Kazuo Umezz
Actor
Biography
Kazuo Umezu or Kazuo Umezz (楳図 かずお, Umezu Kazuo, birth name 楳図一雄; born September 3, 1936) is a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. Starting his career in the 1950s, he is among the most famous artists of horror manga and has been vital for its development, considered the "god of horror manga". In 1960s shōjo manga like Reptilia, he broke the industry's conventions by combining the aesthetics of the commercial manga industry with gruesome visual imagery inspired by Japanese folktales, which created a boom of horror manga and influenced manga artists of following generations. He created successful manga series such as The Drifting Classroom, Makoto-chan and My Name Is Shingo, until he retired from drawing manga in the mid 1990s. He is also a public figure in Japan, known for wearing red-and-white-striped shirts and doing his signature "Gwash" hand gesture.
As Director
Filmography
Tokyo Zombie
as Akiyama / Prince 2005
Why Horror?
as Self 2014
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch
as Taxi Driver 1968
Gu Gu, the Cat
as Umezu 2008
The Drifting Classroom
as Policeman C (special guest) 1987
God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
2006
Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero
1990
Yaji & Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims
as Old Man 2005
Hoodlum Soldier
1965
Monster Heaven
1986
Makoto-chan
1980
Kaidan. Strange Stories of Japanese Ghosts
as Himself 2023
Gozamareji
2003