Ken Takakura
Personal
Other names:
Job / Known for: Yakuza and action films
Left traces: His iconic roles and awards
Born
Date: 1931-02-16
Location: JP Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan
Died
Date: 2014-11-10 (aged 83)
Resting place: JP
Death Cause: Lymphoma
Family
Spouse: Chiemi Eri (1959-1971)
Children:
Parent(s):
QR Code:
Ken Takakura My QR code: Ken Takakura https://DearGone.com/12084
Key Ownner: Not yet supported by key owner
Show More
Rank Users ranking to :
Thanks, you rate star
1 2 3 4 5
Ranking 5.0 1
Fullname NoEnglish

高倉 健

Slogan
I'm an awkward guy.
About me / Bio:
Ken Takakura 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, more than any other actor. He also received the Japanese Medal of Honor with purple ribbon in 1998, the Person of Cultural Merit award in 2006, and the Order of Culture in 2013. 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 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 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 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), in which he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy García with the line, "I do speak fucking English". He again appeared to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi 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. Takakura died of lymphoma at a Tokyo hospital on 10 November 2014, at the age of 83. He was widely mourned by his fans and colleagues, and received tributes from many prominent figures, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Emperor Akihito.
Show More

Article for Ken Takakura

Died profile like Ken Takakura

  • Kenji Miyazawa Voice of death
    Kenji Miyazawa
    宮沢 賢治
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Akiyuki Nosaka Voice of death
    Akiyuki Nosaka
    野坂 昭如
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Eisaku Sato Voice of death
    Eisaku Sato
    佐藤栄作
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Yusaku Matsuda Voice of death
    Yusaku Matsuda
    松田 優作
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: US
  • Kijuro Shidehara Voice of death
    Kijuro Shidehara
    幣原 喜重郎
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Kuniaki Koiso Voice of death
    Kuniaki Koiso
    小磯 國昭
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Nobuhiko Obayashi Voice of death
    Nobuhiko Obayashi
    大林 宣彦
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Kirin Kiki Voice of death
    Kirin Kiki
    樹木 希林
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Jigoro Kano Voice of death
    Jigoro Kano
    嘉納 治五郎
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: EG
  • Tomoyuki Tanaka Voice of death
    Tomoyuki Tanaka
    田中友幸
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: JP
  • Yoichiro Nambu Voice of death
    Yoichiro Nambu
    南部 陽一郎
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: US
  • Mitsuyo Maeda Voice of death
    Mitsuyo Maeda
    前田 光世
    Age: y/o ()
    Died: BR
Comments:
Add Death Died Social Media

To access this section, register or log in to your account.

Log in / Sign up