Kinshiro Matsumoto

Biography

Kinshiro Matsumoto was a Japanese actor born on August 24, 1933, in Osaka Prefecture. He debuted in 1956 as a member of the New Faces of Nikkatsu, starring in period dramas like "Seven Samurai Reborn" and "Seven Samurai Selling Out" before transitioning to television in the 1960s. His iconic role in the 1963 series "The Legend of Kyoshiro" cemented his status as a leading man, but his career declined after the death of his mentor, director Matsudaira Shōjirō, in 1969. Matsumoto tragically died by gas self-inflicted in 1973 at the age of 39.