Ken Takakura

, born , 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, tied with Koji Yakusho for the most ever. He was the second of four siblings, two of whom were sons and two of whom were daughters. His father, Toshiro Oda, was a former Imperial Japanese Navy officer, serving on the battleship Hiei during World War II, and mother, Takano was a teacher. As child he suffered from disease , encouraged by his father, Tadahi joined sports when 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. 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. He also starred as the titular assassin in Junya Satō's Golgo 13, a Japanese–Iranian production and the first live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga series Golgo 13.

He appeared in three films since 2000: in May 2001, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, in late December 2005, and Yasuo Furuhata's Anata e (Dearest) in late August 2012, after a six-year hiatus. He died of lymphoma on November 10, 2014. A huge number of Chinese internet users expressed their sympathies and condolences, including many celebrities in the Chinese movie industry. The spokesman of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hong Lei said that Takakura made significant contributions to the cultural exchange between China and Japan.

A documentary based on Takakura's life entitled Ken San premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was released in Japanese theaters on August 20, 2016. It was directed by photographer Yuichi Hibi and features interviews with filmmakers and actors such as Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Michael Douglas, John Woo, and Yoji Yamada.

Filmography

Honours Takakura (far right) received the Order of Culture on November 3, 2013. Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1978 – as Yusaku Shima, in The Yellow Handkerchief 1981 – as Kōsaku Tajima, in A Distant Cry from Spring 1982 – as Eiji Mikami, in Station 1999 – as Otomatsu Satō, in Poppoya Japan Academy Prize for Special Award of Honour from the Association 2013 Blue Ribbon Awards 1977 – as Yusaku Shima, in The Yellow Handkerchief 1999 – as Otomatsu Satō, in Poppoya Japanese Medal of Honor (Purple Ribbon) (1998) Person of Cultural Merit (2006) Order of Culture (2013) Junior Third Rank (2014; posthumous)