Biography
Kunie Tanaka (田中 邦衛 Tanaka Kunie, November 23, 1932 - March 24, 2021) was a Japanese actor. He had his first notable role in 1960 as a thug in Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well, and worked with the director again on Sanjuro. Tanaka is well known for his roles in Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza films, namely the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series. He also appeared in Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan.
He has been nominated for five Japanese Academy Awards, winning the Best Supporting Actor statuette for Gakko in 1993. He appeared as the lecherous Shinjiro Ishiyama, nicknamed Aodaishō, the antagonist of the hero, played by Yūzō Kayama, in all of the Wakadaishō series of films. The character Kizaru, from Eiichiro Oda's manga series One Piece, is modeled after Tanaka.
Filmography
Cast Credits
The Last Ronin
Character:
MOVIE • 2010
The Sun in Kurobe
Character: Genkichi
TV • 2009
The Hidden Blade
Character: Kanbê Katagiri
MOVIE • 2004
Fukumimi
Character:
MOVIE • 2003
The Boat to Heaven
Character: Masato Sakurai
MOVIE • 2003
北の国から 記憶 前編
Character: 演员
MOVIE • 2003
Resurrection
Character: Dr. Saito
MOVIE • 2003
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro'
Character: Self
MOVIE • 2002
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Bad Sleep Well'
Character: Self
MOVIE • 2002
Kita no kuni kara 2002 Yuigon Part 2
Character:
MOVIE • 2002
北の国から記憶
Character: 演员
MOVIE • 2002
Kewaishi
Character:
MOVIE • 2002
世界で一番熱い夏
Character:
TV • 2001
All About Our House
Character: Chouichirou Iwata
MOVIE • 2001
The Password is Courage
Character:
TV • 2000
As the River Flows
Character: Matsuda (The Shopkeeper)
MOVIE • 2000
A Class to Remember III: The New Voyage
Character: Inoue
MOVIE • 1998
The Rainbow Seeker 2
Character:
MOVIE • 1997
Magnitude: Bridge to Tomorrow
Character:
MOVIE • 1997
The Rainbow Seeker
Character:
MOVIE • 1996