Masatoshi Hamada
Comedian
Best known as one half (with Hitoshi Matsumoto) of the popular Downtown comedy duo, he also performed with a 1990s musical group called H jungle with T. Also a voice actor, he provided Japanese dubbing work for the Shrek movies and voiced a character in Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
He became affiliated with the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent management company in the early 1980s and shortly thereafter began his professional association with Hitoshi Matsumoto.
His band released such Japanese hit singles as "Wow War Tonight" and "Chicken Rice."
He grew up in Osaka, Japan, and later married Natsumi Ogawa, with whom he raised two children.
His Japanese contemporary, Higashi Sonomanma, also had a successful career as a comedian and television host.