Ken Takakura

Known For: Acting
Born: February 16, 1931
Place of Birth: Nakama, Fukuoka, Japan
Died: November 10, 2014

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 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 th…

Filmography

Ken San

2016 · Self

Dearest

2012 · Eiji Shimakura

Black Rain: Making The Film

2006 · Self (archive footage)

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

2005 · Gou-ichi Takata

The Firefly

2001 · Yamaoka Shuji

Railroad Man

1999 · Otomatsu Sato

SMAP×SMAP

1996 · Bistro Guest

The detective whose path was crossed by a snake

1995

47 Ronin

1994 · Kuranosuke Oishi

Korekara: Umibe no Tabibitotachi

1993

Mr. Baseball

1992 · Uchiyama

An Elegy of Tyrole

1992 · Tateishi Jiro

Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

1991 · Self (archive footage)

Buddies

1989 · Kadokura

Black Rain

1989 · Masahiro

Umi e, See You

1988 · Eiji Honma

Demon

1985 · Shuji

A Portrait of the Author

1984 · Self

Choji Snack Bar

1983 · Eiji

Antarctica

1983 · Ushioda

The Longest Tunnel

1982 · Go Akutsu

Karate Cop

1982 · Detective Mikami

Station

1981 · Eiji Mikami

A Distant Cry from Spring

1980 · Kosaku Tajima

The Revolt

1980 · Keisuke Miyagi

Never Give Up

1978 · Takeshi Ajisawa

Winter's Flower

1978 · Hidetsugu Kano

Older brother

1977 · Eiji

The Yellow Handkerchief

1977 · Yusaku Shima

Mount Hakkoda

1977 · Captain Tokushima

Manhunt

1976 · Morioka

The International Gang of Kobe

1975 · Masato Dan

The Bullet Train

1975 · Tetsuo Okita

Great Jailbreak

1975 · Ichiro Kozue

Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack

1975

The Yakuza

1974 · Tanaka Ken

The Homeless

1974 · Jokichi Anabuki

Third Generation Boss

1974

Golgo 13

1973 · Duke Togo / Golgo 13

Yakuza of the Present

1973 · Ryoichi Shimaya

Japan's Top Gangster

1973 · Kazuo Taoka

Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die

1972

New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm

1972

The Pledge

1972

Lullaby for a Tough Guy

1972

The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang

1972 · Kuramoto

New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter

1971

The Man

1971

Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: Forbidden Love

1971 · Hidejiro Hanada

New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stormy Cape

1971

Patience Has An End

1971 · Isamu Tekada

Dagger

1971

Bloodiest Flower

1971

The Path of the King

1971 · Ryutaro Fudo

New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Stray Wolf in Snow

1970

The Domain: Rising Dragon

1970

The Last Kamikaze

1970 · Koji Yashiro

Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7: Hell Is a Man's Destiny

1970

New Prison Walls of Abashiri: High Stakes at Abashiri

1970

Yukyo-retsuden

1970

Too Late the Hero

1970 · Major Yamaguchi

The Japan Derby Race

1970

A Hoodlum At The Risk Of His Life

1970

House of Gamblers

1970

Brave Red Flower of the North

1970

Gambler's Legacy

1969 · Tsukuda Ginjiro

New Prison Walls of Abashiri: The Vagrant Comes to a Port Town

1969

Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6

1969

Memoir of Japanese Assassinations

1969 · Saburo Aizawa

New Prison Walls of Abashiri 2

1969

Samurai Geisha

1969 · Shimada Seikichi

The Domain: Flower and Dragon

1969 · Kingoro Tamai

Brothers Serving Time

1969

The Biggest Gamble

1969 · Shuzo Honjo

Red Peony Gambler: Second Generation Ceremony

1969 · Koji Yashiro

Brutal Tales of Chivalry 5: Man With The Karajishi Tattoo

1969 · Hanada Hidejiro

Red Peony Gambler: Flower Cards Game

1969 · Shogo Hanaoka

New Prison Walls of Abashiri

1968 · Katsuji Suehiro

Gambler Biography

1968

The Day the Sun Rose

The Day the Sun Rose

1968

Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza

1968

Rogue

1968 · Isamu Oba

Red Peony Gambler

1968 · Naoki Katagiri

Histories of the Chivalrous

1968

The Drifting Avenger

1968 · Ken Kato

Prison Boss

1968

The Domain: Severed Relations

1968

A Story from Abashiri Prison—Duel in Snow Storm

1967 · Shin-ichi Tachibana

Code of Chivalry

1967

The Domain: Where The Blade Enters

1967

Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil

1967 · Shin-ichi Tachibana

Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 4

1967

