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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ken Takakura, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
197 movies · 4 shows
Ken San
2016·6.7
Dearest
2012·6.7
Black Rain: Making The Film
2006·7.3
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
2005·7.1
The Firefly
2001·7.5
Railroad Man
1999·7.1
The detective whose path was crossed by a snake
1995·0.0
47 Ronin
1994·7.4
Mr. Baseball
1992·5.8
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
1991·7.5
Buddies
1989·6.9
Black Rain
1989·6.6
Umi e, See You
1988·10.0
Demon
1985·7.6
A Portrait of the Author
1984·0.0
Choji Snack Bar
1983·7.8
Antarctica
1983·7.2
The Longest Tunnel
1982·10.0
Karate Cop
1982·9.0
Station
1981·6.3
A Distant Cry from Spring
1980·7.4
The Revolt
1980·7.0
Never Give Up
1978·6.4
Winter's Flower
1978·6.3
The Yellow Handkerchief
1977·7.0
Mount Hakkoda
1977·6.6
Manhunt
1976·6.2
The International Gang of Kobe
1975·5.7
The Bullet Train
1975·6.9
Great Jailbreak
1975·7.0
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1975·10.0
The Yakuza
1974·7.1
The Homeless
1974·7.8
Third Generation Boss
1974·8.0
Golgo 13
1973·5.1
Yakuza of the Present
1973·7.0
Japan's Top Gangster
1973·7.0
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
1972·7.0
New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
1972·10.0
The Pledge
1972·5.8
Lullaby for a Tough Guy
1972·10.0
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
1972·6.8
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
1971·8.0
The Man
1971·7.0
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love
1971·7.5
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
1971·5.8
Patience Has An End
1971·5.9
Dagger
1971·7.0
Bloodiest Flower
1971·6.0
The Path of the King
1971·6.5
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stray Wolf in Snow
1970·7.0
The Domain: Rising Dragon
1970·10.0
The Last Kamikaze
1970·7.0
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
1970·7.0
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri
1970·8.0
Yukyo-retsuden
1970·7.5
Too Late the Hero
1970·6.4
The Japan Derby Race
1970·7.0
A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life
1970·9.0
House of Gamblers
1970·7.0
Brave Red Flower of the North
1970·6.8
Gambler's Legacy
1969·6.7
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
1969·6.5
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
1969·9.0
Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
1969·7.5
New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
1969·6.5
Samurai Geisha
1969·7.5
The Domain: Flower and Dragon
1969·10.0
Brothers Serving Time
1969·8.0
The Biggest Gamble
1969·7.0
Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony
1969·6.6
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
1969·7.7
Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
1969·7.3
New Prison Walls of Abashiri
1968·6.5
Gambler Biography
1968·6.0
The Day the Sun Rose
1968·8.0
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968·7.0
Rogue
1968·7.0
Red Peony Gambler
1968·7.5
Histories of the Chivalrous
1968·8.0
The Drifting Avenger
1968·6.1
Prison Boss
1968·7.7
The Domain: Severed Relations
1968·10.0
A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm
1967·9.0
Code of Chivalry
1967·0.0
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967·10.0
Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
1967·9.0
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
1967·7.5
Classmates
1967·6.5
The Chivalrous Life
1967·8.5
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
1967·8.0
The Domain: White Blade
1967·8.0
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
1966·7.0
Glorious Fights
1966·7.3
The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate
1966·9.0
Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
1966·7.0
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
1966·8.0
Showdown of Men
1966·7.0
The Kamikaze Guy
1966·7.7
The Bullet and the Horse
1966·9.0
The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown
1966·9.0
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
1966·7.5
Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
1965·9.0
Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
1965·7.5
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
1965·7.4
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
1965·7.3
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965·7.5
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
1965·8.0
Abashiri Prison
1965·7.2
Tokyo Untouchable
1965·7.0
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965·4.8
A Fugitive from the Past
1965·7.3
The Boss
1965·7.0
Storm Party
1964·9.0
Wolves, Pigs & Men
1964·8.1
The Domain
1964·6.5
Main Street in the Underworld
1964·6.1
An Outlaw
1964·5.0
Jakoman and Tetsu
1964·7.3
Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
1964·10.0
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
1964·7.0
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
1963·5.7
Blackmail
1963·0.0
Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style
1963·7.0
Duel of the Underworld
1963·7.0
Defeat the Boss
1963·8.0
The Big Boss
1963·0.0
Life of Hishakaku
1963·8.0
Tokyo Untouchable: Escape
1963·9.0
Violent Street
1963·0.0
Eleven Gangsters
1963·10.0
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
1962·7.0
Operation Diamond
1962·9.0
Hell's Kitchen
1962·7.5
365 Nights
1962·0.0
Tokyo's Business District
1962·0.0
Song of Kagoshima
1962·0.0
Tales of President Mito
1962·0.0
Lady Sen and Hideyori
1962·8.0
All Rascals
1962·7.0
The Escape
1962·7.0
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
1962·0.0
South Pacific Waves Are High
1962·0.0
Devil's Nursery Rhyme
1961·7.0
Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san
1961·0.0
Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues
1961·0.0
The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado
1961·0.0
Flower, Storm and Gangster
1961·6.3
A Fishwife's Tale
1961·0.0
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind
1961·0.0
Hell's Juggler
1961·7.0
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4
1961·10.0
If You're Man Enough
1960·8.0
Storming Squadron
1960·0.0
The Sand City in Manchuria
1960·6.5
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3
1960·0.0
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
1960·0.0
Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy
1960·8.0
Delinquent Angel
1960·0.0
The Great Road
1960·8.0
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
1960·9.0
続べらんめぇ芸者
1960·0.0
The Second Bullet is Marked
1960·8.0
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity
1960·0.0
The Counterfeiters
1959·0.0
Four Hours of Terror
1959·6.3
The Silent Murder
1959·0.0
Night of the Suspicions
1959·0.0
Hell's Companion
1959·0.0
A Dead Drifter
1959·0.0
A Man's Dark Finger
1959·0.0
The Happy Family
1959·0.0
The Bastards of Lawless Town
1959·0.0
Sister with Sister
1958·0.0
The Outsiders
1958·7.0
With Songs in My Heart
1958·0.0
Midair Circus
1958·0.0
Detective Duel
1958·6.0
His Pistol is Hell
1958·0.0
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
1958·9.0
Romance Freestyle
1958·0.0
Monsoon Son Pt.2
1958·0.0
Monsoon Son
1958·0.0
Man of Thirteen Eyes
1958·0.0
No Advice Taken
1958·0.0
Jet Air Base 101
1957·0.0
Showdown in Blood
1957·0.0
The Deep Blue Sea
1957·5.0
Men Fighting Whales
1957·0.0
Employee Full of Fight
1957·4.0
恐怖の空中殺人
1956·0.0
Mother Peacock
1956·0.0
Manchurian Sunset
1956·0.0
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
1956·9.0
The Chop Professor
1956·8.0
Lightning Karate Blow
1956·0.0
Meteor Karate Strike
1956·0.0