LaSalle Ishii

LaSalle Ishii

Born in Osaka in 1955. He is a comedian, actor, voice actor, director and scriptwriter. While a student at Waseda University, he joined the musical research circle and joined the training program for voice actors in the theater company Theatre Echo. In that training program he met Masayuki Watanabe and Takayasu Komiya and together they formed the stand-up comedy group Konto Akashingo (Conte Red Light) that became active as comic celebrities on TV and the stage. In 1996, Ishii became successful as the voice actor for the main character Kankichi Ryotsu of the television anime series Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo , while also working an actor in numerous TV and stage productions. From 2001, he began writing stage scripts and directing seriously, with a string of productions full of human interest and comedy, including the stage version of Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo (script, directing and acting 2001), the Tokyo Vaudeville Show Tono ni Furu Ame (directing, 2012), Komatsu-za production Tenpuku Trio no Conte – Inoue Hisashi Warai no Genten (script, director, 2014), musical Heads Up! (proposal, lyrics, directing, 2015) and others. For Heads Up! Ishii won the Outstanding Director Award of the 23rd Yomiuri Theater Awards.