水岛亮太郎，Mizushima was born in 1884 in Tokyo. He started out working for the Kawakami Otojiro theater group, joining Yoshizawa Shoten in 1910. After this he signed up with Nikkatsu in 1916, where he appeared in films such as Futari Shizuka (Two Quiet People), Yosho no Musume and Dokugusa, mainly in supporting roles.