Toshirō Mifune
Toshirō Mifune (April 1, 1920 - December 24, 1997) was a Japanese actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Japanese cinema. He was born in Qingdao, China, but was raised in Japan. Mifune's career spanned over 50 years, during which he collaborated extensively with renowned director Akira Kurosawa, creating some of the most iconic films in Japanese cinema.
Mifune gained international recognition for his performances in Kurosawa's films, particularly in samurai films. He portrayed strong, dynamic, and often rebellious characters, bringing a raw intensity to his roles. Some of his notable collaborations with Kurosawa include "Rashomon" (1950), "Seven Samurai" (1954), "Yojimbo" (1961), and "The Hidden Fortress" (1958), which inspired George Lucas's "Star Wars."
Apart from his work with Kurosawa, Mifune appeared in numerous other films, showcasing his versatility as an actor. He played roles in various genres, including dramas, comedies, and war films. Some of his other notable films include "The Throne of Blood" (1957), "High and Low" (1963), and "Red Beard" (1965).
Mifune's charismatic presence, powerful performances, and ability to convey complex emotions made him an iconic figure in Japanese cinema. He received international recognition and awards for his contributions to the film industry, including several honors at the Venice Film Festival and a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Acted in
Charles Bronson: The Spirit of Masculinity
2020
as Self (archive footage)
Mifune: The Last Samurai
2016
as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Hidden Fortress'
2002
as Self
Kurosawa
2000
as Self (archive footage)
Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman
1998
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of '1941'
1996
as (archive)
Picture Bride
1995
as The Benshi
Deep River
1995
as Tsukada
Shadow of the Wolf
1992
as Kroomak
Journey of Honor
1991
as Ieyasu Tokugawa
Strawberry Road
1991
as Taoka
Heaven and Earth: Dawn Episode
1990
as Nagao Tamekage
Death of a Tea Master
1989
as Rikyu Sen-no
cf Girl
1989
as Shūichirō Hase
The Demon Comes in Spring
1989
as Kukkune no jî
Princess from the Moon
1987
as Taketori-no-Miyatsuko
The Retired Samurai
1987
as Hikozaemon Ōkubo
Tora-san Goes North
1987
as Junkichi Ueno
The Shatterer
1987
as Murai
The Ballad of the Sea of Genkai
1986
as Kyūbei Matsufuji
No More God, No More Love
1985
as Kōzō Kanzaki
The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel
1984
as Fisherman
Okita Soji: Swordsman of Fire
1984
as Shūsai Kondō
Burning Mountain River
1984
as Otsuichi Amo
Secret of the Forbidden Valley
1983
The Women of Osaka Castle
1983
as Tokugawa Ieyasu
Lowly Ronin 6: Betrayal at Yatate Pass
1983
as Sûrônin Hinoki Sajûrô
Battle Anthem
1983
as Admiral Heihachiro Togo
Lowly Ronin 5: The Teenage Orphan Girl
1983
as Sûrônin Rakuyôjûrô
Lowly Ronin 4: Living Hell
1983
as Sanjuro Hinoki
Theater Of Life
1983
as Hyōtarō Aonari
Lowly Ronin 2: The Spray of Blood
1982
as Sanjuro Hinoki
Domineering
1982
as Masao Tadokoro
The Challenge
1982
as Toru Yoshida
The Lowly Ronin 3: Duel at Dawn
1982
Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 2
1982
as Tamon Umei
Lowly Ronin
1981
as Sanjuro Hinoki
Tuesday Suspense Theater
1981
The Bushido Blade
1981
as Shogun's Commander
Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 1
1981
as Tamon Umei
Inchon
1981
as Saito-San
Sekigahara
1981
as Sakon Shima
Shōgun
1980
as Lord Yoshi Toranaga
Port Arthur
1980
as Emperor Meiji
1941
1979
as Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura
Onmitsu Doshin: The Edo Secret Police
1979
as Sadanobu Matsudaira
The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi
1979
as Kindaichi of 11th Generation in "The Woman in the Eye"
Winter Kills
1979
as Keith
The 47 Ronins of Ako
1979
as Tachibana Sakon
Lord Mito
1978
as Sakuzaemon Okumura
The Fall of Ako Castle
1978
as Tsuchiya Michinao
Japanese Godfather: Conclusion
1978
as Kosuke Oishi
Love and Faith
1978
as Taiko Hideyoshi
Shag
1978
as Captain Takeo Murata
Shogun's Samurai
1978
as Yoshinao Tokugawa
Falcons of Edo
1978
as Kanbei Uchiyama
Japanese Godfather: Ambition
1977
as Kosuke Oishi
Proof of the Man
1977
as Yohei Kori
Midway
1976
as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Ronin in a Lawless Town
1976
as Mr. Danna
Paper Tiger
1975
as Ambassador Kagoyama
Ronin of the Wastelands
1972
as Kujuro Toge
Red Sun
1971
as Kuroda Jubei
Epic Chushingura
1971
as Oishi Kuranosuke
The Militarists
1970
as Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto
The Walking Major
1970
as Kinugasa Tadao
Incident at Blood Pass
1970
as Yojimbo
The Ambitious
1970
as Shojiro Goto
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
1970
as Yojimbo/Sasa
Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor
1969
as Isami Kondo
Red Lion
1969
as Gonzo
Battle of the Japan Sea
