Ken Watanabe
Biography
Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor known for tragic hero roles. Born in 1959 in Uonuma, he moved to Tokyo after high school and joined the Engeki-Shudan En theater troupe, where a Yukio Ninagawa production brought him notice. After his 1984 feature debut in MacArthur's Children, he became known for samurai roles. His performance as Lord Katsumoto in The Last Samurai (2003) earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he later played General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). He twice received the Japan Academy Film Prize's best actor award, for Memories of Tomorrow in 2007 and The Unbroken in 2010. He appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (2005) and Inception (2010), and played Dr. Ishiro Serizawa in Godzilla (2014) and its sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). On stage, he made his Broadway debut in The King and I in 2015, earning a Tony Award nomination. He starred in Tokyo Vice in 2022.
67years old
Turns 68 on October 21in 345 days
- Born Uonuma
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Kensaku Watanabe (birth name)Also credited as Watanabe Ken
Movie Career
- Films
- 21
- Career span
- 38 years1985 to 2023
Genres
First and latest
Photos
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A first
Ken Watanabe made his Broadway debut in 2015 playing the King in Lincoln Center Theater's revival of The King and I, and became the first Japanese actor nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
Early training
Watanabe began his acting career in Tokyo by enrolling in the drama school of the Engeki-Shudan En theater troupe, where he was cast as the hero of Yukio Ninagawa's play Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari.
Ken Watanabe movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Christopher Nolan directed two of these films, Gareth Edwards two and Paul Weitz two. Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Cillian Murphy's page
Sally Hawkins's page
Michael Caine's page
David Strathairn's page
Bryan Cranston's page
Ryô Kase's page
All films by Christopher Nolan
All films by Gareth Edwards
All films by Paul Weitz
Also two films together5 more actors
- Kôji YakushoMemoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Tampopo (1985)
- Ziyi ZhangGodzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
- Li GongShanghai (2010) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
- Togo IgawaMemoirs of a Geisha (2005) and The Last Samurai (2003)
- Kaori MomoiMemoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Ken Watanabe's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$4.9 billion
17 of the 21 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 21 films: 17 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 2 figure not found.
- 17Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 2Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 88% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$1.1B22.7% of the total
- 2$839M17.2% of the total
- 3$525M10.8% of the total
- 4$457M9.4% of the total
- 5$450M9.2% of the total
- 6$387M7.9% of the total
- 7$374M7.7% of the total
- 8$177M3.6% of the total
$564 millionfrom the other 9 films with a worldwide figure, 12% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors from 1987 to 2007.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2007 | Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor | Won | |
| 1987 | Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.