Ken Watanabe
Encyclopedia
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
.
, Niigata prefecture
. His mother was a school teacher and his father taught calligraphy
. Ken is also brother to Yuki Watanabe. Ken visits his nephew and niece Michael and Maia Watanabe in New York City.
Ken has two children. His daughter Anne Watanabe
is a model.
's direction. The role attracted critical and popular notice.
In 1982, he made his first TV appearance in Michinaru Hanran (Unknown Rebellion), and his first appearance on TV as a samurai in Mibu no koiuta. He made his feature-film debut in 1984 with MacArthur's Children
.
Watanabe is mostly known in Japan for playing samurai
, as in the 1987 Dokuganryu Masamune (One eyed dragon, Masamune
) the 50-episode NHK
drama for which he is now best known. He played the lead character, Matsudaira Kurō, in the television jidaigeki
Gokenin Zankurō
, which ran for several seasons. He has gone on to earn acclaim in such historical dramas as Oda Nobunaga
, Chushingura
, and the movie Bakumatsu Junjo Den.
In 1989, while filming Haruki Kadokawa
's Heaven and Earth
, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned to acting while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy
treatments, but in 1991 suffered a relapse.
As his health improved his career picked back up. He co-starred with Koji Yakusho in the 1998 Kizuna, for which he was nominated for the Japanese Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actor
.
In 2002, he quit the En (Engeki-Shudan En) theatre group where he had his start and joined the K-Dash agency. The film Sennen no Koi (Thousand-year Love, based on The Tale of Genji
) earned him another Japanese Academy Award
nomination.
In 2006, he won Best Lead Actor at the Japanese Academy Awards
for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), in which he played a patient with Alzheimer's Disease
.
. His performance as Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award
nomination for Best Supporting Actor
.
Watanabe appeared in the 2005 films Batman Begins
, playing Ra's Al Ghul
, and Memoirs of a Geisha
, playing Chairman Iwamura. In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood
's Letters from Iwo Jima
, playing Tadamichi Kuribayashi
. He reprised his role as Ra's Al Ghul in the Batman Begins video game
. He has filmed advertisements for American Express
, Yakult
, and NTT DoCoMo
. In 2004, he was featured in People Magazine 's 50 Most Beautiful People edition. In 2009, he appeared in The Vampire's Assistant. In 2010, he co-starred in Inception
, playing Saito
(1986-) is also an actress and fashion model.
In 1989 Watanabe was diagnosed with bone marrow leukemia, but he recovered later on.
In 2006 Watanabe revealed in his autobiography
"Dare? - Who Am I?" that he has hepatitis C
. At a press conference held 23 May 2006 in Tokyo
's Ginza
district, he said he was in good condition but was still undergoing treatment.
Tragic hero
A tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy. Tragic heroes appear in the dramatic works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Seneca, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Marston, Corneille, Racine, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Strindberg, and many other writers.-Aristotle's tragic hero:Aristotle...
characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Tadamichi Kuribayashi
General was a haiku poet, diplomat, and General of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. He is best known for being overall commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima....
in Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima
is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring...
, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor
Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
The of the Japan Academy Prize is one of the annual Awards given by the Nippon Academy-sho association .-List of winners:-External links:* - **...
twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow
Memories of Tomorrow
is a 2006 Japanese drama film starring Ken Watanabe, Higuchi Kanako and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. The film is based on a novel of the same title published by Hiroshi Ogiwara in 2004.-Plot:...
and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō
Shizumanu Taiyō
is a 2009 Japanese film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as The Unbroken in the United States.Shizumanu Taiyō is based on a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. Set in the 1960s, the story centers on Hajime Onchi, the chairman of the employees' union for a large national airline corporation...
. He is also known for his roles in director Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...
's Hollywood blockbusters Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
and Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
Early life
Watanabe was born in KoideKoide, Niigata
was a town located in Kitauonuma District, Niigata, Japan. It is famous for its snowy ski resort.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 12,735 and a density of 423.93 persons per km²...
