Akio Isono

Akio Isono (October 20, 1910 – January 21, 1986) was born in Tsurumi, near Yokohama in 1910. His family ran a newspaper sales business. In 1917, at the age of seven, he became a pupil of Hanayanagi Shotaro, who was known as a great actor of the new school, and trod the boards for the first time in child roles at the Hongoza theater. After that he went on to perform in theaters run by Shochiku. In 1921, he performed in his first leading film role in Yamagureru under the direction of Ushihara Kiyohiko, and he then alternated leading roles on the stage with those at Shochiku Pictures. In 1925, he became an exclusive actor for Shochiku Cinema, Kamata Studios and starred in a number of films. Isono, together with Mitsui Hideo and Abe Shozaburo, won great popularity as the Yotamono Trio. The Yotamono Trio appeared in a series of movies, beginning with the 1931 film Reijo to Yotamono. In 1932, his excellent performance in the film Arashi no Naka no Shojo, directed by Shimazu Yasujiro, won great critical acclaim.