Shinsuke Shimada

Shinsuke Shimada (島田紳助, Shimada Shinsuke) is a Japanese comedian and television presenter. He first became popular as part of a manzai duo formed with his on-stage partner Matsumoto Ryusuke. The duo was active between 1976 and 1985.^[1]

Shinsuke Shimada
Born	Kimihiko Hasegawa (1956-03-24) March 24, 1956 (age 69) Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation(s)	Comedian, television presenter
Years active	1974-2011

In 1991 he directed the film Kaze, Slow Down.

Shimada played an important role for keeping the popularity for contemporary manzai alive - for many years he was the driving force behind the popular manzai competition M-1 Grand Prix.^[2]

On August 23, 2011, Shinsuke Shimada announced his retirement after admitting to extensive ties to the yakuza, Japan's organized crime.^[3] The yakuza's dominance in the entertainment industry was a subject that has long been a taboo.^[1]

See also

• The Deal (Japanese game show)