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