boy Kiba 22 episodes
Lupin III Koichi Zenigata 17 episodes
1971-1973 Kamen Rider Great Leader of Shocker (voice) 98 episodes
1972 Mirrorman Invaders 4 episodes
Henshin Ninja Arashi Majin Sai (voice) 23 episodes
1972-1973 Ultraman Ace Ultraman Ace (voice) 52 episodes
Warrior of Love Rainbowman Narrator 50 episodes
1973-1974 Kamen Rider V3 Great Leader of Destron 52 episodes
Karate Master Tatsu

Todd Wakamatsu

11 episodes
Casshan Narrator 35 episodes
1974-1975 Kamen Rider Amazon Narrator 24 episodes
Space Battleship Yamato Juzo Okita 26 episodes
1975 Kamen Rider Stronger Great Leader (voice) 6 episodes
1976 Combattler V Dr. Nanbara 3 episodes
The Kagestar Dr. Satan (voice) 24 episodes
1976-1977 Ninja Captor Narrator 43 episodes
Chojin Bibyun Gulver (voice) 15 episodes
1977 Jetter Mars Dr. Yamanoue 27 episodes
1977-1980 Lupin the 3rd Part II Koichi Zenigata 155 episodes
1978 The Petit Prince Grandpa Episode 16 “Sea of Flying Gulls”
1978-1979 Uchū Majin Daikengo Narrator 26 episodes
1979-1980 Kamen Rider (Skyrider) Great Leader (voice) 7 episodes
1980-1981 Space Battleship Yamato III Narrator 25 episodes
1981-1982 Six God Combination Godmars Emperor Zuul 33 episodes
1982 White Fang Story Weedon Scott TV movie
1984 Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!! Generalissimo of Badan (voice) TV special
1984-1985 Lupin III Part III Koichi Zenigata 19 episodes
1989-2010 Lupin III TV specials Koichi Zenigata 22 specials
1989 Kamen Rider Black RX Emperor Crisis (voice) 3 episodes
1989-1990 Blue Blink Haruhiko Shiki 11 episodes
1998 Master Keaton Shou Episode 11 “Special Menu”
2000-2003 The Big O Gordon Rosewater 6 episodes
2001-2008 One Piece Crocus 5 episodes
2004 Monster Blind Old Man Episode 5

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tori, Miki. "Space Battleship Yamato interview with Goro Naya: Part 2". Archived from the original on 2009-02-13. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Super! Drama TV Voice Actor Dictionary: Goro Naya". Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Tori, Miki. "Space Battleship Yamato interview with Goro Naya: Part 1". Archived from the original on 2009-05-21. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Goro Naya at Theater Echo". Archived from the original on 2011-12-11. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Kenichi Murakami - Interview with Goro Naya, Emperor of Dubbing". Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Interview Kingdom - In Remembrance of Mr. Rokuro Naya". Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Farewell to Nostradamus flyer" (Press release). Japan. 1995. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  8. ^ "58 Famous People from all walks of life expressed "I look forward to the breakthrough of the Japanese Communist Party."". Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b "The Will left by Zenigata's Pops". Archived from the original on 2013-03-16. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  10. ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (2007). Monster Zero Audio Commentary (DVD). Classic Media.
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