Ken Takakura
Born
February 16, 1931
Died
November 10, 2014 (83 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan
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.
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Known For
Ken San
Self
2016
Dearest
Eiji Shimakura
2012
Black Rain: Making The Film
Self (archive footage)
2006
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Gou-ichi Takata
2005
The Firefly
Yamaoka Shuji
2001
Railroad Man
Otomatsu Sato
1999
SMAP×SMAP
Bistro Guest · (1 episode)
1996
The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
1995
47 Ronin
Kuranosuke Oishi
1994
Korekara: Umibe no Tabibitotachi
(1 episode)
1993
Mr. Baseball
Uchiyama
1992
An Elegy of Tyrole
Tateishi Jiro · (2 episodes)
1992
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
Self (archive footage)
1991
Buddies
Kadokura
1989
Black Rain
Masahiro
1989
To the Sea, See You
Eiji Honma
1988
Demon
Shuji
1985
A Portrait of the Author
Self
1984
Choji Snack Bar
Eiji
1983
Antarctica
Ushioda
1983
The Longest Tunnel
Go Akutsu
1982
Karate Cop
Detective Mikami
1982
Station
Eiji Mikami
1981
A Distant Cry from Spring
Kosaku Tajima
1980
The Revolt
Keisuke Miyagi
1980
Never Give Up
Takeshi Ajisawa
1978
Winter's Flower
Hidetsugu Kano
1978
Older brother
Eiji · (13 episodes)
1977
The Yellow Handkerchief
Yusaku Shima
1977
Mount Hakkoda
Captain Tokushima
1977
Manhunt
Morioka
1976
The International Gang of Kobe
Masato Dan
1975
The Bullet Train
Tetsuo Okita
1975
Great Jailbreak
Ichiro Kozue
1975
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1975
The Yakuza
Tanaka Ken
1974
The Homeless
Jokichi Anabuki
1974
Third Generation Boss
1974
Golgo 13
Duke Togo / Golgo 13
1973
Yakuza of the Present
Ryoichi Shimaya
1973
Japan's Top Gangster
Kazuo Taoka
1973
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
1972
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
1972
The Pledge
1972
Lullaby for a Tough Guy
1972
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
Kuramoto
1972
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
1971
The Man
1971
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
Hidejiro Hanada
1971
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
1971
Patience Has An End
Isamu Tekada
1971
Dagger
1971
Bloodiest Flower
1971
The Path of the King
Ryutaro Fudo
1971
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stray Wolf in Snow
1970
The Domain: Rising Dragon
1970
The Last Kamikaze
Koji Yashiro
1970
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
1970
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
1970
Yukyo-retsuden
1970
Too Late the Hero
Major Yamaguchi
1970
The Japan Derby Race
1970
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
1970
House of Gamblers
1970
Brave Red Flower of the North
1970
Gambler's Legacy
Tsukuda Ginjiro
1969
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
1969
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
1969
Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
Saburo Aizawa
1969
New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
1969
Samurai Geisha
Shimada Seikichi
1969
The Domain: Flower and Dragon
Kingoro Tamai
1969
Brothers Serving Time
1969
The Biggest Gamble
Shuzo Honjo
1969
Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
Koji Yashiro
1969
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
Hanada Hidejiro
1969
Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
Shogo Hanaoka
1969
New Prison Walls of Abashiri
Katsuji Suehiro
1968
Gambler Biography
1968
The Day the Sun Rose
1968
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968
Rogue
Isamu Oba
1968
Red Peony Gambler
Naoki Katagiri
1968
Histories of the Chivalrous
1968
The Drifting Avenger
Ken Kato
1968
Prison Boss
1968
The Domain: Severed Relations
1968
A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
Shin-ichi Tachibana
1967
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967
Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
Shin-ichi Tachibana
1967
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
1967
Classmates
First Lieutenant Kenmochi
1967
The Chivalrous Life
Ryuma Ibuki
1967
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
1967
The Domain: White Blade
1967
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
1966
Glorious Fights
Ichiro Takita
1966
The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
1966
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
1966
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
1966
Showdown of Men
1966
The Kamikaze Guy
Fumio Kuroki
1966
The Bullet and the Horse
1966
The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
1966
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
1966
Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
Shin'ichi Tachibana
1965
Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
Seiji Terajima
1965
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
Sasaki Kojiro
1965
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
Abashiri Prison
Shinichi Tachibana
1965
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965
A Fugitive from the Past
Ajimura
1965
The Boss
1965
Storm Party
1964
Wolves, Pigs & Men
Jiro Kuroki, the second brother
1964
The Domain
1964
Main Street in the Underworld
1964
An Outlaw
Minami
1964
Jakoman and Tetsu
Tetsu
1964
Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
1964
Miyamoto Musashi: The Duel at Ichijo Temple
Sasaki Kojiro
1964
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
Asano
1963
Blackmail
1963
Miyamoto Musashi: Birth of Two Sword Style
Sasaki Kojiro
1963
Duel of the Underworld
1963
The Big Boss
1963
Life of Hishakaku
1963
Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
Yoshio Harada
1963
Eleven Gangsters
Sawagami
1963
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
1962
Operation Diamond
1962
Tokyo Untouchable
Yoshio Harada
1962
Hell's Kitchen
1962
365 Nights
1962
Tokyo's Business District
1962
Song of Kagoshima
Shuhei Tategami
1962
Tales of President Mito
Sukesaburo Sasa
1962
Lady Sen and Hideyori
Naomori
1962
All Rascals
1962
The Escape
1962
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
1962
South Pacific Waves Are High
1962
Devil's Nursery Rhyme
Kosuke Kindaichi
1961
Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
Kenichi Oka
1961
Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues
Tarô Mannen
1961
The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
1961
Flower, Storm and Gangster
'Smiley' Ken
1961
A Fishwife's Tale
1961
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind
Tarō Senpū
1961
Hell's Juggler
1961
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
Kenichi Hanamura
1961
べらんめぇ藝者罷り通る
1961
If You're Man Enough
1960
The Sand City in Manchuria
Hari
1960
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
1960
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
1960
Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
1960
Delinquent Angel
1960
The Great Road
1960
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
1960
続べらんめぇ芸者
1960
The Second Bullet is Marked
1960
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity
1960
The Counterfeiters
1959
Four Hours of Terror
Captain Yamamoto
1959
Hell's Companion
1959
A Dead Drifter
1959
A Man's Dark Finger
1959
The Happy Family
1959
Men in a Rough Town
Fumio Sone
1959
Sister with Sister
Hiroshi Ishioka
1958
The Outsiders
Ichitaro Kazamori
1958
With Songs in My Heart
1958
Midair Circus
1958
Detective Duel
1958
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
1958
Romance Freestyle
1958
Monsoon Son Pt.2
1958
Monsoon Son
1958
Man of Thirteen Eyes
1958
No Advice Taken
1958
Jet Air Base 101
Jiro Nakata
1957
Showdown in Blood
1957
The Deep Blue Sea
1957
Men Fighting Whales
Yosuke Yamagami
1957
Employee Full of Fight
Tani
1957
Mother Peacock
1956
Manchurian Sunset
Shintaro
1956
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
1956
The Chop Professor
1956
Lightning Karate Blow
1956
Meteor Karate Strike
1956