Ken Nishida is a Japanese actor who portrayed Fumio Kishida in Return of Ultraman.
Career[]
Nishida initially entered Waseda University’s Faculty of Literature with the goal of becoming a film screenwriter, specializing in drama. During his time there, he worked as a personal secretary to Nippon TV producer Takatada Ihara, due to financial issues with tuition.
In 1970, he joined the Kumo Theatre Company as a research student and was selected in 1971 to play Fumio Kishida in Return of Ultraman. Following this, he became active as an actor, particularly in period dramas and films, specializing in playing distinctive villainous roles. During the 1990s, he expanded his repertoire to two-hour suspense dramas and long-running period dramas, often portraying criminals and other antagonistic characters.
In the Ultraman series, Nishida maintained a close relationship with Jiro Dan, appearing alongside him at events such as the 2015 Return of Ultraman Blu-ray BOX release, where they participated in an HD Remaster 2.0 screening and talk show, reflecting on the series' filming process with Eiichi Kikuchi and Shinichi Ooka.[1]
After Jiro Dan passed away in 2023, aside from Ko Mitsui and Mika Katsuragi, who had retired from the entertainment industry and could no longer be contacted, Nishida became the last active actor from MAT in the entertainment world whose personal activities could still be confirmed.
In 2024, he founded his personal Twitter.
Roles[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Return of Ultraman | Fumio Kishida | [2] |
Other Roles[]
- Uchuu Keiji Gavan - San Dorva
- Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger - Mugensai Hinata
Gallery[]
Miscellaneous[]
![Nishida and Jiro Dan[3]](/wiki/File:Ken_Nishida_and_Dan.jpg "Ken Nishida and Dan.jpg (182 KB)")
![Nishida at a Return of Ultraman 50th anniversary event in 2021[4]](/wiki/File:Jiro_Dan_2021_1.jpeg "Jiro Dan 2021 1.jpeg (403 KB)")
![Ken Nishida and MAT Vehicle in 2024[5]](/wiki/File:Ken_Nishida_2024.jpg "Ken Nishida 2024.jpg (143 KB)")
References[]