On the tube -- Nov. 17
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The Olympian - Found Nov. 17, 2008 Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe adds solid support as a samurai leader. talk shows 'Today,' 7 a.m., NBC: The Ends of the Earth series begins; |
Downturn Hits Industry Stalwart Toyota
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Epoch Times - Found Nov. 9, 2008 ... second quarter announcement, Toyota formed a new Emergency Profit Improvement Committee headed by President Ken Watanabe to reduce costs and... |
The Samurai Within Posted By : Gayle Gregory
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Article Dashboard.com - Found Nov. 6, 2008 Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) the Samurai leader, was a rare being. His devotion to service was inspirational. |
News Bites: Black Panther's Voice, Ratner and Conan, A New Karate ...
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Blogcritics.org - Found Nov. 14, 2008 Something tells me that the Mr. Miyagi role, played so memorably by the late Pat Morita, will go to someone like Chow Yun Fat or Ken Watanabe. |
Kimutaku enduring heartthrob
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Japan Times - Found Oct. 7, 2008 Of Japanese male celebrities, actors Ken Watanabe of 'The Last Samurai' and Masi Oka of 'Heroes' are among the better-known overseas. |
Today's Birthdays October 21
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WFMY News 2 - Found Oct. 21, 2008 ... author Carrie Fisher is 52. Singer Julian Cope is 51. Rock musician Steve Lukather (Toto) is 51. Actor Ken Watanabe is 49. Rock musician Che... |
People plus: McGraw writes book for dads and daughters
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Salt Lake Tribune - Found Oct. 22, 2008 ... author Carrie Fisher is 52. Singer Julian Cope is 51. Rock musician Steve Lukather (Toto) is 51. Actor Ken Watanabe is 49. Rock musician Che... 'Oprah Winfrey Show' to be offered in Spanish - The Sun News ?Oprah Winfrey Show? to be offered in Spanish - China Post The Oprah Winfrey Show available in Spanish. - HispanicAd.com Tim McGraw's Book, - Country Music Television Explore All |
Talk of the Day Clothes critic Blackwell dies
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The Sun News - Found Oct. 21, 2008 66 Musician Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go's), 55 Actress-author Carrie Fisher, 52 Actor Ken Watanabe, 49 Christian rock musician Charlie Lowell... Lil Wayne's Assistant Testifies in Gun Trial - E! Online Rapper's aide says he saw gun, pot on bus - CNN Lil Wayne's assistant says he saw handgun on bus - CTV.ca MARIJUANA ALWAYS ON LIL WAYNE'S TOUR BUS - PR inside Explore All |
Korean Film Industry Honored By HIFF
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MSNBC Local - Found Oct. 18, 2008 I'm very excited,' Woo-Sung said.He is the first for HIFF, for Korea and he follows Ken Watanabe, Samuel L. Jackson and Maggie Cheung. Only 2 more days of Hawaii International Film Festival - Honolulu Advertiser Korean Film Industry Honored By HIFF - KITV 4 Explore All |
Movie Review | 'Changeling': A Boy Gone, a Mother Scorned
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New York Times - Found Oct. 23, 2008 There was Ken Watanabe in ?Letters From Iwo Jima?; Ryan Philippe in ?Flags of Our Fathers?; |
Ken Watanabe Biography
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Ken Watanabe
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| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008) |
| Ken Watanabe (渡辺 謙) | |
|---|---|
Ken Watanabe in 2007 |
|
| Born | October 21, 1959 Koide, Niigata, Japan |
| Years active | 1984 - present |
| Spouse(s) | Yumiko Watanabe (div.2005) Kaho Minami (2005-) |
Ken Watanabe (渡辺 謙 Watanabe Ken?, born October 21, 1959) is an Academy Award-nominated 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 in The Last Samurai.
Contents |
Biography
Born in Koide, Niigata prefecture, his mother was a school teacher and his father taught calligraphy.
