Acting
Ken Takakura
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
Ken San
Film · 2016
Dearest
Film · 2012
Black Rain: Making The Film
Film · 2006
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Film · 2005
The Firefly
Film · 2001
Railroad Man
Film · 1999
SMAP×SMAP
Series · 1996
The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
Film · 1995
47 Ronin
Film · 1994
Korekara: Umibe no Tabibitotachi
Series · 1993
Mr. Baseball
Film · 1992
An Elegy of Tyrole
Series · 1992
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
Film · 1991
Black Rain
Film · 1989
Buddies
Film · 1989
Umi e, See You
Film · 1988
Demon
Film · 1985
A Portrait of the Author
Film · 1984
Antarctica
Film · 1983
Choji Snack Bar
Film · 1983
The Longest Tunnel
Film · 1982
Karate Cop
Film · 1982
Station
Film · 1981
A Distant Cry from Spring
Film · 1980
The Revolt
Film · 1980
Never Give Up
Film · 1978
Winter's Flower
Film · 1978
The Yellow Handkerchief
Film · 1977
Mount Hakkoda
Film · 1977
Older brother
Series · 1977
Manhunt
Film · 1976
The Bullet Train
Film · 1975
The International Gang of Kobe
Film · 1975
Great Jailbreak
Film · 1975
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
Film · 1975
The Yakuza
Film · 1974
The Homeless
Film · 1974
Third Generation Boss
Film · 1974
Golgo 13
Film · 1973
Yakuza of the Present
Film · 1973
Japan's Top Gangster
Film · 1973
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
Film · 1972
The Pledge
Film · 1972
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
Film · 1972
Lullaby for a Tough Guy
Film · 1972
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
Film · 1972
The Man
Film · 1971
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
Film · 1971
The Path of the King
Film · 1971
Patience Has An End
Film · 1971
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
Film · 1971
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
Film · 1971
Bloodiest Flower
Film · 1971
Dagger
Film · 1971
Brave Red Flower of the North
Film · 1970
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
Film · 1970
Too Late the Hero
Film · 1970
The Last Kamikaze
Film · 1970
House of Gamblers
Film · 1970
The Japan Derby Race
Film · 1970
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stray Wolf in Snow
Film · 1970
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
Film · 1970
The Domain: Rising Dragon
Film · 1970
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
Film · 1970
Yukyo-retsuden
Film · 1970
Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
Film · 1969
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
Film · 1969
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
Film · 1969
New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
Film · 1969
Samurai Geisha
Film · 1969
The Domain: Flower and Dragon
Film · 1969
Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
Film · 1969
Brothers Serving Time
Film · 1969
Gambler's Legacy
Film · 1969
Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
Film · 1969
The Biggest Gamble
Film · 1969
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
Film · 1969
Rogue
Film · 1968
Red Peony Gambler
Film · 1968
Prison Boss
Film · 1968
The Day the Sun Rose
Film · 1968
New Prison Walls of Abashiri
Film · 1968
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
Film · 1968
The Drifting Avenger
Film · 1968
The Domain: Severed Relations
Film · 1968
Histories of the Chivalrous
Film · 1968
Gambler Biography
Film · 1968
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
Film · 1967
Classmates
Film · 1967
The Chivalrous Life
Film · 1967
A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
Film · 1967
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
Film · 1967
Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
Film · 1967
The Domain: White Blade
Film · 1967
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
Film · 1967
Code of Chivalry
Film · 1967
The Kamikaze Guy
Film · 1966
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
Film · 1966
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
Film · 1966
Glorious Fights
Film · 1966
The Bullet and the Horse
Film · 1966
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
Film · 1966
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
Film · 1966
Showdown of Men
Film · 1966
The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
Film · 1966
The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
Film · 1966
Tokyo Untouchable
Film · 1965
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
Film · 1965
A Fugitive from the Past
Film · 1965
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
Film · 1965
Abashiri Prison
Film · 1965
Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
Film · 1965
Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
Film · 1965
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
Film · 1965
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
Film · 1965
The Boss
Film · 1965
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
Film · 1965
Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
Film · 1964
Main Street in the Underworld
Film · 1964
An Outlaw
Film · 1964
Wolves, Pigs & Men
Film · 1964
The Domain
Film · 1964
Jakoman and Tetsu
Film · 1964
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
Film · 1964
Storm Party
Film · 1964
Blackmail
Film · 1963
Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
Film · 1963
Eleven Gangsters
Film · 1963
Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style
Film · 1963
Life of Hishakaku
Film · 1963
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
Film · 1963
The Big Boss
Film · 1963
Duel of the Underworld
Film · 1963
Defeat the Boss
Film · 1963
Violent Street
Film · 1963
Operation Diamond
Film · 1962
South Pacific Waves Are High
Film · 1962
Tokyo's Business District
Film · 1962
All Rascals
Film · 1962
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
Film · 1962
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
Film · 1962
365 Nights
Film · 1962
Tales of President Mito
Film · 1962
Song of Kagoshima
Film · 1962
The Escape
Film · 1962
Lady Sen and Hideyori
Film · 1962
Hell's Kitchen
Film · 1962
Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues
Film · 1961
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind
Film · 1961
Flower, Storm and Gangster
Film · 1961
Devil's Nursery Rhyme
Film · 1961
A Fishwife's Tale
Film · 1961
Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
Film · 1961
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
Film · 1961
The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
Film · 1961
I Am The Magician From Hell
Film · 1961
If You're Man Enough
Film · 1960
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
Film · 1960
The Sand City in Manchuria
Film · 1960
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
Film · 1960
Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
Film · 1960
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
Film · 1960
The Second Bullet is Marked
Film · 1960
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity
Film · 1960
The Great Road
Film · 1960
続べらんめぇ芸者
Film · 1960
Delinquent Angel
Film · 1960
Storming Squadron
Film · 1960
A Dead Drifter
Film · 1959
Hell's Companion
Film · 1959
Four Hours of Terror
Film · 1959
The Happy Family
Film · 1959
The Bastards of Lawless Town
Film · 1959
A Man's Dark Finger
Film · 1959
The Counterfeiters
Film · 1959
The Silent Murder
Film · 1959
Night of the Suspicions
Film · 1959
The Outsiders
Film · 1958
With Songs in My Heart
Film · 1958
Romance Freestyle
Film · 1958
Detective Duel
Film · 1958
Sister with Sister
Film · 1958
No Advice Taken
Film · 1958
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
Film · 1958
Man of Thirteen Eyes
Film · 1958
Monsoon Son
Film · 1958
Monsoon Son Pt.2
Film · 1958
Midair Circus
Film · 1958
His Pistol is Hell
Film · 1958
Men Fighting Whales
Film · 1957
Showdown in Blood
Film · 1957
The Deep Blue Sea
Film · 1957
Jet Air Base 101
Film · 1957
Employee Full of Fight
Film · 1957
Manchurian Sunset
Film · 1956
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
Film · 1956
Lightning Karate Blow
Film · 1956
Mother Peacock
Film · 1956
The Chop Professor
Film · 1956
Meteor Karate Strike
Film · 1956
恐怖の空中殺人
Film · 1956