Takeshi Kitano
北野武
Japanese director and actor who made and starred in the film Zatoichi (2003), with duels lasting a fraction of a second, awarded the Silver Lion at Venice.
Quick Facts
JapanBiography
Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese director and actor. He was born on 18 January 1947 in Tokyo's Adachi ward. According to the English Wikipedia he does not train martial arts himself, but a biography on IMDb states that he boxed before his film career.
He belongs to the world of martial arts films thanks to Zatoichi (2003), which he directed and starred in. He conceived it as a new interpretation of the character from the long-running film and television series of Shintaro Katsu. The duel scenes in it last a fraction of a second and most end with a single draw of the sword. The film won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and became Kitano's most commercially successful film in Japan. He also acted in the samurai film Gohatto (1999) and in the film Battle Royale (2000).
His directing style is characterized by long shots, minimal camera movement, terse dialogue and sudden violence. For the film Hana-bi (1997) he won the Golden Lion in Venice. In 2008 he received a lifetime achievement award at the Moscow International Film Festival and in 2010 the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in the rank of Commandeur.
Filmography
A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.