Ken Takakura

Acting

Ken Takakura

Born February 16, 1931 · Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan

Died November 10, 2014 · aged 83

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 …

Known For

Black RainBlack Rain · 1989
Black Rain
★ 6.61989
MovieDramaAction
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.
The Yellow HandkerchiefThe Yellow Handkerchief · 1977
The Yellow Handkerchief
★ 7.01977
MovieComedyDrama
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
The YakuzaThe Yakuza · 1974
The Yakuza
★ 7.11974
MovieCrimeDrama
When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.
ManhuntManhunt · 1976
Manhunt
★ 6.21976
MovieActionCrime
A tough prosecutor is falsely accused of theft and goes on the run to clear his name. He is assisted by the beautiful daughter of a rich man.
AntarcticaAntarctica · 1983
Antarctica
★ 7.21983
MovieDramaAdventure
Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica.
Golgo 13Golgo 13 · 1973
Golgo 13
★ 5.11973
MovieActionCrime
Live-action adaptation of the hit manga. Golgo 13, also known by the pseudonym Duke Togo, is a professional assassin. His age and birthplace are unknown and there is no consensus in the worldwide intelligence community as to his true identity. Most of his jobs are completed through the use of a customized, scoped M16 rifle. Golgo 13 is contracted to kill Boss Goa, the head of a worldwide crime syndicate responsible for drugs, weapons, and human trafficking.
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji TempleMiyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple · 1964
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
★ 7.11964
MovieActionDrama
In the fourth installment, Musashi's potentially greatest opponent Kojiro jumps in and out of the story at the oddest and most coincidental moments. As his great love Otsu has succumbed to madness. Musashi then sets off to beat the functionaries of a treacherous clan in an arranged duel. 73 against one. Boastful Kojiro watches, secure in the knowledge that only he is a worthy opponent.
Too Late the HeroToo Late the Hero · 1970
Too Late the Hero
★ 6.41970
MovieDramaAction
A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

Filmography

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An Elegy of TyroleAn Elegy of Tyrole · 1992
An Elegy of Tyrole
1992
SeriesDrama
In the past, it was bustling with coal mines, but due to the closure of the mine one after another, the city of Nupuka no Shiki in Hokkaido is currently suffering from depopulation. The mayor, Yamagata, is trying to revitalize the city by proceeding with the construction of the theme park "Tyrolean World" with capital participation from the Kanto Electric Railway in Tokyo. Tateishi, the head of the engineering department of the Kanto Electric Railway, is assigned to Hokkaido, leaving his daughter Aki in Tokyo to be responsible for the construction and operation of Tyrolean World. There he meets Kikukawa, whom Tateishi had dissuaded from committing suicide in the past. Soon complicated triangle forms, beetwen Tateishi feeling responsible for Kikukawa, his wife and Kikukawa himself, trying run from the situation.

Tateishi Jiro