Ken Takakura
Known for: Acting
Ken Takakura (高倉 健, Takakura Ken), born Gouichi Oda (February 16, 1931, in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan), was a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brings to his roles. Takakura gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching yakuza turf battles over the lucrative black market and racketeering in postwar Fukuoka. This subject was covered in one of his most famous movies, Showa Zankyo-den (Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent post-war gurentai. A graduate of Meiji University in Tokyo Takakura happened by an audition in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. Japan experienced a boom in gangster films in the 1960s as the Japanese people struggled with the generational differences between those raised in pre-war and post-war Japan and these were Takakura's stock and trade. His breakout role would be in the 1965 film Abashiri Prison, and its sequel Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen (Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home, also 1965), in which he played an ex-con antihero. By the time Takakura would leave Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films. Takakura gained international recognition after starring in the 1970 war film Too Late the Hero as the cunning Imperial Japanese Major Yamaguchi, the 1975 Sydney Pollack sleeper hit The Yakuza with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) where he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy García with the line, "I do speak fucking English". He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck. While he has slowed down a bit in his older years, he is still active. His most recent film was the 2005 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles by Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ken Takakura, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Series
SMAP×SMAP
Bistro Guest
1996
Film
Black Rain
Masahiro
1989
Film
The Yakuza
Tanaka Ken
1974
Film
The Yellow Handkerchief
Yusaku Shima
1977
Film
Golgo 13
Duke Togo / Golgo 13
1973
Series
Older brother
Eiji
1977
Film
Mr. Baseball
Uchiyama
1992
Film
The Bullet Train
Tetsuo Okita
1975
Film
Too Late the Hero
Major Yamaguchi
1970
Film
Railroad Man
Otomatsu Sato
1999
Film
A Fugitive from the Past
Ajimura
1965
Film
Antarctica
Ushioda
1983
Film
The Longest Tunnel
Go Akutsu
1982
Film
Station
Eiji Mikami
1981
Film
47 Ronin
Kuranosuke Oishi
1994
Film
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Gou-ichi Takata
2005
Film
The Revolt
Keisuke Miyagi
1980
Series
Korekara: Umibe no Tabibitotachi
1993
Film
Manhunt
Morioka
1976
Film
Mount Hakkoda
Captain Tokushima
1977
Film
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
Sasaki Kojiro
1964
Film
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
Self (archive footage)
1991
Film
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
Film
Wolves, Pigs & Men
Jiro Kuroki, the second brother
1964
Film
Japan's Top Gangster
Kazuo Taoka
1973
Film
A Distant Cry from Spring
Kosaku Tajima
1980
Film
Never Give Up
Takeshi Ajisawa
1978
Film
The Domain: Flower and Dragon
Kingoro Tamai
1969
Film
Ken San
Self
2016
Film
The Firefly
Yamaoka Shuji
2001
Film
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965
Film
Red Peony Gambler
Naoki Katagiri
1968
Film
Violent Street
1963
Film
The International Gang of Kobe
Masato Dan
1975
Film
Great Jailbreak
Ichiro Kozue
1975
Film
Rogue
Isamu Oba
1968
Film
Black Rain: Making The Film
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
Dearest
Eiji Shimakura
2012
Film
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
Kenichi Hanamura
1961
Film
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
Kuramoto
1972
Series
An Elegy of Tyrole
Tateishi Jiro
1992
Film
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
1958
Film
The Homeless
Jokichi Anabuki
1974
Film
Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
Shogo Hanaoka
1969
Film
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
1960
Film
Demon
Shuji
1985
Film
Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
Saburo Aizawa
1969
Film
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
1966
Film
Jakoman and Tetsu
Tetsu
1964
Film
Karate Cop
Detective Mikami
1982
Film
Tales of President Mito
Sukesaburo Sasa
1962
Film
Jet Air Base 101
Jiro Nakata
1957
Film
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967
Film
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
1972
Film
The Chivalrous Life
Ryuma Ibuki
1967
Film
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
Sasaki Kojiro
1965
Film
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
1966
Film
Winter's Flower
Hidetsugu Kano
1978
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
1969
Film
The Counterfeiters
1959
Film
South Pacific Waves Are High
1962
Film
Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
1964
Film
The Last Kamikaze
Koji Yashiro
1970
Film
Monsoon Son Pt.2
1958
Film
Showdown of Men
1966
Film
Choji Snack Bar
Eiji
1983
Film
A Dead Drifter
1959
Film
Abashiri Prison
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
Film
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
1970
Film
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
Seiji Terajima
1965
Film
Brothers Serving Time
1969
Film
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968
Film
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965
Film
Tokyo's Business District
1962
Film
続べらんめぇ芸者
