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Ken Takakura (高倉健 Takakura Ken), born Gouichi Oda (小田剛一 Oda Gōichi, born 16 February 1931, in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan), is a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic, honorable presence he brings to his roles.

Known as the "Clint Eastwood" of Japan, 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 the prestigious Meiji University in Tokyo Takakura happened by an auditon in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei would find a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. As luck would have it, 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 1965 playing an ex-con antihero in Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen (Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home). By the time Takakura would leave Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films.

Takakura gained international recognition after starring in 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 Garcia with the comical line, "I do speak fucking English". He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences 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.


Filmography

* Kimi yo fundo no kawa o watare (1976)

Latest news about Ken Takakura

Watch Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles Online! Japanese actor Ken Takakura stars as Gou-ichi Takata, a laconic man who lives in a fishing village and is estranged from his son. When word reaches him that his son is ill with cancer, Takata travels to Tokyo but is turned away. ... Continue reading Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow: Koji Yakusho and Koichi Sato to head up ... ... Hiroshi Imagaki's all-star "Chushingura: 47 Samurai" (with Yuzo Kayama, Setsuko Har, Reiko Dan, and Ryo Ikebe to name only a few), and Kon Ichikawa's 1994 "47 Ronin" starring Ken Takakura, actually have a place on my DVD shelf along ... Continue reading introduce ed hardy shoes since then, ken takakura played any of the films i have to go. there is a description of the film for japanese soldiers, the last shot is ken takakura decorated by the male lead in the execution ground on the last minute. “ken takakura ... Continue reading ken takakura mitsubishi galant classic ad by buzly.com ken takakura mitsubishi galant classic ad. one of japan's best actors, ken takakura advertising a *then* current mitsubishi galant in 1981 ...now that's advertising ! buzed 0 | 2 views | 0 comments. click here to watch the video ... Continue reading Parallel Music: Yukon - Ken Takakura Yukon - Ken Takakura. Book was made in 1971, but it never officially released at the time. Photo by Tsutomu Endo, Eiko Hosoe, Yoshihiro Tatsuki etc.. Edited by Tadanori Yokoo. Now it's finally out. Posted by Parallel Music at 6/05/2009 ... Continue reading riding alone for thousands of miles is a 2005 chinese / japanese drama film directed by zhang yimou and starring ken takakura. it premiered at the tokyo international film festival on 22 october 2005 and was released in china on 22 december 2005. written by zou jingzhi, ... Continue reading movie - nankyoku monogatari ken takakura be a japanese thespian commanding group inwardly espouse of his brooding finesse and the stoic, honorable attendance he bring to his role. known near opening of the "clint eastwood" of japan, takakura gain his streetwise ... Continue reading Can anyone recommend any good Japanese movies? | http://travel ... Ken Takakura and Ryoko Hirosue give brilliant performances. "Dare mo shiranai" (Nobody Knows) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408664/ Was quite good. Based on a true story, it's about four children under 12 who were abandoned by their ... Continue reading movie - miyamoto musashi: nitoryu kaigen (1963) ken takakura be a japanese thespian greatest agreed contained by favour of his brooding flamboyance and the stoic, honorable attendance he bring to his role. known in cudgel of the "clint eastwood" of japan, takakura gain his streetwise ... Continue reading Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles-淘宝网-四方工場-淘宝空间 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles is a 2005 Chinese / Japanese drama film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Ken Takakura. It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2005 and released in China 2005. ... Continue reading Hollywood Actors Jessica alba Ken Takakura pictures and Ken Takakura biography

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