Japanese Actors
List activity
45K views
• 56 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
75 people
- Masanobu Andô was born on 19 May 1975 in Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Battle Royale (2000), Kids Return (1996) and Sukiyaki Western Django (2007). He has been married to unknown since 2014. They have one child.In 1996, He debuted in "Kid's Return" by director Takeshi Kitano. Since, works focusing on the motion-picture.
- Hiroshi Abe was born on 22 June 1964 in Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Still Walking (2008), Godzilla 2000 (1999) and After the Storm (2016).He's been worked as a fashion model, two years later appeared in the first movie.
The past ten years, he performance outstanding in many movies, including many comedies. - Sadao Abe was born on 23 April 1970 in Chiba, Japan. He is an actor, known for Maiko haaaan!!! (2007), Shylock's Children (2023) and Lesson in Murder (2022).
- Actor
- Director
- Composer
Tadanobu Asano's a Japanese film actor. His father suggested he take on what became his first role in the TV show Kimpachi Sensei at 16. His film debut was Swimming Upstream (1990) though his first major critical success was in Shunji Iwai's Fried Dragon Fish (1993). His first critical success in the West was in Kore-eda Hirokazu's Maborosi (1995), in which he played a man who inexplicably throws himself in front of a train, widowing his wife & orphaning his infant son. His best known works internationally are the samurai films Taboo (1999) & The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003). It was on the set of Iwai's Picnic (1996) that he met & fell in love with J-Pop idol Chara. They married soon after learning she was pregnant with their first child, Sumire. While best known for characters who are psychologically offbeat, if not downright psychotic (e.g. Kakihara in Ichi the Killer (2001)), he has been described by those who know him as a down-to-earth family man. He has directed commercial TV spots for Chara. Hesistant to identify himself as an actor, he most readily describes himself as a vocalist, referring to Mach 1.67, the band he has w/ director Gakuryû Ishii. He's also an artist & sometimes works as a model, most notably for the Japanese designers Takeo Kikuchi & Jun Takahashi.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mickey Curtis was born on 23 July 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Kamikaze Taxi (1995), Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) and Gunhed (1989). He was previously married to Mari Yoshimura.In postwar Japan, he was performing musical activities for soldier.
60s, "rockabilly music" became popularity and he became a popular person as the central figure. And he appeared on a variety program and many movies.
Although it was appearing on the movie as a supporting actor in recent years, he will star in 2012 as the comedy which used robotics as the motif .- Denden was born on 23 January 1950 in Fukuoka, Japan. He is an actor, known for Cold Fish (2010), Sake-Bomb (2013) and Godzilla 2000 (1999).He appeared on the variety program and made his entertainment world debut. Then, he converted to the actor.
He played the position of the "good-natured uncle" style on the movie in many cases. But he performed the role of a murderous fiend enthusiastically on a certain movie, and got high evaluation in 2011. - Eita Nagayama was born on 13 December 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Dear Doctor (2009), Monster (2023) and Nakumonka (2009). He has been married to Kaela Kimura since 1 September 2010. They have two children.A Japanese actor. Born in Niigata.
He started the career as a model.
He is appearing on many movies regardless of starring or a supporting actor.
On the movie of Director Miwa Nishikawa the "Dear doctor", he played the sensitive young doctor.
He married Kimura kaera, a Japanese singer. He is good at board game Othello. - Tôru Emori was born on 25 January 1944 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Paprika (2006) and Shaso (1989).imagine "Japanese Jeremy Irons".
- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Akira Emoto was born on 3 November 1948 in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003), Dr. Akagi (1998) and Lovers Lost (1982).- Actor
- Writer
Ken'ichi Endô was born on 28 June 1961 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and writer, known for Nobody Knows (2004), The Raid 2 (2014) and Bijitâ Q (2001).- Seizô Fukumoto was born on 3 February 1943 in Kami, Japan. He was an actor, known for The Last Samurai (2003), Uzumasa Limelight (2014) and 13 Assassins (2010). He died on 1 January 2021 in Kyoto, Japan.
- Arata Furuta was born on 3 December 1965 in Hyogo, Japan. He is an actor, known for 13 Assassins (2010), Harlock: Space Pirate (2013) and Shin Godzilla (2016). He is married to Yayoi Nishihaa. They have one child.