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 Ninagawa'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) theater 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 finally won Best Lead Actor at the Japanese Academy Awards for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), where he played a patient with Alzheimer's Disease.
American films
Watanabe was introduced to most Western audiences with the 2003 film The Last Samurai for which his performance as Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Watanabe also appeared in the 2005 films Batman Begins as Ra's Al Ghul and Memoirs of a Geisha, where he played The Chairman. In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood's film Letters from Iwo Jima. He has also filmed adverts for American Express and Yakult, and in 2004, he was featured in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People edition.
Personal life
In 2006, Watanabe revealed in his newly-published autobiography "Dare? - Who Am I?" that he has Hepatitis C virus1. At a PR event held on May 23, 2006 in Tokyo's Ginza district, he said he was in good condition, but was still undergoing treatment.2
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1984 | MacArthur's Children | 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 (海と毒薬 Umi to Dokuyaku) |
Toda | |
| Tampopo | 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 | 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 (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 | Katsumoto | |
| T.R.Y. | Masanobu Azuma | ||
| 2004 | Castle of Sand (砂の器 Suna no utsuwa) |
Shūichirō Imanishi | TV series |
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | The Chairman | |
| Batman Begins | Ra's al Ghul's Decoy | ||
| Year One in the North (北の零年 Kita no zeronen) |
Hideaki Komatsubara | ||
| 2006 | Memories of Tomorrow (明日の記憶 Ashita no Kioku) |
Masayuki Saeki | first starring role |
| Letters from Iwo Jima | General Tadamichi Kuribayashi | ||
| 2008 | Shinjuku Incident | Eguchi | post-production |
| Shanghai | TBA | post-production | |
| 2009 | Cirque du Freak | Mr. Tall | post-production |
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 | Nominating Body | Result | Award | Movie |
| 2007 | Japanese Academy Awards | Won | Best Leading Actor | Memories of tomorrow |
| 2004 | Academy Awards | Nominated | Best Supporting Actor | The Last Samurai |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Nominated | Best Supporting Actor | The Last Samurai | |
| Golden Globes | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture |
The Last Samurai | |
| Satellite Awards | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama |
The Last Samurai | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |
The Last Samurai | |
| Blue Ribbon Awards | Won | Special Award | The Last Samurai | |
| 2003 | Japanese Academy Awards | Won | Best Supporting Actor | Hi wa mata noboru |
| 2002 | Japanese Academy Awards | Won | Best Supporting Actor | Genji: A Thousand-Year Love |
| 1999 | Japanese Academy Awards | Won | Best Supporting Actor | Kizuna |
| 1987 | Elandor Awards | Won | Newcomer | Umi to Dokuyaku |
References
External links
- Ken Watanabe at the Internet Movie Database
- USA Today Interview
- About.com Interview
- Watanabe Ken's JMDb Listing (in Japanese)
- Ken Watanabe profile on Hoga Central
Ken Watanabe Videos and Clips
Description: Famous for his roles in The Last Samurai and Memoirs of a Geisha, Ken Watanabe most recently acted and produced the acclaimed Japanese film ...
Description: It is CM of Nissan Skyline.
Description: Ken Watanabe is the greatest Japanese actor since Toshiro Mifune and here is a collection of pictures of him. Gackt sings Shima Uta
Description: Some of the hottest celebrities are talking about and taking action on solving the climate crisis. Theyre asking you to take action too: check ...
Description: American Express My Life. My Card. 「標識」篇
Description: http://karmavision.tv/video/324/ken watanabe live earth psa.html Some of the hottest celebrities are talking about and taking action on ...
Description: "Memories of Tomorrow" is Ken Watanabes personal pet project about a man coming to terms with his affliction of Alzheimers disease. Our ...
Description: Indeed, it is quite a nice movie. With some scenes filmed in Shanghai, I think. It was a movie co operated by companies in Japan and China. There ...