, Niigata prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
. His mother was a school teacher and his father taught calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
. Ken is also brother to Yuki Watanabe. Ken visits his nephew and niece Michael and Maia Watanabe in New York City.
Ken has two children. His daughter Anne Watanabe
Anne Watanabe
is a Japanese fashion model, actress and singer. She is the daughter of film actor Ken Watanabe. In her modeling work, she is known by the mononym Anne....
is a model.
Japanese roles
After graduating from high school in 1978, Watanabe moved to Tokyo to begin his acting career, getting his big break with the Tokyo-based theater troupe En. While with the troupe, he was cast as the hero in the play Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari, under Yukio NinagawaYukio Ninagawa
is a Japanese theatre director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of Shakespeare plays and Greek tragedies. He has directed Hamlet differently six times....
's direction. The role attracted critical and popular notice.
In 1982, he made his first TV appearance in Michinaru Hanran (Unknown Rebellion), and his first appearance on TV as a samurai in Mibu no koiuta. He made his feature-film debut in 1984 with MacArthur's Children
MacArthur's Children
is a popular and influential 1984 Japanese motion picture. Describing the impact of the United States' occupation of Japan from the perspective of the inhabitants of a small, rural island community, the film featured the big screen debut of actor Ken Watanabe....
.
Watanabe is mostly known in Japan for playing samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, as in the 1987 Dokuganryu Masamune (One eyed dragon, Masamune
Date Masamune
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...
) the 50-episode NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
drama for which he is now best known. He played the lead character, Matsudaira Kurō, in the television jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
Gokenin Zankurō
Gokenin Zankuro
is a novel by Renzaburo Shibata. The protagonist of this jidaigeki is Matsudaira Zankurō, a low-ranking gokenin in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate. He lives with his mother Masajo in the shogunal capital of Edo...
, which ran for several seasons. He has gone on to earn acclaim in such historical dramas as Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
, Chushingura
Forty-seven Ronin
The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...
, and the movie Bakumatsu Junjo Den.
In 1989, while filming Haruki Kadokawa
Haruki Kadokawa
is a Japanese publisher, film producer, director and screenwriter. He was the son of Genyoshi Kadokawa and inherited the position of president of the publishing house Kadokawa Shoten in 1975. Under his guidance, the company soon branched into film production, and by 1994 Kadokawa had produced close...
's Heaven and Earth
Heaven and Earth (1990 film)
Heaven and Earth is a 1990 film directed by Haruki Kadokawa starring Enoki Takaaki, Tsugawa Masahiko, Asano Atsuko, Zaizen Naomi and Nomura Hironobu.-Plot summary:...
, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned to acting while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
treatments, but in 1991 suffered a relapse.
As his health improved his career picked back up. He co-starred with Koji Yakusho in the 1998 Kizuna, for which he was nominated for the Japanese Academy Award
Japanese Academy Awards
The , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
for Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actor
This is a list of awards for supporting actor. These are accolades given by a group of film or television professionals in recognition of the work of supporting and character actors...
.
In 2002, he quit the En (Engeki-Shudan En) theatre group where he had his start and joined the K-Dash agency. The film Sennen no Koi (Thousand-year Love, based on The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel or the first novel still to be...
) earned him another Japanese Academy Award
Japanese Academy Awards
The , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
nomination.
In 2006, he won Best Lead Actor at the Japanese Academy Awards
Japanese Academy Awards
The , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), in which he played a patient with Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.
International films
Watanabe was introduced to most Western audiences by the 2003 film The Last SamuraiThe Last Samurai
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring...
. His performance as Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nomination for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.
Watanabe appeared in the 2005 films Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, playing Ra's Al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
, and Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by...
, playing Chairman Iwamura. In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's Letters from Iwo Jima
Letters from Iwo Jima
is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
, playing Tadamichi Kuribayashi
Tadamichi Kuribayashi
General was a haiku poet, diplomat, and General of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. He is best known for being overall commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima....
