born April 1, 1920, Tsingtao, Shantung province, China
died Dec. 24, 1997, Mitaka, near Tokyo, Japan
Japanese film actor.
After serving in the Japanese army in World War II, he made his screen debut in These Foolish Times (1947). He followed it with Drunken Angel (1948) and achieved international fame in Rashomon (1950). He acted in more than 100 films and was known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters in the films of Kurosawa Akira, including Seven Samurai (1954), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), and Sanjuro (1962); he also played legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi in three films. His other films include Throne of Blood (1957), The Lower Depths (1957), Red Beard (1965), and Midway (1976).