Ken Watanabe
Known for Acting · 103 credits
- Born
- 1959-10-21 (age 66)
- Place of birth
- Uonuma, Niigata, Japan
- Also known as
- 渡邊謙 · 渡辺 謙 · کِن واتانابه · ک ِن واتانابه · Kensaku Watanabe · Ken Watanabe
Biography
Ken Watanabe (born October 21, 1959) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He is also known for his roles in director Christopher Nolan's Hollywood blockbusters Batman Begins and Inception.
Known For
TV Shows (34)
Alice in Borderland
2020
as Old Gentleman
Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
1990
Hanekonma
1986
as Genzo Onodera
Tokyo Vice
2022
as Hiroto Katagiri
Unbound
2025
as Tamema Okitsugu
Masamune Shogun
1987
as 伊達政宗
Segodon
2018
as Shimazu Nariakira
Back of Father
2014
as Takamura Kouji
The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
2015
as 東雲朔太郎
The Fire Still Burns
1993
as Fujiwara Tsunekiyo
Hojo Tokimune
2001
as Hojo Tokiyori
Gokenin Zankuro
1995
as Zankuro Matsudaira
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
2000
as Yokoyama
NHK WORLD PRIME
2017
as Self - Presenter
TRUE COLORS
2025
as Taichirou Tsujimura
Vessel of Sand
2004
as Shuichiro Imanishi
Kyotojin no Hisokana Tanoshimi Rouge: Keisho
2026
as 東雲朔太郎
Waga Machi
1992
A Tale of Two Truncheons
1984
Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko
2002
Baian the Assassin
1991
as Fujieda Baian
川、いつか海へ 6つの愛の物語
2003
Toubousha
2020
Musuko no Gokikan
1990
横山秀夫サスペンス シリーズ (TBS)
2002
Oda Nobunaga
1989
Kagi-shi
1993
Izakaya Chōji
1992
五年目のひとり
2016
as 키자키 슈지
Shimei Tehai
1998
Gyoretsuno dekiru sodanjo
2011
as Regular
藤田宜永サスペンス「異端の夏」
2003
強行犯捜査第七係
2002
刑事一代 平塚八兵衛の昭和事件史
2009
Movies (69)
Inception
2010
as Saito
Batman Begins
2005
as Ra's al Ghul
Transformers: Age of Extinction
2014
as Drift (voice)
The Creator
2023
as Harun
Godzilla
2014
as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
2019
as Lieutenant Hide Yoshida
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
2019
as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
The Last Samurai
2003
as Moritsugu Katsumoto
Transformers: The Last Knight
2017
as Drift (voice)
Isle of Dogs
2018
as Head Surgeon (voice)
Memoirs of a Geisha
2005
as Le président
Kokuho
2025
as Hanjiro Hanai
Oda Nobunaga
1992
Letters from Iwo Jima
2006
as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
7 Guardians of the Tomb
2018
as Father
The Making of "Tampopo"
1986
as Self
The Sea of Trees
2016
as Takumi Nakamura
Earth
2007
as Narrator (voice)
Ashes and Snow
2005
as Japanese Narrator (voice)
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
2009
as Mr. Tall
Tampopo
1985
as Gun
Kensuke's Kingdom
2024
as Kensuke (voice)
Fukushima 50
2020
as Masao Yoshida
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
1997
as Raita Onuki
Shanghai
2010
as Tanaka
Chronicle of the Town Magistrate
1992
as Mochizuki Koheita
Space Travelers
2000
as Sakamaki ("Crusher")
The Unbroken
2009
as Hajime Onchi
Love of a Thousand Years - Story of Genji
2001
Rage
2016
as Yohei Maki
The Sea and Poison
1986
as Toda
Samurai Vengeance
2026
as Kinji Shinoda
ツナガルココロ 3 LOVE STORIES
2008
The King and I
2018
as The King of Siam
The Whispered City
2000
as Ishida
Bel Canto
2018
as Katsumi Hosokawa
An Artist of the Floating World
2019
as Ono Masuji
Memories of Tomorrow
2006
as Masayuki Saeki
All Lives
2024
Baian the Assassin: Showdown
1993
as Dr. Baian
Year One in the North
2005
as Komatsubara Hideaki
Unforgiven
2013
as Jubee Kamata
Bonds
1998
as Detective Sako Akio
Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home
2012
as Junichiro Kawaguchi
Evolution Within Extinction
2014
as Self
A School Behind Bars
2010
T.R.Y.
2003
as Masanobu Azuma
Baian the Assassin
1990
as Dr. Baian
星ひとつの夜
2007
as Nonoyama Hiroji
The Final Piece
2025
as Shigeyoshi Toumyo
Commando Invasion
1987
Another Battle/Conspiracy
2003
as Fujimaki Hiroaki
Dirty, Clean, & Inbetween
2017
as Restaurant Patron
Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS
2002
as Okubo
Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -
2011
Drowning Fish
2001
as Miyota
LA PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER
2025
The Memories of Happiness
2017
as Taro Miura
Takeda Shingen
1991
as Narrator
A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era
1991
as Ryoma Sakamoto
Kekkon Annai Mystery
1985
第三の時効
2003
Ganryujima: Kojiro and Musashi
1992
as Kojirō
Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of 'Letters from Iwo Jima'
2007
as Self
Snow Jack
2014
as Reiji Kurata
True Love: Making The Creator
2023
as Self
MacArthur's Children
1984
as Tetsuo Nakai
劇場の灯を消すな！PARCO劇場編
2020
Hanzo, the Razor
1993
About Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe (born October 21, 1959) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He is also known for his roles in director Christophe… With 103 credits spanning from 1984 to 2026, Ken Watanabe has appeared in 69 films and 34 TV shows.
Fans searching for Ken Watanabe movies, Ken Watanabe filmography, or the latest projects starring Ken Watanabe can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Ken Watanabe Movies
- Inception (2010) — as Saito
- Batman Begins (2005) — as Ra's al Ghul
- Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) — as Drift (voice)
- The Creator (2023) — as Harun
- Godzilla (2014) — as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
Where to Watch Ken Watanabe Films
Most Ken Watanabe movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Ken Watanabe, check our movies catalogue and browse page.