The Japanese actor, who played in Ridley Scott's 'Black Rain' among others, passed away of malignant lymphoma at the age of 83.
- November 18, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Renowned Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who is known for playing tough characters in many of his projects, has passed away. Takakura, who took part in Ridley Scott's "Black Rain" and Zhang Yimou's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" among others, passed away on November 10 in a hospital in Tokyo following a battle with malignant lymphoma.
A funeral had been held when the sad news broke out in Japan on Tuesday, November 18, Variety reports. According to his office, the late actor was preparing for his new projects prior to his death at the age of 83.
Takakura was born on February 16, 1931 in Fukuoka. He made his movie debut in Japan in 1956 and soared to fame after starring in 1965's flick "Abashiri Prison" which was directed by Teruo Ishii. Takakura, who starred in about 200 movies during his decades-long career in the entertainment industry, also took part in "The Yellow Handkerchief" in 1977 and "Railroad Man" in 1999.
Takakura played a cop opposite Michael Douglas in 1989's "Black Rain" and "Mr. Baseball" with Tom Selleck in 1992. His 205th and last movie "Dearest" was released in 2012.
