Ken Takakura

Died at 95

born February 16, 1931

male28 suggestions0 votes

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.

Known for

Black Rain

The Yakuza

Top Casting Suggestions

Ken Takakura has been suggested to play 28 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.

Ken Takakura

Saito

Inception (1970)

Saito

Ken Takakura

Dr. Dyson Ido

Alita: Battle Angel (1999)

Dr. Dyson Ido

Ken Takakura

Saito

Inception (1980s)

Saito

Ken Takakura

Ogun

80's Wolverine Movie Trilogy

Ogun

Ken Takakura

Mr. Saito, a Japanese businessman who employs Cobb for the team's mission.

Inception (1993)

Mr. Saito, a Japanese businessman who employs Cobb for the team's mission.

Ken Takakura

Dr. Ishirō Serizawa

Godzilla (1984)

Dr. Ishirō Serizawa

Ken Takakura

Koho-Nee Twin #2

BOND 17 (1990)

Koho-Nee Twin #2

Ken Takakura

Saito

Ridley Scott's Inception (1980)

Saito

Ken Takakura

Saito (1980)

Inception through time

Saito (1980)

Ken Takakura

Ozaki

Captain America: Brave New World {1985}

Ozaki

Ken Takakura

Kuroda Nagamasa

Nioh(1967)

Kuroda Nagamasa

Ken Takakura

Mr. Osato

You only Live twice (1977)

Mr. Osato

Ken Takakura

Akiro Yen

Godzilla Reborn (2001)

Akiro Yen

Ken Takakura

Col. Quen Low

BOND 17 (1990)

Col. Quen Low

Ken Takakura

Koho-Nee Twin #1

BOND 17 (1990)

Koho-Nee Twin #1

Ken Takakura

Ridley Scott

Best Acting In Each Directors Movies

Ridley Scott

Ken Takakura

Mr. Ishiba

Tarkin's Fist

Mr. Ishiba

Ken Takakura

Ogun

The Wolverine (1984)

Ogun

Ken Takakura

Godzilla Takes Hawaii (2002)

Ken Takakura

Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor

Face Claims Sorted by Awards

Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor

Ken Takakura

Kerith

Dance Central (Live Action)

Kerith

Ken Takakura

Known for

Related Talent

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