Ichirō Sugai (菅井一郎, Sugai Ichirō, 25 July 1907 – 11 August 1973) was a Japanese actor and film director[1] who appeared in more than 300 films in his 45 years spanning career,[2][3] working with directors such as Kaneto Shindō, Kenji Mizoguchi and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.

[1][3] He left junior high school prematurely and entered the Kyoto section of the Nikkatsu film company in 1925.

[1] Notable films of this era include Kenji Mizoguchi's The Water Magician (1933) and The Straits of Love and Hate (1937).

[1] After World War II, Sugai became a sought after supporting actor.

[1] In addition to numerous films by directors Shindō, Mizoguchi and Yoshimura, he appeared in films by Akira Kurosawa, Keisuke Kinoshita, Tadashi Imai, Shōhei Imamura and Yasujirō Ozu.