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Ken Watanabe

Date of birth: 1959-10-21

Place of birth: Uonuma, Niigata, Japan

Known for: Acting

Also known as: 渡邊謙, 渡辺 謙, کِن واتانابه, ک ِن واتانابه

Ken Watanabe

Biography

Ken Watanabe (born October 21, 1959) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He is also known for his roles in director Christopher Nolan's Hollywood blockbusters Batman Begins and Inception.

Movie Credits

Batman Begins
3.9

Batman Begins

2005-06-10

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corrup

Letters from Iwo Jima
3.7

Letters from Iwo Jima

2006-12-09

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II

The Last Samurai
3.8

The Last Samurai

2003-12-05

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, whic

Tampopo
4

Tampopo

1985-11-23

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
2.9

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2009-10-23

When Darren Shan is taken to a circus that's chock-full of sideshow oddities, he meets a vampire and

Inception
4.2

Inception

2010-07-15

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his target

Shanghai
3

Shanghai

2010-06-10

An American man returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and

T.R.Y.
3.5

T.R.Y.

2003-01-11

At the turn of the 20th Century amongst tension between China and Japan, a Japanese swindler in Shan

Space Travelers
3

Space Travelers

2000-04-08

Three bank robbers, who declare themselves to be Space Travelers, take six persons as hostages when

第三の時効
0

第三の時効

The Creator
3.5

The Creator

2023-09-27

Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-sp

Unforgiven
3.5

Unforgiven

2013-09-13

An old swordsman, his former comrade and a young braggart are hired by prostitutes to track down ban

Godzilla
3.2

Godzilla

2014-05-14

Ford Brody, a Navy bomb expert, has just reunited with his family in San Francisco when he is forced

Memories of Tomorrow
3

Memories of Tomorrow

2006-05-13

After being stricken with Alzheimer's disease in the prime of his life, a successful young businessm

The Making of "Tampopo"
0

The Making of "Tampopo"

1986-01-01

Documentary about the making of Juzo Itami's film "Tampopo" (1985).

劇場の灯を消すな!PARCO劇場編
3.5

劇場の灯を消すな!PARCO劇場編

2020-10-31

The Unbroken
3.4

The Unbroken

2009-10-23

Onchi was exiled to posts around Asia and Africa due to his work as head of a labor union for Nation

A School Behind Bars
5

A School Behind Bars

2010-10-11

"A School Behind Bars" centers around Asahi Junior High School, which is located within Nagano Matsu

Year One in the North
2.5

Year One in the North

2005-01-14

In 1868, after the fall of the Shogun-dominated Japan, the new government orders people from Awaji,

Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home
3

Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home

2012-02-11

In May 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (or JAXA) launched an unmanned spacecraft of the

Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS
3.5

Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS

2002-06-16

A Japanese film that tells the tale of the birth of VHS. It follows Kagatani Shizuo, an electronics

Earth
3.8

Earth

2007-10-10

An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, aw

Transformers: Age of Extinction
3

Transformers: Age of Extinction

2014-06-25

As humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an at

True Love: Making The Creator
4

True Love: Making The Creator

2023-11-14

Join director Gareth Edwards and crew for nearly an hour look behind the scenes. Hear from actors ab

The Whispered City
4.5

The Whispered City

2000-07-07

Director Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a b

Drowning Fish
3.5

Drowning Fish

2001-02-03

When corporate executives are blackmailed into public displays of nudity on the busy streets of Shin

The Sea and Poison
3.5

The Sea and Poison

1986-10-17

Two interns and a nurse are interrogated by American MPs for their involvement in an atrocity during

Dirty, Clean, & Inbetween
0

Dirty, Clean, & Inbetween

2017-01-28

Dirty, Clean and Inbetween is a Sex and The City for guys, with a delightful mix of Entourage, Suits

MacArthur's Children
2.8

MacArthur's Children

1984-06-23

In this drama at the end of World War II, the inhabitants of a small Japanese fishing village must c

Evolution Within Extinction
3.9

Evolution Within Extinction

2014-09-30

The definitive feature-length documentary on the creation of "Transformers: Age of Extinction".

