Ken Takakura

Ken Takakura, a Japanese actor and singer, appeared in more than 200 films. Born in Nakama, Fukuoka, in 1931, he attended Meiji University and in 1955 auditioned for Toei Film Company, making his debut with Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. Abashiri Prison (1965) gave him a breakout role as an ex-con antihero, and he remained at Toei until 1976, by which time he had made over 180 films. International audiences saw him in Too Late the Hero, The Yakuza (1974), Black Rain (1989), and Mr. Baseball (1992). He also starred in Golgo 13 (1973) and the crime drama Manhunt, which helped make him popular in China, and later appeared in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005). Takakura won the Japan Academy Prize for lead actor four times, a figure equaled by Koji Yakusho, and received the Medal of Honor with purple ribbon, Person of Cultural Merit, and Order of Culture. He died in 2014.