, born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles.
He won the
Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role four times, tied with
Koji Yakusho for the most ever.
Takakura additionally received the
Japanese Medal of Honor with purple ribbon in 1998, the
Person of Cultural Merit award in 2006, and the
Order of Culture
The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...
in 2013.
Life and career
Takakura was born in
Nakama, Fukuoka in 1931.
He attended Tochiku High School in nearby
Yahata City, where he was a member of the boxing team and English society. It was around this time that he gained his streetwise swagger and tough-guy persona watching ''
yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...
'' movies.
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 gangs.
[ After graduating from ]Meiji University
is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920.
As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...
in Tokyo, Takakura attended an audition on impulse in 1955 at the Toei Film Company while applying for a managerial position.[
Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with ''Denko Karate Uchi'' (''Lightning Karate Blow'') in 1956.] In 1959 he married singer Chiemi Eri, but divorced in 1971. 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 left Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films.][
He gained international recognition after starring in the 1970 war film '' Too Late the Hero'' as the cunning Imperial Japanese Major Yamaguchi, the 1974 ]Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...
sleeper hit '' The Yakuza'' with Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...
, and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's '' Black Rain'' (1989). He again appeared to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi
Frederic Alan Schepisi ( ;Pauline Kael, Kael, Pauline (1984). ''Taking It All In''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 55. born 26 December 1939) is an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His credits include ''The Cha ...
comedy '' Mr. Baseball'' starring Tom Selleck.[
Takakura was one of the few Japanese actors who experienced popularity in China, due to his appearance in Junya Satō's 1976 crime drama '' Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare'' (known in some territories as ''Manhunt''), the first foreign film shown after the ]Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
. He also starred as the titular assassin in Junya Satō's '' Golgo 13'' (1973), a Japanese–Iranian production and the first live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series '' Golgo 13''.
He appeared in three films since 2000: in May 2001, '' Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles'', by Chinese director Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...
, in late December 2005, and Yasuo Furuhata's '' Anata e'' (''Dearest'') in late August 2012, after a six-year hiatus. He died of lymphoma
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...
on November 10, 2014. Shintaro Ishihara
was a Japanese politician and writer, who served as the Governor of Tokyo Metropolis, Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the Far-right politics, radical right Sunrise Party, later merged with Toru Hashimoto's Japan ...
described him as "the last big star (in Japan)." A huge number of Chinese internet users expressed their sympathies and condolences, including many celebrities in the Chinese movie industry. The spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
Hong Lei said that Takakura made significant contributions to the cultural exchange between China and Japan.
A documentary based on Takakura's life entitled ''Ken San'' premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival
The 69th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian filmmaker George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller was the president of the jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and ...
and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2016. It was directed by photographer Yuichi Hibi and features interviews with filmmakers and actors such as Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
, Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scor ...
, Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the ...
, John Woo
John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...
, and Yoji Yamada.
Filmography
Honours
* Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
:*1978 – as Yusaku Shima, in The Yellow Handkerchief
:*1981 – as Kōsaku Tajima, in A Distant Cry from Spring
:*1982 – as Eiji Mikami, in Station
:*1999 – as Otomatsu Satō, in Poppoya
* Japan Academy Prize for Special Award of Honour from the Association
:*2013
* Blue Ribbon Awards
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan, established in 1950 by , established under the name of the "Association of Tokyo Film Journalists Award", which was formed mainly by film reporters from th ...
:*1977 – as Yusaku Shima, in The Yellow Handkerchief
:*1999 – as Otomatsu Satō, in Poppoya
* Japanese Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) (1998)
* Person of Cultural Merit (2006)
* Order of Culture
The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...
(2013)
* Junior Third Rank (2014; posthumous)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takakura, Ken
1931 births
2014 deaths
People from Nakama, Fukuoka
Japanese male film actors
Male actors from Fukuoka Prefecture
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Persons of Cultural Merit
Recipients of the Order of Culture
Meiji University alumni
Singers from Fukuoka Prefecture
Deaths from lymphoma in Japan