RIP Ken Takakura

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Twitch is reporting that he passed away.

"Word has just come over the news wires in Tokyo that legendary Japanese actor Takakura Ken has died. Probably most recognisable to Western audiences for his role as an Osaka cop assigned to babysit Michael Douglas in Ridley Scott's 1989 flick Black Rain, Takakura had a career spanning close to 50 years in Japan, creating numerous legendary screen characters and appearing nearly 150 films.

Cause of death was from a malignant lymphoma. He died in Tokyo on 10 November, with the news only being released publicly this morning. Takakura Ken was 83 years old."

More at the link.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

Awwww. I like that dude.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

He was a complete bad ass!

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

I got the news today when I was on my way to school. Very sad news. In Japan Takakura was probably the most beloved actor of all time. Literally every single person above the age of 5 knows him. It's a shame that his most important body of work - the 1960's old school yakuza films in which he played stoic heroes that made him somewhat a national icon - still remain largely undistributed in the West.













Trivia: when Sonny Chiba got to Toei in the early 1960s, Ken Takakura bought him a suit!