- Isao Hashizume was born on 17 September 1941 in Osaka, Japan. He is an actor, known for The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013), Space Battleship Yamato (2010) and Mr. Rookie (2002).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mitsuru Hirata was born on 2 November 1953 in Aichi, Japan. He is an actor, known for Fall Guy (1982), Shabu-Shabu Spirit (2015) and Fukushima 50 (2020).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ihara Tsuyoshi was born on November 6, 1963, in Kokura, Kyushu. He grew up in Osaka, and after graduating high school, he joined JAC (Japan Action Club) which is headed by Shin'ichi Chiba (aka Chiba Shinichi), which is a company of stunt and action actors. He made his debut in 1983 in a stage drama called "The Midnight Party." Since then, he has appeared in many commercials, TV drama, and movies such as "Kochira Hon Ikegami-sho," "Koino Jikan," "Shiawase ni naritai," "Magari kado no kanojyo," "Kowloon de aimasho," and NHK's Taiga drama "Sinsengumi" etc. He continues to be a popular actor starring in both serious and comical roles.- Actor
- Producer
Togo Igawa is an actor/director living in England. In 1968 he joined the Theatre Centre 68 (precursor of the Black Tent Theatre), and went on to tour throughout Japan, performing in more than 120 cities. In 1983 he moved to England. In 1986, the opening season for the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon Avon, he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company as its first Japanese actor. Since then he has appeared extensively on stage, film, television and radio worldwide.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Yûsuke Iseya was born on 29 May 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Blindness (2008), 13 Assassins (2010) and Kakuto (2002).- Ishibashi Ryo (Ryo Ishibashi) was born on July 20, 1956, in Fukuoka City, Kyushu, Japan. Being a multi-talented star, and an international celebrity, Ryo Ishibashi has starred in many TV programs, and movies both within his native Japan, and abroad. He began his celebrity career when he started his own rock band the ARB (Alexiander's Ragtime Band) in 1977, which made their recording debut on October 29, 1978. He released over a dozen records with the band until their breakup in 1990. Ryo Ishibashi started his acting career in 1986 when he became acquainted with the late actor Yûsaku Matsuda (who was also internationally known for his co-starring role with Michael Douglas in the movie Black Rain (1989)). He made his movie debut in Matsuda's movie "Ahomance" in which ARB's 13th single "After 45" was used as its theme song. Ryo Ishibashi has been concentrating on his acting career since his split with ARB in 1990, and has appeared in several movies outside his native country Japan, and became an internationally recognized celebrity.
- Saburô Ishikura was born on 16 December 1946 in Kagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003), Shinsengumi (2000) and Tales of the Bizarre (1990).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Shirô Itô was born on 13 June 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Shaberedomo shaberedomo (2007), Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974) and Maiko haaaan!!! (2007).- Hiroshi Inuzuka was born on 23 March 1929 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Kamen Rider ZO (1993), Kureji no daiboken (1965) and Female Masseur Guerilla: Great Attack (1970). He died on 27 October 2023 in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
- Teruyuki Kagawa was born on 7 December 1965 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Out (2002), Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012) and Sway (2006).
- Ryunosuke Kamiki was born in Fujimi. He was diagnosed with a rare disease soon after he was born and was lucky enough to become one of the 1% who survived the disease. To celebrate this miracle, his mother decided to register him as a child actor in an agency to record his growth. He acted in his first TV ad when he was 2 & quickly became one of the best child actors of his generation. He debuted in TV drama when he was 6, playing the stepson of the main character Takeshi Kurosawa (played by Japanese idol Masahiro Nakai) in the 1999's TV drama Good News. He also appeared briefly as a supporting actor in the 1998's drama Happy Mania and as since acted in numerous TV dramas, including Quiz (2000), Namida o fuite (2000), Mukodono! (2001), Wedding Planner(2001), Tantei Kazoku(2002). As he got older, he also started to act in big screen productions such as Insutoru (2004), Otosan no backdrop (2004), Ren'ai-shousetsu (2004) & Survive Style 5+ (2005).
2005 was an important year in his career. He became the sole leading actor of a movie for the first time in Takashi Miike's Yokai daisenso (The Great Yokai War). The film was shown in Venice Film Festival that year, but he missed the red carpet because of jet lag and tiredness from the flight to Venice. His performance is widely praised both in Japan and internationally, winning him the Newcomer of the Year of 29th Japan Academy Prize. He also starred in the TV drama Aikurushii that year & became friends with his co-star Kanata Hongo, a fellow child actor.
