Takeshi Kitano (born January 18, 1947 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actor, director, and comedian who has starred in many cult films, in particular Fireworks and Battle Royale.
In his native country he is famous as a comedian (particularly with his Manzai duo "Two-Beat" alongside Kiyoshi Kaneko) and talk show host, but has achieved international success with Takeshi's Castle, which was given a Gag Dub as MXC in the US, as well as forays into more serious film work, such as Sonatine and Ghost in the Shell. He also played the titular Blind Weaponmaster in Zatoichi, a Bloody Hilarious version of the long-running film franchise.
Also the creator of a video game, Takeshi's Challenge.
As an actor, he is usually credited as "Beat" Takeshi. Not to be confused with Takashi Miike, although both directors were involved with Like a Dragon entries.
Partial Filmography:
Directed (Acting roles marked with an *):- Violent Cop* (1989)
- Boiling Point* (1990)
- A Scene at the Sea (1991)
- Sonatine* (1993)
- Getting Any ?* (1995)
- Fireworks* (1997)
- Kikujiro* (1999)
- Brother* (2000)
- Dolls (2002)
- Zatoichi* (2003)
- Outrage* (2010)
Actor Only:
- Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
- Battle Royale (2000)
- Ghost in the Shell (2017)
- Yakuza 6 (2016)
Tropes associated with Kitano's filmography:
- Associated Composer: Joe Hisaichi. His collaborations with Kitano began with A Scene At The Sea and ended with Dolls.
- Chronically Killed Actor: Kitano gets killed in many movies he directs, especially the ones involving yakuza.
- Creator's Oddball: Back in the late 80s, nobody in Japan would have expected the creator of Takeshi's Castle to direct a police drama and a variety of films with serious tones afterwards. Due to the comedic roots of his career, Kitano's skills as a director took some time to get recognized in his country.
- Directed by Cast Member: With some exceptions, Kitano usually acts in movies he directs.
- He Also Did: Outside of filmmaking and TV producing, Kitano is also a writer, a painter, and a one-time video game designer.
- Production Posse: So, you want to see a Takeshi Kitano film made in the 90s ? Chances are there is Joe Hisaichi providing the soundtrack and Susumu Terajima playing a yakuza!
- Renaissance Man: A comedian, actor, game show host, screenwriter, director, author, painter, poet and one-time video game designer.
- Yakuza: A theme explored in movies such as Sonatine and Outrage, which in turn probably led to his casting in Yakuza 6 as an aged patriarch.
