Tatsuo Yamada, a veteran television and film actor, died of cancer on Sunday morning at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 53 years old.

According to his management, Yamada's stomach cancer was first discovered in 2005, and he underwent surgery in June of that year. At the end of last year, his doctor found that the cancer had spread to his kidneys and other areas, resulting in repeated hospitalization.

Yamada debuted as an actor in Sogo Ishii's 1980 film "Kuruizaki Thunder Road" ("Crazy Thunder Road"). Over the years, he appeared in more than a hundred movies and television dramas. He had a supporting role in the award-winning "Okuribito" last year, directed by Yojiro Takita, his former classmate. His last performance was in Setsuro Wakamatsu's "Shizumanu Taiyo," which opens on October 24.