In 2007, he got his first sole leading role in a TV drama in detective drama Tantei Gakuen Q, playing alongside with many of his future high school classmates and friends including Mirai Shida & Hey! Say! JUMP's Ryosuke Yamada. He starred in an NHK Asadora (Dondo Hare (2007) for the first time, playing the brother of the leading female character. Other works that year also include Little DJ: Chiisana koi no monogatari, Toku no sora ni kieta and he is the leading stars in all of these film.
Kamiki spent most of the year 2008 shooting the TV drama Kaze no gaaden in Hokkaido. The drama was written by famous Japanese screenwriter So Kuramoto, and Kamiki played the mentally-disabled son of the main character, Sadami Shiratori, who is starred by Kamiki's favourite actor Kiichi Nakai. Kamiki developed a father-and-son kind of friendship w/ Kiichi Nakai during filming.
In 2010, he played one of his most famous characters in the TV series Keizoku 2: SPEC: Juichi Ninomae. His character was so widely loved that the producer of the series tried everything he could to get him to appear in the follow-up movie series of the show. In 2012, he played the famous Japanese tragic hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the NHK Taiga drama Taira no Kiyomori. As he also played young Minamoto no Yoshitsune in NHK 2005's Taiga drama Yoshitsune, he literately portrayed the life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune on small screens.
Another important work by Kamiki's the Japanese Academy-Award winning film Kirishima, bukatsu yamerutteyo (The Kirishima Thing) in 2012. While almost the entire young Japanese acting generation shined in the film, he still managed to give an impressive performance as the leading star. He also influenced other young actors, many acting for the first time, to give their best performance as a senior actor.
2013 was another productive year as the first year after he graduated from high school & became a full-time actor. Apart from continuing to act in the SPEC series film & acting in the TV mini-series Kogure shashinkan, he acted alongside Sho Sakurai in the TV drama Kazoku geemu. His performance was so great that he won best supporting actor at the 77th Drama Academy Awards while the highly-praised drama swept the awards. In 2015, he co-starred with Takeru Satoh in the well-received comic-based movie Bakuman as Akito Takagi. While the movie's about 2 high school students working hard as professional Japanese manga artists for Jump Magazine, he has said that Akito Takagi's 1 of the roles that's most like himself, as he has been a long-time manga lover.
He's widely loved & appreciated by many famous Japanese actors as well as screenwriters. He worked w/ well-acclaimed Japanese screenwriter & director, Kankuro Kudo for the 1st time in 2011, playing the main character in the TV drama 11 nin mo iru!. They worked together again in the 2016 film Too Young to Die & for the 2019 NHK Taiga drama Idaten: Tokyo Olympics Banashi.
He has also worked w/ director Keishi Ohtomo several times, who's famous for making good comics-adapted movies. He played Sojiro Seta in the 2011 film Ruroni Kenshin: Kyoto taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno) & Ruroni Kenshin: Densetsu no saigo-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends). As a fan of the original manga series Ruroni Kenshin & Sojiro Seta, he practiced for the role even before he was officially cast for it. He was the 1st choice for Rei Kiriyama, the main character of 3-gatsu no raion zenpen (March Comes in Like a Lion) (2017), even getting a rank for amateur shogi players during his preparation for the role as Rei Kiriyama.
Apart from his acting career, Kamiki has a stunning career as a voice actor. He became 1 of the favorite voice actors of Hayao Miyazaki when he was young, voicing Bo in his Oscar-winning animation movies Spirited Away in 2001. His performance was so good that Miyazaki invited him to work in another well-acclaimed animated movie of Studio Ghibli, Howl's Moving Castle, in 2004. He also played the major character in Ghibli Museum exclusive short film, The Day I Harvested a Planet.
He stated working w/ animation director Hiromasa Yonebayashi while the latter was still working at Studio Ghibli. In 2010, Yonebayashi based the main character Sho, from his directorial debut The Secret World of Arrietty, on Ryunosuke, inviting him to become the voice of the character. After Yonebayashi started his own animation studio, STUDIO PONOC, he invited Ryunosuke, to dub for the main male character, Peter, in the studio's first feature-length animation, Mary and the Witch's Flower in 2017.
Other famous animation directors he has worked w/ includ Mamoru Hosoda & Masayuki Kojima. He voiced the main character of Masayuki Kojima's Piano no mori (Piano Forest) in 2007, playing Mamoru Hosoda as well as the enjoyable & well-received film Sama uozu (Summer Wars) in 2009. He also worked as a voice actor in a Doraemon movie (Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur 2006) and the 2011 animated movie The Princess and the Pilot.