. He reprised his role as Ra's Al Ghul in the Batman Begins video game
Batman Begins (video game)
Batman Begins is a 2005 video game based on the film of the same name. It was released June 14, 2005, a day before the 2005 American superhero film was released. It was developed by Eurocom and published by Electronic Arts in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...
. He has filmed advertisements for American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
, Yakult
Yakult
is a Japanese probiotic milk-like product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. It was created by Minoru Shirota who graduated from the Medical School of Kyoto University in 1930. In 1935, he started manufacturing and...
, and NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo
is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
. In 2004, he was featured in People Magazine 's 50 Most Beautiful People edition. In 2009, he appeared in The Vampire's Assistant. In 2010, he co-starred in Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
, playing Saito
Personal life
Watanabe's daughter Anne WatanabeAnne Watanabe
is a Japanese fashion model, actress and singer. She is the daughter of film actor Ken Watanabe. In her modeling work, she is known by the mononym Anne....
(1986-) is also an actress and fashion model.
In 1989 Watanabe was diagnosed with bone marrow leukemia, but he recovered later on.
In 2006 Watanabe revealed in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
"Dare? - Who Am I?" that he has hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
. At a press conference held 23 May 2006 in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
's Ginza
Ginza
is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognized as one of the most...
district, he said he was in good condition but was still undergoing treatment.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | MacArthur's Children MacArthur's Children is a popular and influential 1984 Japanese motion picture. Describing the impact of the United States' occupation of Japan from the perspective of the inhabitants of a small, rural island community, the film featured the big screen debut of actor Ken Watanabe.... |
Tetsuo Nakai | |
| Bruce's Fists of Vengeance | |||
| 1985 | 9 Deaths of the Ninja | Sensei | |
| Kekkon Annai Mystery (結婚案内ミステリー Kekkon Annai Misuterī) |
Funayama Tetsuya/Masakazu Sekine | ||
| 1986 | The Sea and Poison The Sea and Poison is a 1986 Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai and based on a novel by Shusaku Endo.-Cast:* Eiji Okuda as Suguro* Ken Watanabe as Toda* Takahiro Tamura as Professor Hashimoto* Kyôko Kishida as Ohba, Head Nurse* Mikio Narita as Shibata* Shigeru Kôyama as Gondo... (海と毒薬 Umi to Dokuyaku) |
Toda | |
| Tampopo Tampopo is a 1985 Japanese comedy film by director Juzo Itami, starring Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto and Ken Watanabe. The publicity for the film calls it the first ramen western, a play on the term Spaghetti Western .-Plot summary:Tampopo begins when a pair of truck drivers, an experienced one named... |
Gun | ||
| 1987 | Karate Warrior (Il ragazzo dal kimono d'oro) |
Master Kimura | |
| Commando Invasion | |||
| 1988 | Karate Warrior 2 (Il ragazzo dal kimono d'oro 2) |
Master Kimura | |
| 1989 | Violent Zone | Old Mishima | |
| 1998 | Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald is a 1997 Japanese film directed by Koki Mitani. It was popular in Japan upon its release and won 3 Japanese Academy Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Supporting Actor... |
Raita Onuki, Truck Driver | |
| 2000 | Space Travellers (スペーストラベラーズ Supēsu toraberāzu) |
Sakamaki | |
| 2000 | Ikebukuro West Gate Park |
Inspector Yokoyama | TV series |
| 2001 | Genji: A Thousand-Year Love Sennen no Koi Story of Genji is a 2001 Japanese movie, loosely based on the classical work of Heian-period Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji, directed by Tonkō Horikawa and written by Akira Hayasaka.... (千年の恋 ～ひかる源氏物語 Sennen no koi - Hikaru Genji Monogatari) |
Fujiwara Michinaga/Fujiwara Nobutaka | |
| 2003 | The Last Samurai The Last Samurai The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring... |
Katsumoto Moritsugu | |
| T.R.Y. | Masanobu Azuma | ||
| 2004 | Castle of Sand (砂の器 Suna no utsuwa) |
Shūichirō Imanishi | TV series |
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... |
Ken Iwamura | |
| Batman Begins Batman Begins Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,... |
Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's... 's Decoy |
||
| Year One in the North (北の零年 Kita no zeronen) |
Hideaki Komatsubara | ||
| 2006 | Memories of Tomorrow Memories of Tomorrow is a 2006 Japanese drama film starring Ken Watanabe, Higuchi Kanako and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. The film is based on a novel of the same title published by Hiroshi Ogiwara in 2004.-Plot:... |
Masayuki Saeki | First starring role |
| Letters from Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the... |
