{"rewrite":{"id":"r_671ed62c8be5aeffe5a437fc","clusterId":"c_059c80d358eece1044253e00","slug":"actor-and-narrator-leo-morimoto-dies-at-83","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Actor and Narrator Leo Morimoto Dies at 83","summary":"Leo Morimoto, born Haruyuki Morimoto, died suddenly on September 4 from unknown causes, his agency said. He was 83. Born in Nagoya on February 13, 1943, he worked as a radio DJ before appearing in the 1974 NHK series Kiiroi Namida, and went on to roles across Long Vacation and Shomuni. He starred as Shitotsugh Lhadatt in Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and narrated Bartender and Dragon Goes House-Hunting.","whyItMatters":"Morimoto's death removes a voice that ran through Japanese television for five decades, from live-action drama to the lead role in one of anime's most scrutinized films and years of narration work.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eMorimoto was born in Nagoya on February 13, 1943, and graduated from the Nihon University College of Art before taking a job as a radio station DJ. He appeared in the 1974 NHK series Kiiroi Namida, then built a long run of supporting roles in television drama, including Long Vacation and Shomuni.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNarration carried much of his later career. He voiced the Thomas \u0026amp; Friends show in Japanese for many years, narrated commercials and documentaries, and worked on the 1982 puppet show Records of the Three Kingdoms as Zhuge Liang. In recent years he appeared on the Quiz Presen Variety Q-sama!! quiz program.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Leo Morimoto's range ran from Shitotsugh Lhadatt in Royal Space Force to narration on Bartender. The same voice carried both, which is why his radio years still matter.","twitterPost":"Leo Morimoto voiced Shitotsugh Lhadatt in Royal Space Force and narrated Bartender. One voice, two registers, four decades apart.","threadsPost":"Leo Morimoto spent his early career as a radio DJ before Kiiroi Namida in 1974, and that broadcast instinct followed him into acting: he could carry Shitotsugh Lhadatt in Royal Space Force and then narrate Bartender and Dragon Goes House-Hunting with the same ease.","newsletterBlurb":"Leo Morimoto died on September 4 at 83, his agency said, with the cause unknown. He worked as a radio DJ before a 1974 NHK drama appearance launched a long television career, and he later starred in Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and narrated Bartender and Dragon Goes House-Hunting. He also voiced Thomas \u0026 Friends in Japanese for many years.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-13/actor-narrator-leo-morimoto-dies-at-83/.241723\",\"title\":\"Actor, Narrator Leo Morimoto Dies at 83\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4277,"outputTokens":636,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789287264,"createdAt":"2026-09-13T08:08:30.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-13T08:13:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-13T08:13:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_059c80d358eece1044253e00","canonicalTitle":"News\nActor, Narrator Leo Morimoto Dies at 83","representativeArticleId":"a_14a12f4827bae2bdc08c1deb","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"The Wings of Honnêamise\",\"Bartender\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Leo Morimoto\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-13T07:05:57.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-13T07:05:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-13T08:13:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-13/actor-narrator-leo-morimoto-dies-at-83/.241723","title":"News\nActor, Narrator Leo Morimoto Dies at 83"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["The Wings of Honnêamise","Bartender"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Leo Morimoto"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}