Japanese actor and model
 was a Japanese actor and model.
Acting career.
Born , he was best known to "tokusatsu" fans as the android Ichiro in the "Kikaider 01" series (1973–74). Ikeda's interest in acting came at an early age from his father, respected sword fight choreographer Tatsuo Ouchi. He also had a black belt in judo and karate. Ikeda studied with the Bunka-za Theater, first appearing on-screen in "Hibari's Guitar of Motherly Love" (1962).
Ikeda made only a handful of films, but found his niche on television, where he appeared in such shows as "Special Mobile Investigation Unit" (1963), "Comrades" (1963), "Story of Coming Wind" (1963), "Aboard With 27 People" (1964) and "Onihei Hankacho" (1969–70).
While Ikeda's biggest and best-known "tokusatsu" role was in "Kikaider 01", and Takeshi Minami in "Return of Ultraman", he also appeared in "Operation: Mystery" (1968–69), "Silver Mask" (1971–72), "Himitsu Sentai Gorenger" (1975–77), and "Ultraman Mebius &amp; Ultraman Brothers" (2006).
Education.
Ikeda graduated from Hosei University in 1967 with a degree in economics.
Later years.
Ikeda was a fashion model for the SOS Modeling Agency, a commercial spokesman for Toshiba, and also appeared in several stage productions.
Popularity.
Ikeda developed a fan following in Hawaii as well as Japan. In 2001, he and "Kikaider" star Daisuke Ban made a personal appearance in Hawaii, meeting with fans who grew up watching the Honolulu broadcasts of "Kikaider" and "Kikaider 01". This led to both series being revived on TV and released on DVD, as well as additional live appearances, special events, and autograph sessions in both Japan and Hawaii.
In a 2008 interview, Ikeda mentioned that he was upset that "Kikaider"'s Hawaii popularity was not widely known in Japan.
Death.
Ikeda died on June 11, 2010, from complications of diabetes.
References.
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