Toshirō Mifune
Born: 1920-04-01 in Qingdao, China
Died: 1997-12-24
Known For: Acting
Biography
Toshirō Mifune (April 1, 1920 - December 24, 1997) was a Japanese actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Japanese cinema. He was born in Qingdao, China, but was raised in Japan. Mifune's career spanned over 50 years, during which he collaborated extensively with renowned director Akira Kurosawa, creating some of the most iconic films in Japanese cinema. Mifune gained international recognition for his performances in Kurosawa's films, particularly in samurai films. He portrayed strong, dynamic, and often rebellious characters, bringing a raw intensity to his roles. Some of his notable collaborations with Kurosawa include "Rashomon" (1950), "Seven Samurai" (1954), "Yojimbo" (1961), and "The Hidden Fortress" (1958), which inspired George Lucas's "Star Wars." Apart from his work with Kurosawa, Mifune appeared in numerous other films, showcasing his versatility as an actor. He played roles in various genres, including dramas, comedies, and war films. Some of his other notable films include "The Throne of Blood" (1957), "High and Low" (1963), and "Red Beard" (1965). Mifune's charismatic presence, powerful performances, and ability to convey complex emotions made him an iconic figure in Japanese cinema. He received international recognition and awards for his contributions to the film industry, including several honors at the Venice Film Festival and a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Filmography
2016
- Mifune: The Last Samurai as Self - Actor / Various Roles (archive footage)
2012
- Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen as (archive footage)
1995
- Picture Bride as The Benshi
- Deep River as Tsukada
1992
- Shadow of the Wolf as Kroomak
1991
- Journey of Honor as Ieyasu Tokugawa
- Strawberry Road as Taoka
1990
- Heaven and Earth: Dawn Episode as Nagao Tamekage
1989
- cf Girl as Shūichirō Hase
- Death of a Tea Master as Rikyu Sen-no
- The Demon Comes in Spring as Kukkune no jî
1987
- Princess from the Moon as Taketori-no-Miyatsuko
- The Retired Samurai as Hikozaemon Ōkubo
- Tora-san Goes North as Junkichi Ueno
- The Shatterer as Murai
1986
- The Ballad of the Sea of Genkai as Kyūbei Matsufuji
1985
- No More God, No More Love as Kōzō Kanzaki
1984
- Okita Soji: Swordsman of Fire as Shūsai Kondō
- The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel as Fisherman
- Burning Mountain River as Otsuichi Amo
1983
- Secret of the Forbidden Valley
- Theater Of Life as Hyōtarō Aonari
- Battle Anthem as Admiral Heihachiro Togo
- The Women of Osaka Castle as Tokugawa Ieyasu
- Lowly Ronin 5: The Teenage Orphan Girl as Sûrônin Rakuyôjûrô
- Lowly Ronin 4: Living Hell as Sanjuro Hinoki
- Lowly Ronin 6: Betrayal at Yatate Pass as Sûrônin Hinoki Sajûrô
1982
- The Challenge as Toru Yoshida
- Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 2 as Tamon Umei
- The Lowly Ronin 3: Duel at Dawn
- Domineering as Masao Tadokoro
- Lowly Ronin 2: The Spray of Blood as Sanjuro Hinoki
1981
- Ten Duels of Young Shingo: Chapter 1 as Tamon Umei
- Lowly Ronin as Sanjuro Hinoki
- The Bushido Blade as Shogun's Commander
- Inchon as Saito-San
- Tuesday Suspense Theater
- Sekigahara as Sakon Shima
1980
- Shōgun as Lord Yoshi Toranaga
- Port Arthur as Emperor Meiji
1979
- Winter Kills as Keith
- 1941 as Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura
- The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi as Kindaichi of 11th Generation in "The Woman in the Eye"
- Onmitsu Doshin: The Edo Secret Police as Sadanobu Matsudaira
- The 47 Ronins of Ako as Tachibana Sakon
1978
- Lord Mito as Sakuzaemon Okumura
- Japanese Godfather: Conclusion as Kosuke Oishi
- Shogun's Samurai as Yoshinao Tokugawa
- Love and Faith as Taiko Hideyoshi
- The Fall of Ako Castle as Tsuchiya Michinao
- Shag as Captain Takeo Murata
- Falcons of Edo as Kanbei Uchiyama
1977
- Proof of the Man as Yohei Kori
- Japanese Godfather: Ambition as Kosuke Oishi
1976
- Midway as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
- Ronin in a Lawless Town as Mr. Danna
1975
- Paper Tiger as Ambassador Kagoyama
1972
- Ronin of the Wastelands as Kujuro Toge
1971
- Red Sun as Kuroda Jubei
- V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- Morning for Two ... (Producer)
- Epic Chushingura as Oishi Kuranosuke
1970
- Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo as Yojimbo/Sasa
- The Ambitious as Shojiro Goto
- The Walking Major as Kinugasa Tadao
- The Militarists as Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto
- Incident at Blood Pass as Yojimbo
