[3] He came to fame appearing in New Action films at Nikkatsu playing youthful rebels.
[4] Among his features for Nikkatsu was the 1971 exploitation film, Stray Cat Rock: Crazy Riders '71 (aka Alleycat Rock: Crazy Riders '71) for director Toshiya Fujita where he played the son of a yakuza boss.
[5] Leaving the Haiyūza in 1971,[2] he appeared in films made by many directors, including Seijun Suzuki, Shūji Terayama, Azuma Morisaki, Kihachi Okamoto, Rokurō Mochizuki, Jun Ichikawa, Hirokazu Koreeda and Kōji Wakamatsu, but he was particularly favored by Kazuo Kuroki and Junji Sakamoto.
[4] According to the critic Mark Schilling, Harada was "a favorite of generations of Japanese helmers for his rugged features, low, rumbling voice and distinctive presence, with shades of darkness and wildness that made him a natural for antihero roles in his youth.
[6] He had earlier won the Blue Ribbon best supporting actor prize in 1975 for Matsuri no junbi.