"Yakuza" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Media outlets are reporting the death of acclaimed Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who died at the age of 83 on November 10th, due to lymphoma.
Takakura has left behind a memorable body of work, but he is perhaps best known to mainstream audiences for co-starring in Robert Aldrich’s Too Late the Hero (1970), Sydney Pollack’s The Yakuza (1974), Ridley Scott’s Black Rain (1989) and the comedy, Mr. Baseball (1992), opposite Tom Selleck.
Takakura mostly played Yakuza-type characters, due to his brooding, but cool style. Some of his most notable Japanese films include Golgo 13 (1973), The Bullet Train (1975), The Yellow Handkerchief (1977), Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005), and his latest film, Dearest (2012).
Our condolences go out to Takakura’s family and friends.