1969
as Admiral Heihachiro Togo
Safari 5000
1969
as Yūichirō Takase
Samurai Banners
1969
as Kansuke Yamamoto
Hell in the Pacific
1968
as Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda
The Day the Sun Rose
1968
as Kumaza
Admiral Yamamoto
1968
as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
The Sands of Kurobe
1968
as Kitagawa
Japan's Longest Day
1967
as War Minister General Korechika Anami
Samurai Rebellion
1967
as Isaburo Sasahara
Grand Prix
1966
as Izō Yamura
Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions
1966
as Self
Rise Against the Sword
1966
as Abare Gōemon
The Mad Atlantic
1966
as Heihachirô Murakami
Adventure in Kigan Castle
1966
as Osami
The Sword of Doom
1966
as Toranosuke Shimada
Fort Graveyard
1965
as Sergeant Kosugi
The Retreat from Kiska
1965
as Omura
Sanshiro Sugata
1965
as Shogoro Yano
Red Beard
1965
as Dr. Kyojio Niide ("Red Beard")
Samurai Assassin
1965
as Tsuruchiyo Niiro
Whirlwind
1964
as Lord Akashi
Samurai Pirate
1963
as Sukezaemon Naya, aka 'Luzon' [Sinbad, in US version]
Legacy of the 500,000
1963
as Takeichi Matsuo
High and Low
1963
as Kingo Gondo
Attack Squadron
1963
as Lt. Colonel Senda
47 Ronin
1962
as Genba Tawaraboshi
Three Gentlemen Return from Hong Kong
1962
as Zhang Zhizhang
Doburoku no Tatsu
1962
as Tatsu
Sanjuro
1962
as Sanjûrô Tsubaki / The ronin
The Important Man
1961
as Ánimas Trujano
The Youth and His Amulet
1961
as Fudo-Myo (Immovable Bright King)
Yojimbo
1961
as Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
The Masterless 47 – Part II
1961
Daredevil in the Castle
1961
as Mohei
The Masterless 47
1960
as Kazuo Momoi
The Bad Sleep Well
1960
as Kôichi Nishi
Man Against Man
1960
as Kaji
The Storm of the Pacific
1960
as Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
The Gambling Samurai
1960
as Kunisada Chuji
The Last Gunfight
1960
as Detective Saburo Fujioka
The Three Treasures
1959
as Prince Yamato Takeru
Desperado Outpost
1959
as Battalion Commander
Saga of the Vagabonds
1959
as Rokuro Kai
Samurai Saga
1959
as Heihachiro Komaki
The Big Boss
1959
as Kashimura
The Hidden Fortress
1958
as General Rokurota Makabe
Theater of Life
1958
All About Marriage
1958
as Acting teacher
Yaji and Kita on the Road
1958
as Toshinoshin Taya
The Rickshaw Man
1958
as Matsugorō Tomishima
A Holiday in Tokyo
1958
as Tenkai's nephew Jirō
Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II
1958
as Tasaburo
Down Town
1957
as Yoshio Tsuruishi
The Lower Depths
1957
as Sutekichi the Thief
A Dangerous Hero
1957
as Kawada
Yagyu Secret Scrolls
1957
as Tasaburō Kasumi
Good Luck to These Two
1957
as Toshio Maruyama
A Man in the Storm
1957
as Saburō Watari
Throne of Blood
1957
as Taketori Washizu
Rebels on the High Sea
1956
as Matsuo Tokuzō
Scoundrel
1956
as Kanji
A Wife's Heart
1956
as Kenkichi
Settlement of Love
1956
as Shuntarō Ōhira
The Underworld
1956
as Chief Inspector Kumada
Rainy Night Duel
1956
as Masahiko Koseki
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island
1956
as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
I Live in Fear
1955
as Kiichi Nakajima
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple
1955
as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
No Time for Tears
1955
as Mitsuo Yano
All is Well 2
1955
as Daikichi Risshun
All is Well
1955
as Daikichi Risshun
A Man Among Men
1955
as "Buick" Maki
The Black Fury
1954
as Eiichi Tsuda
The Surf
1954
as Skipper of the Utashima-maru
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
1954
as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
Seven Samurai
1954
as Kikuchiyo
Eagle of the Pacific
1953
as 1st Lieutenant Tomonaga
Sunflower Girl
1953
as Ippei Hitachi
The Last Embrace
1953
as Shinkichi / Hayakawa
My Wonderful Yellow Car
1953
as Matsumura
The Man Who Came to Port
1952
as Gorō Niinuma
Swift Current
1952
as Shunsuke Kosugi
Tokyo Sweetheart
1952
as Kurokawa
Sword for Hire
1952
as Sasa Hayatenosuke
Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
1952
The Life of Oharu
1952
as Katsunosuke
Foghorn
1952
as Chiyokichi
Vendetta of a Samurai
1952
as Mataemon Araki
Who Knows a Woman's Heart
1951
as Mizuno
The Life of a Horse Trader
1951
as Yonetaro Katayama
Sasaki Kojiro
1951
as Miyamoto Musashi
Meeting of the Ghost of Apres-Guerre
1951
as Kenji Kawakami
Pirates
1951
as Tora
The Idiot
1951
as Denkichi Akama
Elegy
1951
as Prosecutor Daisuke Toki
Beyond Love and Hate
1951
as Gorō Sakata
Rashomon
1950
as Tajômaru
Wedding Ring
1950
as Takeshi Ema
Scandal
1950
as Ichirô Aoye
Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka
1950
as Teisaku Nagasawa
Escape from Prison
1950
as Shinkichi
Stray Dog
1949
as Det. Murakami
Jakoman and Tetsu
1949
as Tetsu
The Quiet Duel
1949
as Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki
Drunken Angel
1948
as Matsunaga
These Foolish Times
1947
as Genzaburo Onō, Gang Boss
Snow Trail
1947
as Eijima