Sonny Chiba

Sonny Chiba was a Japanese actor and martial artist who achieved stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. He was one of the first actors to popularize the antihero archetype in action films, playing ruthless and violent characters who often killed their enemies in brutal ways. He was also known for his roles in tokusatsu superhero shows, samurai films, and crime thrillers. He had a black belt in Kyokushin Karate and several other martial arts disciplines. He was a mentor and inspiration for many other martial artists and actors, such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Quentin Tarantino. He appeared in over 200 films and television shows in his career, spanning six decades. Some of his most notable works include The Street Fighter series, where he played the mercenary Takuma Tsurugi, the Shadow Warriors series, where he played the ninja leader Hattori Hanzo, and the Kill Bill series, where he reprised the role of Hattori Hanzo as a swordsmith. He also appeared in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as Uncle Kamata, the leader of the Yakuza. He died from the complications of COVID-19 Delta variant on 19 August 2021, at age 82. He is survived by his three children, who are also actors.