Chosuke Ikariya was born in Tokyo in 1931. First a factory worker, he aspired to be an artist. After learning the double bass he managed to become a renowned player of this instrument, performing in various bands, from an amateur Hawaiian music one to a country and western one to the fabulously successful "The Drifters" (from 1962 to 1985). Chosuke Ikariya later became the leader of "The Drifters", giving the band a a slapstick comedy lowbrow humor trend. A very tall person, always prone to antics, he could in no way remained unnoticed, nor was he by talent scouts who detected his acting abilities. Not too sure of his talents, Chosuke Ikariya hesitated but finally tried his luck and soon discovered he was as good an actor as a musician and even won a Japanese Best Supporting Award for his performance of Heihachiro Waku in 'Katsuyuki Motohiro's "Bayside Shakedown" (1998). His most remarkable role though is the Crying Demon who haunts Akira Kurosawa as a young man in his 1990 "Dreams". Ikariya died of cancer in 2004, at the age of 72.