Minoru Chiaki

was a Japanese actor who appeared in eleven of Akira Kurosawa's films, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and The Hidden Fortress. He was also one of Kon Ichikawa's favourite actors.

He attended, but did not graduate from, Chuo University.

He died of cardiac and pulmonary failure at age 82. His son Katsuhiko Sasaki is also an actor.

Filmography

Film

Stray Dog (1949) – Girlie Show director Rashōmon (1950) – Priest Nanairo no hana (1950) – Tahei Izumi Koi no Oranda-zaka (1951) – Suekichi The Idiot (1951) – Mutsuo Kayama, the secretary Araki Mataemon: Kettô kagiya no tsuji (1952) Mōjū tsukai no shōjo (1952) Bijo to touzoku (1952) – Takeichi no Takamaru Kyô wa kaisha no gekkyûbi (1952) – Chief of General Affairs Ikiru (1952) – Noguchi Mogura yokochô (1953) Seven Samurai (1954) – Heihachi Hayashida, one of the samurai Shunkin monogatari (1954) – Teizo Kakute yume ari (1954) – Sensuke Nasu Saizansu nitôryû (1954) – Kojirô Sasaki / Daijirô – His son / Danjûrô – Travelling actor Godzilla Raids Again (1955) – Kobayashi Ryanko no Yatarô (1955) – Gozematsu Kaettekita wakadan'na (1955) – Igarashi I Live in Fear (1955) – Jiro Nakajima Jirochô yûkyôden: amagi garasu (1955) Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) – Sasuke the boatman Kyûketsu-ga (1956) – Sango Kawase A Wife's Heart (1956) – Zenichi Narazu-mono (1956) – Sobei Gendai no yokubô (1956) – Mikami Oshidori no mon (1956) Oshaberi shacho (1957) Throne Of Blood (1957) – Yoshiaki Miki Ujô (1957) - Kenkichi Tanabe Sanjûrokunin no jôkyaku (1957) – Motohashi – Drug Salesman Hikage no musume (1957) Tôhoku no zunmu-tachi (1957) – Tasuke The Lower Depths (1957) – Tonosama – the former Samurai Hadairo no tsuki (1957) – Umekichi Ishikura Ninjutsu suikoden inazuma kotengu (1958) Futari dake no hashi (1958) – Kaikichi Ishida Anzukko (1958) – Saburo Yoshida Uguisu-jô no hanayome (1958) Hana no bojô (1958) – Fukuzô Yanami The Hidden Fortress (1958) – Tahei Oshaberi okusan (1959) Sengoku gunto-den (1959) – Jibu Naniwa no koi no monogatari (1959) Anyakôro (1959) – Nobuyuki Tokito The Human Condition (1959) – Onodera Heichô Sâtsu rarete tama ruka (I) (1960) Mito Komon 3: All Star Version (1960) Case of a Young Lord 8 (1960) – Sasajima Toshizo Shinran (1960) – Seizenbo Yôtô monogatari: hana no Yoshiwara hyakunin-giri (1960) – Jôsuke Shirakoya Komako (1960) – Matashirô Zoku shinran (1960) Yatarô gasa (1960) – Kichitaro Gen to fudômyô-ô (1961) Hadakakko (1961) – Sandwich man Ashita aru kagiri (1962) The Inheritance (1962) - Junichi Fujii Amakusa Shirô Tokisada (1962) – Sôho Tanaka Love Under the Crucifix Chiisakobe (1962) – Dairoku Kigeki: Detatoko shôbu – 'Chinjarara monogatari' yori (1962) – Tarô Yamada Hibari Chiemi no Yaji Kita Dochu (1963) Hibari Chiemi no oshidori senryô gasa (1963) High and Low (1963) – Journalist Uogashi no sempû musume (1963) Gobanchô yûgirirô (1963) – Takematsu Brave Records of the Sanada Clan (1963) – Yukimura Sanada Rojingai no kaoyaku (1963) – Fujimura Genzaemon The Body (1964) – Sasaki Samé (1964) – Shirosa Kono sora no aru kagiri (1964) – Ryûtarô Nogami Taking The Castle (1965) – Sanai Hiya-meshi to Osan to Chan (1965) – Nakagawa (episode 1) Zero faita dai kûsen (1966) The Face of Another (1966) – Apartment Superintendent Lake of Tears (1966) – Kidayu Momose Hatamoto yakuza (1966) Ai no Sanka (1967) – The Ship-master Sei no kigen (1967) – Girl's father Nippon ichi no danzetsu otoko (1969) – Shimizu Yoru no isoginchaku (1970) – Pastor Karafuto 1945 Summer Hyosetsu no mon (1974) – Planter Kyojin-gun monogatari: Susume eikô e (1977) Tokugawa ichizoku no houkai (1980) Gray Sunset (Hana Ichimonme) (1985) – Fuyukichi Takano Don Matsugorô no daibôken (1987) – Amenomori Seikai (final film role)

Television Kunitori Monogatari (1973) – Oda Nobuhide Edo no Kaze (1975) Sekigahara (1981) – Yamauchi Kazutoyo

Honours Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (1989)