NTV creates documentary drama about actor Tadao Takashima

[Tokyograph News]

NTV has announced that it will broadcast a documentary drama about actor Tadao Takashima's six-year battle with clinical depression. The two-hour special is titled "Utsu e no Fukushuu" and will show at 9:00pm on June 26.

Takashima is the husband of actress Hanayo Sumi and the father of actors Masahiro and Masanobu Takashima. He has appeared in dozens of movies, including "Frankenstein vs. Baragon" and "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla." In 1998, he began suffering from depression, though at the time, it was publicly announced that he was sick with diabetes. He and his family continued to battle his illness for six years.

In the drama, Takashima will be played by Hiroki Matsukata, and Keiko Takahashi has been cast as Hanayo. Tetsuya Bessho and Yoshihiko Hakamada will play Masahiro and Masanobu, respectively. The actual Takashima family will also appear in the program through interview scenes.

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