1960
Film
Buddies
Kadokura
1989
Film
The Domain: Rising Dragon
1970
Film
Gambler Biography
1968
Film
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
1969
Film
Third Generation Boss
1974
Film
Mother Peacock
1956
Film
Patience Has An End
Isamu Tekada
1971
Film
Night of the Suspicions
久里 / 島
1959
Film
恐怖の空中殺人
島田寿夫
1956
Film
The Domain
1964
Film
Yakuza of the Present
Ryoichi Shimaya
1973
Film
The Happy Family
1959
Film
Manchurian Sunset
Shintaro
1956
Film
Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
Film
Meteor Karate Strike
1956
Film
Prison Boss
1968
Film
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
1966
Film
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
1967
Film
Brave Red Flower of the North
1970
Film
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
1967
Film
Storm Party
1964
Film
365 Nights
1962
Film
Operation Diamond
1962
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stray Wolf in Snow
1970
Film
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
1960
Film
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
1956
Film
Showdown in Blood
1957
Film
No Advice Taken
1958
Film
The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
1966
Film
Blackmail
1963
Film
The Boss
1965
Film
The Pledge
1972
Film
Histories of the Chivalrous
1968
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri
Katsuji Suehiro
1968
Film
Life of Hishakaku
1963
Film
The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
1995
Film
Four Hours of Terror
Captain Yamamoto
1959
Film
Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style
Sasaki Kojiro
1963
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
1971
Film
Lightning Karate Blow
1956
Film
The Man
1971
Film
Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
Yoshio Harada
1963
Film
Samurai Geisha
Shimada Seikichi
1969
Film
The Outsiders
Ichitaro Kazamori
1958
Film
Song of Kagoshima
Shuhei Tategami
1962
Film
With Songs in My Heart
1958
Film
House of Gamblers
1970
Film
The Path of the King
Ryutaro Fudo
1971
Film
Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues
Tarô Mannen
1961
Film
The Great Road
1960
Film
The Bastards of Lawless Town
Fumio Sone
1959
Film
Classmates
First Lieutenant Kenmochi
1967
Film
Hell's Companion
1959
Film
The Kamikaze Guy
Fumio Kuroki
1966
Film
Flower, Storm and Gangster
'Smiley' Ken
1961
Film
Duel of the Underworld
1963
Film
A Fishwife's Tale
1961
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
1971
Film
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1975
Film
Main Street in the Underworld
1964
Film
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
Asano
1963
Film
The Escape
1962
Film
Storming Squadron
1960
Film
All Rascals
1962
Film
The Biggest Gamble
Shuzo Honjo
1969
Film
Tokyo Untouchable
Yoshio Harada
1965
Film
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity
1960
Film
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
Hidejiro Hanada
1971
Film
Lullaby for a Tough Guy
1972
Film
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
1966
Film
Yukyo-retsuden
1970
Film
The Domain: Severed Relations
1968
The Day the Sun Rose
1968
Film
The Bullet and the Horse
1966
Film
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
Hanada Hidejiro
1969
Film
The Sand City in Manchuria
Hari
1960
Film
Glorious Fights
Ichiro Takita
1966
Film
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
1972
Romance Freestyle
1958
Film
Man of Thirteen Eyes
1958
Film
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind
Tarō Senpū
1961
Film
Umi e, See You
Eiji Honma
1988
Film
Bloodiest Flower
1971
Film
The Drifting Avenger
Ken Kato
1968
Film
The Second Bullet is Marked
1960
Film
Delinquent Angel
1960
Film
His Pistol is Hell
1958
Film
Devil's Nursery Rhyme
Kosuke Kindaichi
1961
Film
Gambler's Legacy
Tsukuda Ginjiro
1969
Film
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
1962
Film
Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
1960
Film
The Chop Professor
1956
Film
The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
1966
Film
Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
Koji Yashiro
1969
Film
Sister with Sister
Hiroshi Ishioka
1958
Film
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
1970
Film
A Man's Dark Finger
1959
Film
The Silent Murder
1959
Film
I Am The Magician From Hell
1961
Film
Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
Shin'ichi Tachibana
1965
Film
Dagger
1971
Film
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
1962
Film
If You're Man Enough
1960
Film
Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
Kenichi Oka
1961
Film
Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
Shin-ichi Tachibana
1967
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
1970
Film
The Japan Derby Race
1970
Film
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
1969
Film
Midair Circus
1958
Film
The Deep Blue Sea
1957
Film
Men Fighting Whales
Yosuke Yamagami
1957
Film
Monsoon Son
1958
Film
A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
Shin-ichi Tachibana
1967
Film
Hell's Kitchen
1962
Film
Detective Duel
1958
Film
The Big Boss
1963
Film
Eleven Gangsters
Sawagami
1963
Film
An Outlaw
Minami
1964
Film
The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
1961
Film
The Domain: White Blade
1967
Film
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
1960
Film
Lady Sen and Hideyori
Naomori
1962
Film
A Portrait of the Author
Self
1984
Employee Full of Fight
Tani
1957
Film
Code of Chivalry
1967
Film
Defeat the Boss
1963