Hanzo, the Razor
0

Hanzo, the Razor

1993-01-01

During Tenpo period, Bakuhu announced a law regulating expenditures in order to improve the financia

All Lives
3.4

All Lives

2024-05-06

TV Tokyo's 60th anniversary special drama. This is a human drama about a doctor struggling with his

Transformers: The Last Knight
3

Transformers: The Last Knight

2017-06-16

Humans and Transformers are at war. Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried

Snow Jack
0

Snow Jack

2014-08-02

A blackmail arrives at Appi ski resort. “We demand 30,000,000 yen as consolation money for the destr

Rage
3.4

Rage

2016-09-17

A man brutally murders a married couple and leaves the word “ikari” (“rage”) written with their bloo

Ganryujima: Kojiro and Musashi
4.3

Ganryujima: Kojiro and Musashi

1992-01-01

In the 16th Year of Keityo (1611), the lord of Ogura Castle in Kyushu admitted Sasaki Kojiro's becau

Kekkon Annai Mystery
4.1

Kekkon Annai Mystery

1985-06-15

A 19-year-old girl Hiroko Terasawa working in a matching agency promises her client Masakazu Sekine

The Sea of Trees
3.1

The Sea of Trees

2016-04-27

In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a

Commando Invasion
3.1

Commando Invasion

1987-01-01

The leader of a group of American commandos has 5 days to kidnap a VC General to prove his innocence

Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -
0

Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -

2011-01-01

Japanese TV movie

Oda Nobunaga
4

Oda Nobunaga

1992-01-05

Among the great ‘Warlords’ in Japanese history, Oda Nobunaga holds a unique place. In effect, his mi

Chronicle of the Town Magistrate
0

Chronicle of the Town Magistrate

1992-12-23

In a maelstrom of evil, can a new magistrate, samurai Mochizuki Koheita, with a reputation like an a

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
3.3

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

2019-05-29

Follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a

Pokémon Detective Pikachu
3.5

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

2019-05-03

In a world where people collect pocket-size monsters (Pokémon) to do battle, a boy comes across an i

Isle of Dogs
3.9

Isle of Dogs

2018-03-23

In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an

Bel Canto
2.7

Bel Canto

2018-09-13

A famous opera singer is held hostage in South America by a guerrilla rebel group after performing a

Fukushima 50
3.2

Fukushima 50

2020-03-06

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Japan risk their lives and stay at the nuclear power pl

The Memories of Happiness
0

The Memories of Happiness

2017-01-08

Taro's business failed and he got divorced. He also left his family's home. 5 years later, his oldes

The King and I
3.5

The King and I

2018-11-29

Widowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many chil

Kensuke's Kingdom
3.4

Kensuke's Kingdom

2024-02-07

A young boy and his family set off on a sailing trip of a lifetime until a violent storm erupts, swe

Bonds
2.6

Bonds

1998-06-06

Tetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
3.8

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

1997-11-08

A love story written by an ordinary housewife is going to be broadcast as a radio drama and almost e

Baian the Assassin
0

Baian the Assassin

1990-12-26

Fujieda Baian is admired during the day as a skilled acupuncturist. However, his nighttime persona i

Baian the Assassin: Showdown
0

Baian the Assassin: Showdown

1993-10-06

Fujieda Baian is admired during the day as a skilled acupuncturist. However, at night, he is a highl

Memoirs of a Geisha
3.8

Memoirs of a Geisha

2005-12-06

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a ma

7 Guardians of the Tomb
2.7

7 Guardians of the Tomb

2018-01-19

An innocent discovery of a well-preserved mummified Emperor from 200 BC China unearths a 2000 year o

Another Battle/Conspiracy
0

Another Battle/Conspiracy

2003-02-15

Katsunori Takahashi and Ken Watanabe star in a modern yakuza tale in the classic Japanese film serie

An Artist of the Floating World
0

An Artist of the Floating World

2019-03-30

In the face of the misery in his homeland, the artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art sol

A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era
3.5

A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era

1991-07-06

In the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, there was a cute warrior, Souji Okita, who belonged to t

Kokuho
4.7

Kokuho

2025-06-06

Nagasaki, 1964 – Following the death of his yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing

The Final Piece
0

The Final Piece

2025-10-31

Keisuke, a 10-year-old boy, living hard despite being abused by his father, finds a ray of light in

Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of 'Letters from Iwo Jima'
0

Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of 'Letters from Iwo Jima'

2007-05-22

Documentary on the making of Clint Eastwood's film 'Letters from Iwo Jima'.

Revenge in Kobikicho
0

Revenge in Kobikicho

2026-02-27

LA PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER
0

LA PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER

2025-09-18