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi Tadamichi Kuribayashi General was a haiku poet, diplomat, and General of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. He is best known for being overall commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima.... |
||
| 2009 | The Unbroken (Shizumanu Taiyo Shizumanu Taiyō is a 2009 Japanese film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as The Unbroken in the United States.Shizumanu Taiyō is based on a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. Set in the 1960s, the story centers on Hajime Onchi, the chairman of the employees' union for a large national airline corporation... ) |
Hajime Onchi | |
| Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant | Mr. Hibernius Tall | ||
| 2010 | Shanghai | Captain Tanaka | |
| Inception Inception Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19... |
Saito | ||
Stage
- Britannicus henso (1980)
- Shitaya mannencho monogatari (1981)
- Fuyu no raion (The Lion in Winter) (1981)
- Pajaze (1981)
- Platonof (1982)
- Kafun netsu (1982)
- Pizarro (1985)
- Hamlet (1988)
- Hamlet no gakuya -anten (2000)
- Towa part1-kanojo (2000)
- Towa part2-kanojo to kare (2001)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Elandor Awards | Newcomer Award | Umi to Dokuyaku | |
| 1999 | Japanese Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kizuna | |
| 2002 | Japan Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sennen no Koi Story of Genji Sennen no Koi Story of Genji is a 2001 Japanese movie, loosely based on the classical work of Heian-period Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji, directed by Tonkō Horikawa and written by Akira Hayasaka.... |
|
| 2003 | Japan Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Hi Wa Mata Noboru | |
| Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... |
Best Supporting Actor | The Last Samurai The Last Samurai The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring... |
||
| 2004 | Academy Awards Academy Awards An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers... |
Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
||
| Saturn Award Saturn Award The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within... s |
Best Supporting Actor | |||
| Blue Ribbon Awards Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers... |
Special Award | |||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | |||
| Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... s |
Best Supporting Actor | |||
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Las Vegas Film Critics Society The Las Vegas Film Critics Society is a non-profit organization, composed of selected print, television and internet film critics in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.... |
Best Supporting Actor Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor The Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Supporting Actor is an award given by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society to honor the best supporting actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
|||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Phoenix Film Critics Society The Phoenix Film Critics Society is an organization of film reviewers from Phoenix-based publications.In December of each year, the PFCS meets to vote on their Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for films released in the same calendar year.Categories of awards include:* Best Actor The Phoenix... |
Best Supporting Actor Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor The Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award given by the Phoenix Film Critics Society to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-2000s:-2010s:... |
|||
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"... |
Best Supporting Actor | |||
| Television Drama Academy Awards (Winter) | Best Supporting Actor | Suna no Utsuwa | ||
| 2006 | Hochi Film Awards | Best Actor | Memories of Tomorrow Memories of Tomorrow is a 2006 Japanese drama film starring Ken Watanabe, Higuchi Kanako and directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. The film is based on a novel of the same title published by Hiroshi Ogiwara in 2004.-Plot:... |
|
| Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Best Actor | |||
| 2007 | Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Actor | ||
| Japan Academy Awards | Best Actor | |||
| Fujimoto Prize | Special Prize | |||
| Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Actor | |||
| 2009 | Hochi Film Awards | Best Actor | Shizumanu Taiyo Shizumanu Taiyō is a 2009 Japanese film directed by Setsurō Wakamatsu. It is also known as The Unbroken in the United States.Shizumanu Taiyō is based on a novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. Set in the 1960s, the story centers on Hajime Onchi, the chairman of the employees' union for a large national airline corporation... |
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| 2010 | Japan Academy Awards | Best Actor |