His highlight in his career as a voice actor came in 2016 when he voiced the main character in Makoto Shinkai's widely renowned animated romantic fantasy drama film, Your Name. As his character Taki Tachibana switches bodies with the major female character Mitsuha, he gave a critically acclaimed voice acting performance for both Taki and Mitsuha in Taki's body, winning Best Actor at the 11th Seiyu Awards. The film was a worldwide success at the box office. It garnered widespread acclaim from critics and the general public. It also became one of the best-selling films worldwide and the second highest grossed domestic films in Japanese film history, making him the only actor who starred in all 3 top-grossing Japanese domestic films (The other two are Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle).
He enjoys photographing and has even won an award for his photographs. He's also a big fan of railway & an enthusiastic manga lover. - Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
The 1/2 Taiwanese and 1/2 Japanese Takeshi Kaneshiro may have started out as a puerile teen idol in the Chinese entertainment scene, but he's since become a proper film star in his own right. Whether by his own design or not, the boyishness that marked his first steps into showbiz has evolved into a cool, somewhat reticent demeanor that has now become his trademark. Despite being effortlessly good-looking, he chooses to strike a sometimes uneasy balance between the commercially pleasing and the quirky in his choice of film roles -- a move that's unusual for Asian leading men. But whether he's the faithful lover in the Japanese AIDS drama Kamisama mousukoshi dake (1998), the canned-pineapple-eating cop in Chungking Express (1994) or awkward in his role in Misty (1996), a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), Asian audiences love his style. Other memorable roles include his turn as a lovelorn student in Tempting Heart (1999), an angel in Lavender (2000) and the leader of a trio of robbers in Space Travelers (2000). There hasn't been an Asian actor quite as versatile as Kaneshiro, who is able to straddle the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japanese film industries because of his proficiency in various languages. Still, one wonders if the reason why he's so sought after is because he is so elusive. No one really knows what he does outside of film commitments, and his reluctance towards being in the spotlight is legendary.- Toshiaki Karasawa was born on 3 June 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Casshern (2004), Oishii kekkon (1991) and Domain of Murder (1991). He has been married to Tomoko Yamaguchi since 1995.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ryo Kase was born on November 9, 1974, in Kanagawa, Japan.
Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Washington, United States, where he spent most of his childhood.
Kase began his acting career in 2000 and gained his first starring role in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's Antena (2003). He then went on to work with several internationally-renowned Japanese film directors, including Takeshi Kitano, Kore-eda Hirokazu, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. His first appearance in an international film was Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). He continued to appear in several high-profile international films including Gus Van Sant's Restless (2011), Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone in Love (2012), Hong Sang-soo's Hill of Freedom (2014), and Martin Scorsese's Silence (2016).
He is a recipient of multiple awards, including a nomination for Japan Academy Award, Blue Ribbon Award, and Hochi Film Award.- Actor
- Producer
Ittoku Kishibe was born on 9 January 1947 in Kyoto, Japan. He is an actor and producer, known for Byôin de shinu to iu koto (1993), Vital (2004) and Made in Japan (1993).- Kaoru Kobayashi was born on 4 September 1951 in Kyoto, Japan. He is an actor, known for Sorekara (1985), Tales from Earthsea (2006) and Love Letter (1985).
- Yutaka Matsushige was born on 19 January 1963 in Fukuoka, Japan. He is an actor, known for Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005), The Princess Blade (2001) and Ringu (1998).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Casting Department
Hollywood-based actor, writer, director and producer Yuki Matsuzaki, born in Miyazaki, Japan began acting at the age of 7 in a small theatrical group that performed for children. He performed over 50 shows in local theaters until he was 18. Upon graduating high school, he decided to dedicate his life to acting and moved to New York City to become an accomplished actor with the versatility to perform in both English and Japanese. Upon his arrival, all his money was stolen and he became homeless. In order to survive, he started performing on the streets of Times Square where his first-day tally after performing 8-hours was a mere $4.00.
Hard work finally paid off when Edward Zwick cast him in The Last Samurai (2003). Then Hollywood started booking him more. Early roles included Drunken Sword (2005) and Roku (2005). Next, Clint Eastwood cast him as Nozaki in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) and admired at his great transformation. To prepare for the role, he only digested celery and water for five weeks to experience famine, confined himself inside dark closets and bathrooms to recreate the claustrophobic atmosphere for the cave fighting sequences. After Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), NBC offered him a co-star role in their hit TV show Heroes (2006).
