Wrath of God

…Born in Chiba Prefecture, he moved to the United States in 1909. His debut film was The Wrath of God (1914), directed by Thomas Ince, which was the first full-fledged American film starring a Japanese actor. He went on to star in early silent American films such as Typhoon (1914), directed by Reginald Barker, The Cheat (1915), and The Temptation (1916), directed by Cecil B. DeMille. He quickly became a popular star, captivating American women with his sexuality, and is said to have started the Hollywood trend of selling the beauty and sex appeal of men of different races (it would be several years before Rudolph Valentino appeared). After the talkies, he became an internationally active character actor, and is known for his most memorable role as a Japanese prison camp commander in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), directed by David Lean. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "God's Wrath" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…千葉県に生まれ，1909年に渡米。日本人主演の本格的アメリカ映画第1号となったトマス･インス監督《神の怒り》(1914)をデビュー作として，レジナルド･バーカー監督《タイフーン》(1914)，セシル･B.デミル監督《チート》(1915)および《テンプテーション》(1916)等々サイレント初期のアメリカ映画に主演，たちまちその性的魅力でアメリカ女性を魅惑して人気スターになり，異民族の男性の美しさやセックス･アピールを売物にするハリウッドの風潮をつくったとすらいわれる(ルドルフ･バレンチノが登場するのはそれから数年後のことになる)。トーキー以後は性格俳優として国際的に活躍し，デビッド･リーン監督《戦場にかける橋》(1957)の日本人の捕虜収容所長の役がもっとも強烈な印象を残した名演として知られる。…

※「《神の怒り》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報