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Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe

Highest Rated: 100% Tampopo (1985)

Lowest Rated: 4% Shanghai (2010)

Birthday: Oct 21, 1959

Birthplace: Koide, Niigata, Japan

It is no wonder that actor Ken Watanabe has played many roles as a Japanese samurai throughout much his career. Like the warriors of old, Watanabe has practiced a code of humility, honor and modesty with his approach to acting and stardom-even his first name is a common moniker meaning modesty. Watanabe has also faced death with the fearlessness of the samurai when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 1989. Though he would eventually recover, Watanabe spent the first half of the 1990s in and out of the hospital. But he never despaired and once healthy, Watanabe continued his venerable acting career with the same command for respect and integrity of the most ardent warrior.

Highest rated movies

100% Tampopo
94% Unforgiven
91% Letters From Iwo Jima
88% Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
87% Inception
86% Memories of Tomorrow
85% Batman Begins 76% Godzilla

Photos

Ken Watanabe GODZILLA, Ken Watanabe, 2014. ph: Kimberley French/©Warner Bross. Pictures BATMAN BEGINS, Ken Watanabe, 2005, (c) Warner Brothers THE LAST SAMURAI, Ken Watanade, 2003, (c) Warner Brothers MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Koji Yakusho, 2005, (c) Columbia MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Ken Watanabe, 2005, (c) Columbia LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, director Clint Eastwood, Ken Watanabe, on set, 2006. ©Warner Bros. TAMPOPO, Ken Watanabe, Ryutaro Otomo, 1985 BATMAN BEGINS, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, 2005, (c) Warner Brothers MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Ken Watanabe, Ziyi Zhang, 2005, (c) Columbia MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Ziyi Zhang,Ken Watanabe, 2005, (c) Columbia BEL CANTO, KEN WATANABE, 2018. PH: NICOLE RIVELLI. ©SCREEN MEDIA FILMS THE SEA OF TREES, Ken Watanabe, 2015. ph: Jake Giles Netter/© A24 THE SEA OF TREES, from left: Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, 2015. ph: Jake Giles Netter/©A24 MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, 2005, (c) Columbia GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, FROM LEFT: KEN WATANABE, KYLE CHANDLER, 2019. PH: DANIEL MCFADDEN/© WARNER BROS. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, FROM LEFT: SALLY HAWKINS, KEN WATANABE, 2019. PH: DANIEL MCFADDEN/© WARNER BROS. SHANGHAI, Ken Watanabe, 2010. ©Weinstein Company SHANGHAI, Ken Watanabe (left), CHOW Yun-Fat (right), 2010. ©Weinstein Company INCEPTION, front, from left: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2010. ph: Melissa Moseley/©Warner Bros
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
67% 76% The Creator Harun (Character) $40.8M 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kensuke's Kingdom Unknown (Voice) - 2023
67% 65% Fukushima 50 Masao Yoshida (Character) - 2020
42% 83% Godzilla: King of the Monsters Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Character) $110.5M 2019
68% 79% Pokémon Detective Pikachu Lieutenant Hide Yoshida (Character) $144.1M 2019
47% 45% Bel Canto Katsumi Hosokawa (Character) $79.9K 2018
90% 87% Isle of Dogs Head Surgeon (Voice) $31.9M 2018
No Score Yet 0% Razors: The Return of Jack the Ripper Original Music - 2016
No Score Yet 87% Rage Yohei Maki (Character) - 2016
17% 44% The Sea of Trees Takumi Nakamura (Character) $14.0K 2015
18% 50% Transformers: Age of Extinction Drift (Voice) $245.4M 2014
76% 66% Godzilla Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Character) $200.7M 2014
94% 78% Unforgiven Jubei Kamata (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home Unknown (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet 21% Seeing Heaven Original Music - 2010
4% 37% Shanghai Tanaka (Character) $44.7K 2010
87% 91% Inception Saito (Character) $292.6M 2010
37% 42% Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Mr. Tall (Character) $13.8M 2009
No Score Yet 73% The Unbroken Hajime Onchi (Character) - 2009
87% 82% Earth Narrator $32.0M 2007
91% 86% Letters From Iwo Jima Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Character) $13.8M 2006
86% 89% Memories of Tomorrow Masayuki Saeki (Character),
Executive Producer 		$140.2K 2006
36% 83% Memoirs of a Geisha The Chairman (Character) $57.0M 2005
85% 94% Batman Begins Ra's Al Ghul (Character) $206.9M 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kita no Zeronen Hideaki Komatsubara (Character) - 2005
66% 83% The Last Samurai Katsumoto (Character) $111.1M 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Another Battle / Conspiracy Unknown (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS Okubo (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hi Wa Mata Noboru Okubo (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet 67% Sennen no Koi: Hikaru Genji Monogatari Fujiwara no Michinaga/Fujiwara no Nobutaka (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet 67% Space Travelers Sakamaki (Character) - 2000
88% 94% Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald Raita Onuki, the truck driver (Character) $11.5K 1997
No Score Yet 0% Karate Warrior II Unknown (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Violent Zone Old Mishima (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sea and Poison (Umi to dokuyaku) Unknown (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Karate Warrior Unknown (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Commando Invasion General Diap (Character) - 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sea and Poison Toda (Character) - 1986
100% 93% Tampopo Gun (Character) $224.1K 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Kekkon Annai Mystery Tetsuya Funayama (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Double Edge Yoshiro (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bruce's Fists of Vengeance Unknown (Character) - 1983

TV

Credit
89% 92% Tokyo Vice Hiroto Katagiri (Character),
Executive Producer 		2022 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet Great Performances King Mongkut of Siam (Character) 2019