In 2009, he starred alongside Steve Martin, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina and Aishwarya Rai as a member of an international dream team of detectives in Pink Panther 2 (2009). He followed that up with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), along with guest star roles in the ABC Family show Melissa & Joey (2011) and HBO's The Newsroom (2012).
He became more internationally recognized when he starred opposite Eugene Domingo, one of Asia's top award-winning actresses from the Philippines in Instant Mommy (2013).
At the Asian Film Festival, he won Best Actor in a Leading Role for Locksmith (2015) for portraying the psychotic serial murderer Tadashi. In 2018, he won Best Actor in a Leading Role for Othello-san (2018) for depicting the stern, unyielding professor Yamada. He also served as an executive producer for the film actively involved within every aspect of the production. He had also starred in a hit miniseries HodoBuzz (2020) where he played Shibata, a conflicted yet passionate Japanese journalist.
He is also an accomplished voice-over actor well-known for portraying one of the most iconic Japanese cartoon characters in the entire world: Miyamoto Usagi, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (2017). He also voiced characters in The Lion Guard (2019), We Bare Bears (2019) and Glitch Techs (2020).
He's known to be a strong supporter of diversity in the film/TV industries. Currently, he wrote, produced and starred in Mosaic Street (2022), a Japanese/English crime drama set in a near-future Japan where diversity is already a norm. It is made to advocate diversity in the Japanese film/TV industries where minority actors have virtually no representation. Starring openly transgender actress Kota Ishijima, openly lesbian actress Ami Ide, and Afro-Japanese actress Ema Grace.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Rentarô Mikuni was born on 20 January 1923 in Gunma, Japan. He was an actor and director, known for Harakiri (1962), Vengeance Is Mine (1979) and Tsuribaka nisshi (1988). He died on 14 April 2013 in Inagi, Tokyo, Japan.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Yutaka Mizutani was born on 14 July 1952 in Ashibetsu, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Seishun no satsujinsha (1976), Lonely Heart (1981) and Partners: The Movie II (2010). He has been married to Ran Itô since 1989. They have one child. He was previously married to Miki McKenzie.- Actor
- Director
Mirai Moriyama was born on 20 August 1984 in Kobe, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Rage (2016), Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004) and The Drudgery Train (2012).- Masahiro Motoki was born on 21 December 1965 in Okegawa, Saitama, Japan. He is an actor, known for Departures (2008), Chûgoku no chôjin (1998) and Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992). He has been married to Yayako Uchida since July 1995. They have three children.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Masatoshi Nagase was born on 15 July 1966 in Miyazaki, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Mystery Train (1989), Paterson (2016) and My Sons (1991). He was previously married to Kyôko Koizumi.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Japanese leading man, an important star and one of the handful of Japanese actors well known outside Japan. Nakadai was a tall handsome clerk in a Tokyo shop when director Masaki Kobayashi encountered him and cast him in The Thick-Walled Room (1956). Nakadai was subsequently cast in the lead role in Kobayashi's monumental trilogy 'Ningen no joken' and became a star whose international acclaim rivaled that of countryman Toshirô Mifune. Like Mifune, Nakadai worked frequently with director Akira Kurosawa and indeed more or less replaced Mifune as Kurosawa's principal leading man after the well-known falling out between Mifune and Kurosawa. His appearances for Kurosawa in Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980) and Ran (1985) are among the most indelible in the director's oeuvre.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Masahiro Nakai was born on 18 August 1972 in Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor and composer, known for Watashi wa kai ni naritai (2008), Mohou-han (2002) and Hit the Goal (1994).- Katsuo Nakamura was born on 23 April 1938 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Shirikurae Magoichi (1969), Kagero-za (1981) and Love Letter (1981).
