Ken Takakura
February 16, 1931 · 95 years old
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…
Known For
18 titles
Black Rain
Two NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
A Japanese father travels to China's Yunnan province in the place of his ailing son to film a folk-opera singer.
Bullet Train
Criminals plant a bomb on a high-speed train. It will explode when the train slows down, unless a ransom is paid.
Antarctica
Two Japanese scientists, Ushioda and Ochi, develop a bond with their sled dogs while on an expedition in Antarctica. Ushioda and Ochi eventually leave Antarctica, only to return to search for the dogs inadvertently marooned there.
The Yellow Handkerchief
Three complete strangers embark on a road-trip to Hokkaido.
Manhunt
A tough police detective is falsely accused of corruption, and goes on the run to clear his name. He is assisted by the beautiful daughter of a rich man.
47 Ronin
A group of disgraced samurai plan a decade long revenge against a corrupt lord.
The Valiant Red Peony
Oryu (Fuji Junko) is invited to stay with a local yakuza boss of a silk farming town. When a rival gang murders the boss Oryu takes it upon herself to protect his business and family.
Yasei no shômei
A Japanese Warrior leaves the secretive battalion he is apart of. As a skilled soldier, he confronts evil and serves his people.
Fuyu no hana
A thug is released after fifteen years in prison for the murder of a yakuza gang boss. Things were never going to be simple and bygones were never going to be bygones of course, but to make matters more complicated the murdered bo...
Ôkami to buta to ningen
A lonely gangster tries recruiting men to plunder a respected and powerful gang.
An Outlaw
A killer who only hits people who deserve it is tricked into killing an innocent man. He then seeks revenge against the people who employed him.
Shôwa zankyô-den: Karajishi jingi
Hidejuro is sent to prison after killing the boss of a rival family. After being released, he discovers that his family has scattered and he is taking in by a company of quarry workers, whose boss has a strict code of non-violence.
Nippatsume wa jigoku-iki daze
A photo taken of Takakura and Shindo both sporting full-upper-body tattoos, something not the common in pre-1963 yakuza films.