1969
- Safari 5000 as Yūichirō Takase
- Samurai Banners as Kansuke Yamamoto
- Red Lion as Gonzo
- Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor as Isami Kondo
- Battle of the Japan Sea as Admiral Heihachiro Togo
1968
- Admiral Yamamoto as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
- The Sands of Kurobe as Kitagawa
- Hell in the Pacific as Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda
- The Day the Sun Rose as Kumaza
1967
- Samurai Rebellion as Isaburo Sasahara
- Japan's Longest Day as War Minister General Korechika Anami
1966
- The Sword of Doom as Toranosuke Shimada
- Rise Against the Sword as Abare Gōemon
- The Mad Atlantic as Heihachirô Murakami
- Grand Prix as Izō Yamura
- Adventure in Kigan Castle as Osami
- Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions as Self
1965
- Red Beard as Dr. Kyojio Niide ("Red Beard")
- Fort Graveyard as Sergeant Kosugi
- The Retreat from Kiska as Omura
- Sanshiro Sugata as Shogoro Yano
- Samurai Assassin as Tsuruchiyo Niiro
1964
- Whirlwind as Lord Akashi
1963
- High and Low as Kingo Gondo
- Legacy of the 500,000 as Takeichi Matsuo
- Samurai Pirate as Sukezaemon Naya, aka 'Luzon' [Sinbad, in US version]
- Attack Squadron as Lt. Colonel Senda
1962
- Sanjuro as Sanjûrô Tsubaki / The ronin
- Chûshingura as Genba Tawaraboshi
- Home-Brewed Tatsu as Tatsu
- Three Gentlemen Return from Hong Kong as Zhang Zhizhang
1961
- Yojimbo as Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai
- The Youth and His Amulet as Fudo-Myo (Immovable Bright King)
- Daredevil in the Castle as Mohei
- The Masterless 47 – Part II
- The Important Man as Ánimas Trujano
1960
- The Bad Sleep Well as Kôichi Nishi
- The Storm of the Pacific as Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
- Man Against Man as Kaji
- The Gambling Samurai as Kunisada Chuji
- The Last Gunfight as Detective Saburo Fujioka
- The Masterless 47 as Kazuo Momoi
1959
- The Three Treasures as Prince Yamato Takeru
- Saga of the Vagabonds as Rokuro Kai
- Samurai Saga as Heihachiro Komaki
- Desperado Outpost as Battalion Commander
- The Big Boss as Kashimura
1958
- The Hidden Fortress as General Rokurota Makabe
- The Rickshaw Man as Matsugorō Tomishima
- Holiday in Tokyo as Tenkai's nephew Jirō
- Yagyu Secret Scrolls: Ninjitsu - Part II as Tasaburo
- Yaji and Kita on the Road as Toshinoshin Taya
- Theater of Life
- All About Marriage as Acting teacher
1957
- Throne of Blood as Taketoki Washizu
- The Lower Depths as Sutekichi the Thief
- A Dangerous Hero as Kawada
- A Man in the Storm as Saburō Watari
- Good Luck to These Two as Toshio Maruyama
- Down Town as Yoshio Tsuruishi
- Yagyu Secret Scrolls as Tasaburō Kasumi
1956
- Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
- A Wife's Heart as Kenkichi
- The Underworld as Chief Inspector Kumada
- Settlement of Love as Shuntarō Ōhira
- Rainy Night Duel as Masahiko Koseki
- Rebels on the High Sea as Matsuo Tokuzō
- Scoundrel as Kanji
1955
- Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
- I Live in Fear as Kiichi Nakajima
- All is Well 2 as Daikichi Risshun
- A Man Among Men as "Buick" Maki
- All is Well as Daikichi Risshun
- No Time for Tears as Mitsuo Yano
1954
- Seven Samurai as Kikuchiyo
- Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto as Musashi Miyamoto a.k.a. Takezo
- The Surf as Skipper of the Utashima-maru
- The Black Fury as Eiichi Tsuda
1953
- My Wonderful Yellow Car as Matsumura
- The Eagle of the Pacific as 1st Lieutenant Tomonaga
- Sunflower Girl as Ippei Hitachi
- The Last Embrace as Shinkichi / Hayakawa
1952
- The Life of Oharu as Katsunosuke
- The Man Who Came to Port as Gorō Niinuma
- Vendetta of a Samurai as Mataemon Araki
- Sword for Hire as Sasa Hayatenosuke
- Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
- Swift Current as Shunsuke Kosugi
- Foghorn as Chiyokichi
- Tokyo Sweetheart as Kurokawa
1951
- The Idiot as Denkichi Akama
- Sasaki Kojiro as Miyamoto Musashi
- The Life of a Horse Trader as Yonetaro Katayama
- Meeting of the Ghost of Apres-Guerre as Kenji Kawakami
- Who Knows a Woman's Heart as Mizuno
- Elegy as Prosecutor Daisuke Toki
- Pirates as Tora
- Beyond Love and Hate as Gorō Sakata
1950
- Rashomon as Tajômaru
- Scandal as Ichirô Aoye
- Wedding Ring as Takeshi Ema
- Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka as Teisaku Nagasawa
- Escape from Prison as Shinkichi
1949
- The Quiet Duel as Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki
- Jakoman and Tetsu as Tetsu
- Stray Dog as Det. Murakami
1948
- Drunken Angel as Matsunaga
1947
- Snow Trail as Eijima
- These Foolish Times as Genzaburo Onō, Gang Boss