- Actor
- Director
- Executive
Shidô Nakamura was born on 14 September 1972 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Fearless (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) and Red Cliff (2008). He has been married to Saori Adachi since 1 February 2015. He was previously married to Yûko Takeuchi.- Katsuhisa Namase was born on 13 October 1960 in Hyogo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Yattâman (2009), Trick (2000) and Kamen Rider Zi-O (2018).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kazunari Ninomiya was born on 17 June 1983 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Assassination Classroom (2015) and Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011).- Actor
- Executive
- Soundtrack
Toshiyuki Nishida was born on 4 November 1947 in Fukushima, Japan. He is an actor and executive, known for Tsuribaka nisshi 14: Ohenji dai panikku! (2003), Emperor (2012) and Tsuribaka nisshi 6 (1993).- Masahiko Nishimura was born on 12 December 1960 in Toyama, Japan. He is an actor, known for Woman in Witness Protection (1997), Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) and Princess Mononoke (1997).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Joe Odagiri was born on 16 February 1976 in Tsuyama City, Okayama, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for They Say Nothing Stays the Same (2019), Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005) and Adrift in Tokyo (2007). He has been married to Yû Kashii since 16 February 2008.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Issei Ogata was born on 22 February 1952 in Fukuoka, Japan. He is an actor, known for Silence (2016), Yi Yi (2000) and The Sun (2005).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Shun Oguri was born on 26 December 1982 in Tokyo, Japan. Shun is an actor and director, known for Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Gintama 2: Rules are Made to be Broken (2018) and Two Homelands (2019). Shun has been married to Yû Yamada since 14 March 2012.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Masato Sakai was born on 14 October 1973 in Kobe, Japan. He is an actor, known for Climbers High (2008), Afutâ sukûru (2008) and Hanzawa Naoki (2013). He has been married to Miho Kanno since 2 April 2013. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Hiroyuki Sanada was born on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo. He made his film debut when he was 5 in Rokyoku komori-uta (1965) (Shin'ichi Chiba played the lead role.) His father died when he was 11. He joined Japan Action Club, organized & run by Sonny Chiba, when he was 12. He 1st became famous as an action star for his role in Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (1978) but is now known as one of the most talented actors in Japan. From 1999-2000, he played the fool in an English-language production of "King Lear" w/ members of the Royal Shakespeare Co as the 1st Japanese actor to act w/ the RSC. He received an honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) for this work. He & Satomi Tezuka split after 7 years in 1997.- Takashi Sasano was born on 22 June 1948 in Awaji, Japan. He is an actor, known for Departures (2008), Nezu no ban (2005) and Love and Honor (2006).
- Kuranosuke Sasaki was born on 4 February 1968 in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. He is an actor, known for Godzilla Minus One (2023), Mission Impossible: Samurai (2014) and 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kôichi Satô was born on 10 December 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Crest of Betrayal (1994), When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2002) and The Gate of Youth (1981). He has been married to Hirota Ayako since 1993. They have one child.- Shun Shioya was born on 7 June 1982 in Kanazawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Pacchigi! (2004), Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger: 10 Years After (2013) and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger (2002).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jô Shishido or Joe Shishido a.k.a. Joe The Ace (esu no Jô) owing to his role in 1961's Fast-Draw Guy entered acting following an audition for the Nikkatsu Studio and being one of the few to be picked and offered a contract via its New Face contest. Having signed with Nikkatsu in 1954 he began acting in drama films before drifting into yakuza sub-genre of action and crime films and ultimately finding fame through Nikkatsu director's Seijun Suzuki in Branded To Kill. This recognition was slow in developing, however, as upon its initial release reaction was mute and box office success was limited, which eventually lead to Suzuki's firing from the studio. Shishido worked further in television and for other studios and has over 160 films to his name. Wanting a more distinct look Shishido underwent cheek augmentation surgery resulting in a look described as being akin to a chipmunk. Shishido died at his Setagaya, Tokyo home at age 86 in January 2020.- An actor's actor whose versatility allows him to deftly assume a wide range of characters, Shiina's first true breakthrough performance was in the 1993 film Nûdo no yoru (1993) opposite 'Jinpachi Netzu'. His portrayal of a young yakuza enamored with his boss led to a Best New Actor Award at the 9th Takasaki Film Festival. Since then Shiina has kept busy with regular roles in television dramas, further filling out his burgeoning filmography with lead film roles and the infrequent return to his roots in live theater.
Shiina has largely managed to keep his private life private, which is quite a feat in a country with particularly overzealous paparazzi. The actor declines to talk much about himself in interviews, citing that his personal life is largely irrelevant for audiences that should be occupied with his characters instead. According to an interview with Yomiuri Shinbun, however, we do know that he was once quite the soccer player, with presumably enough talent to match his aspirations to play in Japan's professional league. When he attended Aoyama Gakuin University, though, he fell in love with acting and that was that. Also, according to the folks at his artist management firm, Humanite, he's talented in the boxing ring.
