Ken Takakura
Known for Acting · 201 credits
- Born
- 1931-02-16
- Died
- 2014-11-10
- Place of birth
- Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan
- Also known as
- Goichi Oda · 高仓健 · Кэн Такакура · کن تاکاکورا · 小田剛一 · Takeichi Oda
Biography
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 his most famous movies, Showa Zankyo-den (Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent post-war gurentai.
A graduate of 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 Denko Karate Uchi (Lightning Karate Blow) in 1956. 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 and trade. His breakout role would be in the 1965 film Abashiri Prison, and its sequel Abashiri Bangaichi: Bokyohen (Abashiri Prison: Longing for Home, also 1965), in which he played an ex-con antihero. By the time Takakura would leave Toei in 1976, he had appeared in over 180 films.
Takakura gained international recognition after starring in the 1970 war film Too Late the Hero as the cunning Imperial Japanese Major Yamaguchi, the 1975 Sydney Pollack sleeper hit The Yakuza with Robert Mitchum and is probably best known in the West for his role in Ridley Scott's Black Rain (1989) where he surprises American cops played by Michael Douglas and Andy García with the line, "I do speak fucking English". He again proved himself bankable to Western audiences with the 1992 Fred Schepisi comedy Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck.
While he has slowed down a bit in his older years, he is still active. His most recent film was the 2005 Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles by Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
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Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (197)
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968
The Pledge
1972
Jakoman and Tetsu
1964
as Tetsu
Black Rain
1989
as Masahiro
Main Street in the Underworld
1964
Duel of the Underworld
1963
The Big Boss
1963
The Biggest Gamble
1969
as Shuzo Honjo
All Rascals
1962
Tokyo's Business District
1962
Storm Party
1964
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2
1960
The Chop Professor
1956
The Bullet Train
1975
as Tetsuo Okita
Station
1981
as Eiji Mikami
Too Late the Hero
1970
as Major Yamaguchi
Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1975
Demon
1985
as Shuji
Flower, Storm and Gangster
1961
as 'Smiley' Ken
Railroad Man
1999
as Otomatsu Sato
Choji Snack Bar
1983
as Eiji
Night of the Suspicions
1959
as 久里 / 島
Hell's Juggler
1961
Hell's Kitchen
1962
Mount Hakkoda
1977
as Captain Tokushima
A Fugitive from the Past
1965
as Ajimura
Manhunt
1976
as Morioka
The Day the Sun Rose
1968
The Yellow Handkerchief
1977
as Yusaku Shima
Operation Diamond
1962
Brothers Serving Time
1969
Antarctica
1983
as Ushioda
Violent Street
1963
Storming Squadron
1960
Japan's Top Gangster
1973
as Kazuo Taoka
Mr. Baseball
1992
as Uchiyama
The Yakuza
1974
as Tanaka Ken
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
2005
as Gou-ichi Takata
Buddies
1989
as Kadokura
Tokyo Untouchable
1965
as Yoshio Harada
The Longest Tunnel
1982
as Go Akutsu
Glorious Fights
1966
as Ichiro Takita
Ken San
2016
as Self
Abashiri Prison
1965
as Shinichi Tachibana
Yakuza of the Present
1973
as Ryoichi Shimaya
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2
1966
Brave Red Flower of the North
1970
The Silent Murder
1959
Dearest
2012
as Eiji Shimakura
Samurai Geisha
1969
as Shimada Seikichi
The Revolt
1980
as Keisuke Miyagi
47 Ronin
1994
as Kuranosuke Oishi
Classmates
1967
as First Lieutenant Kenmochi
Wolves, Pigs & Men
1964
as Jiro Kuroki, the second brother
Defeat the Boss
1963
Third Generation Boss
1974
Bloodiest Flower
1971
Red Peony Gambler
1968
as Naoki Katagiri
A Distant Cry from Spring
1980
as Kosaku Tajima
Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
1965
as Shin'ichi Tachibana
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
1971
New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2
1969
恐怖の空中殺人
1956
as 島田寿夫
Winter's Flower
1978
as Hidetsugu Kano
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple
1964
as Sasaki Kojiro
Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game
1969
as Shogo Hanaoka
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4
1967
Memoir of Japanese Assassinations
1969
as Saburo Aizawa
Karate Cop
1982
as Detective Mikami
Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang
1964
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo
1969
as Hanada Hidejiro
The International Gang of Kobe
1975
as Masato Dan
Uragirimono wa jigoku daze
1962
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
1965
as Sasaki Kojiro
The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush
1960
Golgo 13
1973
as Duke Togo / Golgo 13
Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2
1965
as Shinichi Tachibana
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape
1971
Never Give Up
1978
as Takeshi Ajisawa
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
1972
Monsoon Son
1958
Prison Walls of Abashiri 3
1965
as Shinichi Tachibana
The Sand City in Manchuria
1960
as Hari
Black Rain: Making The Film
2006
as Self (archive footage)
Four Hours of Terror
1959
as Captain Yamamoto
An Outlaw
1964
as Minami
Great Jailbreak
1975
as Ichiro Kozue
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965
Romance Freestyle
1958
New Prison Walls of Abashiri
1968
as Katsuji Suehiro
New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town
1969
Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star
1991
as Self (archive footage)
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
1965
as Seiji Terajima
Umi e, See You
1988
as Eiji Honma
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny
1970
The Deep Blue Sea
1957
The Great Road
1960
Midair Circus
1958
The Bullet and the Horse
1966
Life of Hishakaku
1963
Lullaby for a Tough Guy
1972
The Drifting Avenger
1968
as Ken Kato
Gang Loyalty and Vengeance
1963
as Asano
The Kamikaze Guy
1966
as Fumio Kuroki
The Path of the King
1971
as Ryutaro Fudo
The Domain: Flower and Dragon
1969
as Kingoro Tamai
Eleven Gangsters
1963
as Sawagami
Gambler's Legacy
1969
as Tsukuda Ginjiro
Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
1967
Meteor Karate Strike
1956
G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization
1956
Tales of President Mito
1962
as Sukesaburo Sasa
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
1969
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf
1966
The Second Bullet is Marked
1960
Patience Has An End
1971
as Isamu Tekada
The Chivalrous Life
1967
as Ryuma Ibuki
Prison Boss
1968
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967
Monsoon Son Pt.2
1958
About Ken Takakura
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 his most famous movies, Showa Zankyo-den (Remnants of Chivalry in the Showa Era), in which he played an honorable old-school yakuza among the violent… With 201 credits spanning from 1956 to 2016, Ken Takakura has appeared in 197 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for Ken Takakura movies, Ken Takakura filmography, or the latest projects starring Ken Takakura can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Ken Takakura Movies
- Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza (1968)
- The Pledge (1972)
- Jakoman and Tetsu (1964) — as Tetsu
- Black Rain (1989) — as Masahiro
- Main Street in the Underworld (1964)
Where to Watch Ken Takakura Films
Most Ken Takakura 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 Takakura, check our movies catalogue and browse page.