Tsuyuguchi was born in Tokyo and raised in Ehime. He attended Ehime University, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1955. His career as a screen actor started in 1959. He came to prominence playing the thief in Shohei Imamura's Unholy Desire. He became one of Imamura's favorite actors, appearing in four of Imamura's other films such as Eijanaika in 1981, but he declined the Imamura's offer for the Taro's role in Warm Water Under a Red Bridge.He won :ja:ホワイトブロンズ賞|white bronze Award for his roles in Woman of the Lake and in 1966. He appeared in many jidaigekitelevision dramas, in his early career he sometimes played villain roles. His most prominent roles in jidaigeki being Hyōgo Furukawa in the first season of Mito Kōmon and Fujiwara no Hidesato in the taiga dramaKaze to Kumo to Niji to. In Kaze to Kumo to Niji to, Tsuyuguchi played an important role that killed leading character Taira no Masakado in the final episode. Screenwriter Kōki Mitani quoted a Tsuyuguchi`s line in Kaze to Kumo to Niji to in 2016 Taiga dramaSanada Maru because Mitani is big fan of Tsuyuguchi. In 1981, he played a leading role for the first time in TV drama series in Fubo no Gosan . He is best known for his part in Taiyo ni Hoero!, one of the most famous dramas in Japanese television history. In Taiyo ni Hoero!, he played detective Yammura ". His first photo book "Tsuyuguchi Shigeru in Taiyo ni Hoero!"was released from NTV. From the late 1980s to the mid 1990s Tsuyuguchi appeared a lot of two-hour special dramas and played lead role. Tsuyuguchi played lead role in Morimura Seiichi no Shūchakueki Series 1–4, it is relatively famous in Japan. His final appearance as an actor is Morimura Seiichi no Shūchakueki Series 4 which was broadcast on TV Asahi in 1994. He also portrayed the voice of the "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen" in the original Japanese version of the Studio Ghiblianime filmWhisper of the Heart in 1995. He stopped acting in the mid 1990s and announced his retirement in 2013.