For those who do want little smidgens of insight from the usually private actor, he does have his own personal homepage (www.kippei.net). It is pretty bare bones and unpolished, with only occasional notes from the man himself, but these days it's fun to see a website that's not overproduced or pretentious. - Tsurube Shôfukutei was born on 23 December 1951 in Osaka, Japan. He is an actor, known for Dear Doctor (2009), Cape Nostalgia (2014) and Family of Strangers (2019).
- Shôta Sometani was born on 3 September 1992 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Himizu (2011), Parasyte: Part 1 (2014) and The Boy and the Beast (2015). He has been married to Rinko Kikuchi since 31 December 2014.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Takashi Sorimachi was born on 19 December 1973 in Saitama, Japan. He is an actor, known for GTO: The Movie (1999), GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (1998) and Fulltime Killer (2001). He has been married to Nanako Matsushima since 21 February 2001. They have two children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bunta Sugawara was born on 16 August 1933 in Sendai, Japan. He was an actor, known for Spirited Away (2001), Tales from Earthsea (2006) and The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979). He was married to Fumiko. He died on 28 November 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.- Tetta Sugimoto was born on 21 July 1965 in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for Departures (2008), White Snake Enchantment (1983) and Samurai Resurrection (2003).
- Naoki Sugiura was born on 8 December 1931 in Okazaki, Aichi, Japan. He was an actor, known for Deaths in Tokimeki (1984), Pale Flower (1964) and I Am Waiting (1957). He died on 21 September 2011 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ken Takakura was a Japanese actor best known for his brooding style and the stoic, honorable presence he brought 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, Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965) 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 audition in 1955 at the Toei Film Company, and decided to look in. Toei found a natural in Takakura as he debuted with Denkô karate uchi (1956) (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 in trade. His breakout role came in 1965 playing a ex-con antihero in Abashiri Prison (1965). By the time he left 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 (1974) with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) in which he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia by showing he can speak English. He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences in the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball (1992) starring Tom Selleck.
While he slowed down a bit in his older years, he remained active. His later films included Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), by Chinese director Yimou Zhang.- Actor
- Music Department
- Director
Naoto Takenaka was born on 20 March 1956 in Yokohama, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Nowhere Man (1991), 119 (1994) and Shall We Dance? (1996).- Yutaka Takenouchi was born on 2 January 1971 in Chofu, Japan. He is an actor, known for Shin Godzilla (2016), Between Calmness and Passion (2001) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Min Tanaka was born on 10 March 1945 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and writer, known for The Twilight Samurai (2002), 47 Ronin (2013) and The Outsider (2018).- Kunie Tanaka was born on 23 November 1932 in Gifu, Japan. He was an actor, known for Sanjuro (1962), Live Your Own Way (1968) and Nogare no machi (1983). He died on 24 March 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Susumu Terajima is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Yakuza figures, most notably in the films of Takeshi Kitano. He is normally cast in supporting roles.
Terajima was born in Tokyo, Japan, where he still resides. He made his acting debut in 1986's A-Homance, and has been steadily furthering his career ever since. Terajima is part of Office Kitano, the former production / management company of Takeshi Kitano. - Actor
- Producer
Akira Terao is the son of the famous actor Jukichi Uno. After graduating from Bunka Gakuin University, he formed a rock band "The Savage" which experienced brief success thanks to their hit 'Itsumademo, Itsumademo'. In 1967, Kei Kuma hired him to play alongside his father in his film 'Tunnel of Kurobe'. Terao then signed a contract with Ishihara Productions for which he appeared in several films. Akira Kurosawa chose him to play in two of his films, 'Ran' (1985) and mainly, as Kurosawa himself, in 'Dreams' (1990). On the other hand Terao continues to write and sing songs and his song 'Ruby no Yubiwa' was awarded the 'Record Taisho' prize for 1986. He also regularly works for television, notably for Ishihara TV Productions.- Satoshi Tsumabuki was born on 13 December 1980 in Yanagawa, Japan. He is an actor, known for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Rage (2016) and Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003). He has been married to Maiko since 2016.
