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Shô Kosugi

Highest Rated: 53% Blind Fury (1989)

Lowest Rated: 26% Ninja Assassin (2009)

Birthday: Jun 17, 1948

Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan

As an actor and expert martial artist, Shô Kosugi has made a lasting impression in his fields. The Tokyo native got started in martial arts as a child, studying judo, kendo, ninjutsu, and various other styles until reaching the title of All Japan Karate Champion at age 18. The very next year, Kosugi left his home city for the bright lights of Los Angeles, studying economics at California State University and Pasadena City College before opening his own karate schools. In the 1970s, Kosugi decided to try out acting, which he (very gradually) did--starting with bit parts and minor roles in films like "The Godfather Part II" and "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." But none of those meaningless background parts could have prepared Kosugi for his big break as Hasegawa in the 1981 film "Enter the Ninja." His role in that project was initially intended to be a minor background part, but when the film's producers took notice of Kosugi's technical martial arts skills, they requested his part be re-written and expanded. In the sequel, "Revenge of the Ninja," he landed the starring role. Kosugi's peak period was the 1980s, appearing in countless ninja movies, with top billing in 1984's "Ninja III: The Domination" and 1988's "Black Eagle." In the '90s, Kosugi slowed his acting pace, starting a taiko group and opening the Sho Kosugi Institute (a martial arts acting school). But in 2009, he returned to the big screen with a supporting role in "Ninja Assassin."

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Highest rated movies

53% 51% Blind Fury
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43% 37% Enter the Ninja
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33% 53% Ninja III -- The Domination
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26% 54% Ninja Assassin
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16% Black Eagle
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58% Revenge of the Ninja
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53% Pray for Death
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Shogun Mayeda
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33% 9 Deaths of the Ninja
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The Best of the Martial Arts Films
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
26% 54% Ninja Assassin Lord Ozunu (Character) $38.1M 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shogun Mayeda Daigoro Mayeda (Character),
Producer
- 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Best of the Martial Arts Films Unknown (Character) - 1991
53% 51% Blind Fury The Assassin (Character) $2.1M 1989
No Score Yet 16% Black Eagle Ken Tani (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet 93% Aloha Summer Yukinaga Konishi (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet 24% Rage of Honor Shiro Tanaka (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet 53% Pray for Death Akira Saito (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 33% 9 Deaths of the Ninja Spike Shinobi (Character) - 1985
33% 53% Ninja III -- The Domination Yamada (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet 58% Revenge of the Ninja Cho Osaki (Character) - 1983
43% 37% Enter the Ninja Hasegawa (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shaolin Drunk Fighter Unknown (Character) - 1969

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Master Okasa (Character) 1984