Ishidate Tetsuo was a Japanese actor born in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After working as a 13th gen member of the Haiyuza Theater Company and a member of the Bungakuza Theater Company, he made a big break in the 1970 TV drama "Oku-sama wa 18-sai". He starred in a number of family dramas in the 1980s, demonstrating his comical, humane and unhateable third role, and gaining popularity for his afro hair, unique voice, and wording.

Ishidate was born as the fourth son of parents who ran a poultry farm in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After the war, he spent his childhood and youth in Yokosuka, which became a US military base town.

In junior high school and high school, he was a very ordinary sports boy who devoted himself to basketball.

Ishidate debuted in the TV drama "Ai no Keifu" (1963) at the age of 21. In the same year, he starred in the drama "Magokoro" for the first time, and in the following drama "Natsu", he co-starred with actress Yoshimura Jitsuko, who he later married.

In March 1964, he became a research student at the Bungakuza Theater Company, attracting attention for his performance of "As You Like It" (written by W. Shakespeare), a graduation performance from the Haiyuza Theater Company. In the same year, he co-starred again with Yoshimura Jitsuko in the NHK drama "Furimuku na Marie".

Ishidate made his movie debut work in "Chi to Diamond" (Toho) in 1964. He appeared in more than 20 films during his five years at Bungakuza.

In 1969, he temporarily took a break from Bungakuza for a long trip to Europe. Although he returned to Japan temporarily to shoot a drama, he traveled again a few months later and spent four months alone in New York, USA.

After leaving Bungakuza, he moved to being active on TV, and from the 1970s to the 1980s he was active as an individual actor known for his afro hair and unique tone. As an actor in Bungakuza, he formed the theatrical group "Gebara Foundation" with Yamaguchi Takashi, Sakata Tokieda, Oyamada Munenori, and others, and performed free Angura theater at Shibuya Jean-Jean every Sunday night.

From the latter half of his 40s, the leading works almost disappeared, and the supporting roles of suspense dramas and drama specials played a central role.

At the age of 56, he officially divorced Yoshimura Jitsuko. The following year, he moved from Tokyo to Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

His last work to appear as an actor was the movie "Captain Tokio" (2005).

On June 1, 2007, he developed an acute aneurysm rupture while sleeping and died at his home in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He died 64 years old. Edit Biography