- Tsutsumi Shinichi is known primarily as a stage actor. It appears after Yamato nadeshiko (2000) he has gained much attention in Japan, though his performance in _"Pure" (1996)_, in 1996, garnered good attention for his sensitive portrayal of the orphaned journalist Sawatari Toru. Tsutsumi trained for the stage with the theatre project Tokyo in the early '90s after leaving the JAC where he had met his mentors, 'Hiroyuki Ada' and Tamasaburô Bandô, through whom he drew much inspiration. At the JAC, he had started out with the intent of learning how to play action roles, of which we still see much of in his wonderful film roles for the actor/director Sabu, but his destiny has since unfolded to deliver more of this talented, unassuming and sincere actor through his sensitive and detailed acting style. Tsutsumi struggled to find his path in his teens, skipping school before returning to complete his high school out of a sense duty and filial piety to his mother. At 18 he left to join the JAC Kyoto, and at 20, he finally arrived in Tokyo to join the JAC branch there. Life was difficult and he worked at other jobs but by 1990 he had joined the theatre project Tokyo, and there met David Leveaux, with whom he trained and honed his skills as an actor. The 1990s was a prolific decade in the theatre for him and aside from the TPT, he worked also with Hideki Noda - their latest collaboration was in June 2001 for the play sakura no mori. At present he is starring in Koi no chikara (2002). Tsutsumi works alongside his close and long time associate and friend Eri Fukatsu. In May, Tsutsumi will move on to his next work, a stage performance in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, which will be directed by the acclaimed Yukio Ninagawa . Later this year, his next film with Sabu, Doraibu (2002), will be released. in it, he plays a salaryman who is kidnapped by a bunch of bank robbers. Tsutsumi Shinichi is a classically trained actor who has brought his considerable talent to bear in his stage, drama and film roles, but more than all this is his sense of professionalism - his will to create, through being a part of the ensemble, the beauty of the work as a whole. Mldesu.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Atsuro Watabe was born on 5 May 1968 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for Kotoba no nai fuyu (2008), Love Exposure (2008) and A Quiet Life (1995). He is married to Eri Kyokuyama. He was previously married to Rikako Murakami.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Ken Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959 in Uonuma, Japan. Both of his parents were teachers: his mother taught general education and his dad taught calligraphy. He became interested in acting at the age of 24, when a director of England's National Theater Company, where he was studying, told him that acting was his special gift. In 1978, he moved to Tokyo to pursue acting. He drew the attention of the critics when Yukio Ninagawa, a famous Japanese director, chose him for the lead role in one of his plays, even though Ken was still an acting student. He made his first TV appearance in 1982. His big career breakthrough came when he was chosen to play the lead in the Japanese national TV drama series called "Dokugan ryu Masamune". He played a samurai leader hero, making him a household name in Japan. In 1989, he collapsed while filming a movie in Canada due to leukemia. He made a miraculous comeback & co-starred with Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai (2003), which pushed him to the center stage of Hollywood.
Ken has a daughter, model, actress, & singer Anne Watanabe, & a son. He's an avid fan of Hanshin Tigers (Japanese professional baseball team) & Kobe Steel rugby team. He loves noodles.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Koji Yakusho is an acclaimed and famed Japanese actor who has appeared in many notable films, including Tampopo, Unagi and Babel, but may be best known internationally for his role in Shall We Dance, which at the time of its release was Asia's biggest film export. He was born in the southern city of Nagasaki as Koji Hashimoto, but moved to Tokyo and began working in the city's municipality from which he borrowed his alias. Yakusho means 'government office.' While at acting school he met actress Saeko Kawatsu whom he soon married in 1982. He picked up stage roles, moved to a TV serial on Japan's national broadcaster NHK in 1983 and had his first major break playing a mostly silent role in the avant-garde food drama Tampopo. Koji has collaborated with director Kurosawa Kiyoshi several times, won the Best Actor Award at the Japanese Academy Awards more than once and been nominated for it and other awards even more often. He directed Gaman No Abura in 2009. In 2023, he received the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for his lead role in Wim Wenders' Perfect Days.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Takayuki Yamada was born on October 20, 1983. He first started out co-starring in a handful of dramas before making a big splash on Waterboys (2003). He followed up with Fireboys (2004), his award winning performance in Sekai no chûshin de, ai wo sakebu (2004), Churasan 3, H2 and legendary independent master piece The Rakugo Movie (2012). His remarkable acting makes sets him apart among the younger generation of Japanese actors.- Tarô Yamamoto was born on 24 November 1974 in Hyogo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Battle Royale (2000), Moon Child (2003) and Get Up! (2003). He was previously married to Julie Warisaya.
- Tsutomu Yamazaki was born on 2 December 1936 in Chiba, Japan. He is an actor, known for Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980), Departures (2008) and High and Low (1963).