ACTOR

Ken Takakura

1931 - 2014

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Ken Takakura (Japanese: 高倉 健, Hepburn: Takakura Ken), born Takeichi Oda (小田 剛一, Oda Takeichi; February 16, 1931 – November 10, 2014), was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role four times, tied with Koji Yakusho for the most ever. Takakura additionally received the Japanese Medal of Honor with purple ribbon in 1998, the Person of Cultural Merit award in 2006, and the Order of Culture in 2013. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 23 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 22 in 2024). Ken Takakura is the 729th most popular actor (up from 1,415th in 2024), the 235th most popular biography from Japan (up from 579th in 2019) and the 8th most popular Japanese Actor.

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Among ACTORS

Among actors, Ken Takakura ranks 729 out of 13,578. Before him are Max Schreck, Lex Barker, Holland Taylor, Ed Begley Jr., Shelley Winters, and James Garner. After him are Charlize Theron, Pat Hitchcock, CCH Pounder, Milena Dravić, Maurice Ronet, and Tom Berenger.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1931, Ken Takakura ranks 70. Before him are Ettore Scola, Syukuro Manabe, Lucia Bosè, Arawa Kimura, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Jacques Demy. After him are Alfred Brendel, Rita Moreno, Stanislav Grof, Klaus Hasselmann, Arata Isozaki, and Anthony de Mello. Among people deceased in 2014, Ken Takakura ranks 53. Before him are Daniel Keyes, Kim Song-ae, Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ultimate Warrior, Yozo Aoki, and James Garner. After him are Udo Jürgens, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Veljko Kadijević, Gyula Grosics, Hans Hollein, and Louis Zamperini.

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In Japan

Among people born in Japan, Ken Takakura ranks 235 out of 6,245. Before him are Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646), Ishikawa Goemon (1558), Emperor Seimu (83), Emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596), Takashi Kano (1920), and Emperor Kenzō (450). After him are Megumu Tamura (1927), Masanobu Fukuoka (1913), Ko Takamoro (1907), Takehiko Kawanishi (1938), Uichiro Hatta (1903), and Masao Nozawa (null).

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Among ACTORS In Japan

Among actors born in Japan, Ken Takakura ranks 8. Before him are Mako (1933), Liv Ullmann (1938), Joan Fontaine (1917), Sonny Chiba (1939), Ken Watanabe (1959), and Hiroyuki Sanada (1960). After him are Takashi Shimura (1905), Victoria Principal (1950), Setsuko Hara (1920), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (1950), Tatsuya Nakadai (1932), and Sessue Hayakawa (1886).

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