Classmates

1967 · First Lieutenant Kenmochi

The Chivalrous Life

1967 · Ryuma Ibuki

Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido

1967

The Domain: White Blade

1967

Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country

1966

Glorious Fights

1966 · Ichiro Takita

The Domain: Duel at Thunder Gate

1966

Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South

1966

Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Lone Wolf

1966

Showdown of Men

1966

The Kamikaze Guy

1966 · Fumio Kuroki

The Bullet and the Horse

1966

The Domain: Kanda Festival Showdown

1966

Contemporary Tales of Chivalry 2

1966

Prison Walls of Abashiri 4

1965 · Shin'ichi Tachibana

Prison Walls of Abashiri 3

1965 · Shinichi Tachibana

Brutal Tales of Chivalry

1965 · Seiji Terajima

Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro

1965 · Sasaki Kojiro

The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry

1965

Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2

1965 · Shinichi Tachibana

Abashiri Prison

1965 · Shinichi Tachibana

Tokyo Untouchable

1965 · Yoshio Harada

The Domain: The Naniwa Story

1965

A Fugitive from the Past

1965 · Ajimura

The Boss

1965

Storm Party

1964

Wolves, Pigs & Men

1964 · Jiro Kuroki, the second brother

The Domain

1964

Main Street in the Underworld

1964

An Outlaw

1964 · Minami

Jakoman and Tetsu

1964 · Tetsu

Tokyo Gang vs. Hong Kong Gang

1964

Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple

1964 · Sasaki Kojiro

Gang Loyalty and Vengeance

1963 · Asano

Blackmail

1963

Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style

1963 · Sasaki Kojiro

Duel of the Underworld

1963

Defeat the Boss

1963

The Big Boss

1963

Life of Hishakaku

1963

Tokyo Untouchable: Escape

1963 · Yoshio Harada

Violent Street

1963

Eleven Gangsters

1963 · Sawagami

Uragirimono wa jigoku daze

1962

Operation Diamond

1962

Hell's Kitchen

1962

365 Nights

1962

Tokyo's Business District

1962

Song of Kagoshima

1962 · Shuhei Tategami

Tales of President Mito

1962 · Sukesaburo Sasa

Lady Sen and Hideyori

1962 · Naomori

All Rascals

1962

The Escape

1962

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka

1962

South Pacific Waves Are High

1962

Devil's Nursery Rhyme

1961 · Kosuke Kindaichi

Feisty Edo Girl Nakanori-san

1961 · Kenichi Oka

Mannen Taro and His Feminine Colleagues

1961 · Tarô Mannen

The Prickly-Mouthed Geisha Goes to Sado

1961

Flower, Storm and Gangster

1961 · 'Smiley' Ken

A Fishwife's Tale

1961

The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Whirlwind

1961 · Tarō Senpū

Hell's Juggler

1961

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 4

1961 · Kenichi Hanamura

If You're Man Enough

1960

Storming Squadron

1960

The Sand City in Manchuria

1960 · Hari

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha, Part 3

1960

The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Rush

1960

Outlaw Under a Blue Canopy

1960

Delinquent Angel

1960

The Great Road

1960

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2

The Prickly Mouthed Geisha Part 2

1960

続べらんめぇ芸者

1960

The Second Bullet is Marked

1960

The World's Most Noble Guy: Taro's Eternity

1960

The Counterfeiters

1959

Four Hours of Terror

1959 · Captain Yamamoto

The Silent Murder

1959

Night of the Suspicions

1959 · 久里 / 島

Hell's Companion

1959

A Dead Drifter

1959

A Man's Dark Finger

1959

The Happy Family

1959

The Bastards of Lawless Town

1959 · Fumio Sone

Sister with Sister

1958 · Hiroshi Ishioka

The Outsiders

1958 · Ichitaro Kazamori

With Songs in My Heart

1958

Midair Circus

1958

Detective Duel

1958

His Pistol is Hell

1958

Beyond the Seasonal Wind

1958

Romance Freestyle

Romance Freestyle

1958

Monsoon Son Pt.2

1958

Monsoon Son

1958

Man of Thirteen Eyes

1958

No Advice Taken

1958

Jet Air Base 101

1957 · Jiro Nakata

Showdown in Blood

1957

The Deep Blue Sea

1957

Men Fighting Whales

1957 · Yosuke Yamagami

Employee Full of Fight

Employee Full of Fight

1957 · Tani

恐怖の空中殺人

1956 · 島田寿夫

Mother Peacock

1956

Manchurian Sunset

1956 · Shintaro

G-men of Japan 4: Special Armed Unit Mobilization

1956

The Chop Professor

1956

Lightning Karate Blow

1956

Meteor Karate Strike

1956

Ken Takakura · Virelixia