Kunie Tanaka
Born: 1932-11-23 in Toki, Gifu, Japan
Died: 2021-03-24
Known For: Acting
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
2010
2009
- The Sun in Kurobe as Genkichi
2004
- The Hidden Blade as Kanbê Katagiri
2003
- Yomigaeri as Dr. Saito
- The Boat to Heaven as Masato Sakurai
- Fukumimi
- 北の国から 記憶 前編 as 演员
2002
2001
- 世界で一番熱い夏
- All About Our House as Chouichirou Iwata
2000
- As the River Flows as Matsuda (The Shopkeeper)
- The Password is Courage
1998
1996
- Oishinbo as Tattsan
- The Rainbow Seeker as Tsune-san
1995
1993
1992
1991
- My Sons
- Private Detective Dobu
- A Desirable Marriage as Mr. Kawamata
- Castle of Sand as Eitaro Imanishi
- Mourning Work
- Shy Security
- Kamigata Kugaizoshi
- Baian the Assassin as Han-Emon of Otowa
- The love song of farewell later
1990
- Ronin-gai as Magozaemon Doi
- Baian the Assassin
- Tasmania Story
- Hoshi wo tsugu mono as Kenji Yoshida
1988
- Yojo no jidai
- This Heartbeat
- I Love You So Much
- Love on a Daily Basis
- Oración
- Tomorrow as Shoji's stepfather
1987
1986
- Rice Curry
- Maison Ikkoku - Apartment Fantasy as Man
- The House of Wedlock as Kazuya Enomoto
1985
- Demon as Keita
- Early Spring Story as Okino, Hitomi's father
1984
- The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel
- Sukanpin Walk as Keizo Fukami
- Kita no kuni kara '84 Natsu
- Tokimeki Kaigan Monogatari
- Ghost Reunion as Inspector Joichi Uno
1983
- Choji Snack Bar as Iwashita
- Deadly Swords in Search of Hidden Gold
- Private Detective DOBU 5: The Pinwheel Murder Case as Dobu
- Private Detective DOBU 6: The Origami Murder Case as Dobu
- Kita no kuni kara '83 Fuyu
- The Undercover Ninja Organization
- Private Detective DOBU 4: The Mysterious Kite Murders Case as Dobu
- Nogare no machi
1982
1981
- Kita no kuni kara as Goru Kuroita (黑板五郎)
- Station as Sugawara
- At This Late Date, the Charleston as Army Minister
- Private Detective DOBU 1 as Dobu
- Return of the Champ as Shinjiro Ishiyama
1980
- May Love Be Restored as Yugiri-ro client
- The Revolt
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga as Masakichi Makihara
- Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai as ボオルチュ
1979
- The Inferno as Unpei Ikegata
- The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi as Lt. Todoroki
- The Fixer
- Down with The Big Boss
- Murder in the Doll House as Detective Naraki
- The Last Game
- Nichiren
- White Love
- Troubleman Laughs and Kills
- Ghost Festival in Zenjin Village as Inspector Joichi Uno
- The Bride of the Ghost Lake as Inspector Joichi Uno
1978
- Never Give Up as Bartender
- Winter's Flower as Kokichi Minami
- Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Rikichi Komadera
- Blood Type: Blue
- The Demon as Policeman
- Pink Lady's Motion Picture
- Dynamite Don-Don as Sakuzo
- The Truck Rascals Go to The North
- 幽霊列車
- Inside the Storm of Love
- Ghost Coast as Inspector Joichi Uno
1977
- Japan's Don
- Older brother as Kintaro
- Village of Eight Gravestones
- The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro as Kuroki Taro
- Sugata Sanshiro as Yasuyoshi
- The Extravagant Cops
- Seasonal Wind
- Dazzling Cops as Nangou Goro
1976
- Manhunt as Yokomichi Keiji
- The Machine Gun Dragon
- Yoake no hata matsumoto jiichirō Den as Toramatsu Otani
- Hangyaku no Tabi
- Hobo General
- Kawachi Rascal Is Spurred On as Shinichiro Nabeyama
1975
- The Bullet Train as Koga's Brother
- Graveyard of Honor as Katsuji Ozaki
- Cops vs. Thugs as Kinpachi Komiya
- Company Buggers
- Shimane Prison Riot as Yoshikazu Minagawa
- Great Jailbreak as Goda
- Light of Africa as Katsuhiro
- 300 Million Thief: Statute of Limitations as Toyama
- The Wild Trucker as Borsalino 2
- The International Gang of Kobe as Teruo Maruyama
- Battle Cry
- Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women
- Doterai Man
- The Nagasaki Crime Chronicles as Yoshitoshi Kogure
- Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
1974
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics as Masakichi Makihara
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as Masakichi Makihara
- Submersion of Japan as Tatsuno
- Third Generation Boss
- Evil of Dracula as Dr. Shimomura
- New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 1 as Gen Sakagami
- Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy as Daisuke Jigen
- Machi no Hi as Goro
1973
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity as Masakichi Makihara
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War as Masakichi Makihara
- Yakuza of the Present as Zen san
- Stray Dog as Sagawa
- Japan's Top Gangster
- Deeper Than Blue as Ajikawa
- The School Deviate Waru
- The Three Musketeers of Japan: The Tale of Hakata Obi
1972
- The Shin Hasegawa Series as 蛙ヶ池の仙太
- Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers as Ohno
- Kogarashi Monjiro 2: Secret of Monjiro's Birth as Johei Yawata
- My Voiceless Friends
- Summer Soldiers as Fujimura
- New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
- Zorome no San Kyoudai
- The Witty Samurai
1971
1970
- Dodes'ka-den as Hatsutaro Kawaguchi
- Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
- The Summit of Mt. Fuji
- Rebel Against Glory
- Duel at Fort Ezo as Kurobei
- The Kingpin of Fair Ladies as Tadao Ueda
- Banner of the Young as Taro
- Zoku Isoginchaku as Takashi Takai
- Charming Men as Kuramoto Kuraji
- Get Your Sky, Young Guy
- Fear of Sex
- It's a Man's Way of Life as Heihachirou Yanai
- Bravo, Young Guy
- Live Again Tomorrow as 刈田勝利
1969
- Goyokin as Hirosuke
- Tenchu! as Rokkaku Prison Officer
- The Great Japanese Pick-Pocket Club as Kanegai
- Vermillion Sword: Scabbard Code Sword Amidst the Swirling Cherry Blossoms as Seiji Matsumiya
- Forward, Young People! as Taro
- Young Guy on Mt. Cook
- Young Guy Graduates
- 夕月
1968
- Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 as Katsuji Nemoto
- Hymn to a Tired Man as Hisataro Ohno
- The Human Bullet
- Outlaw: Black Dagger as Doctor Michio Hongô
- Young Guy in Rio
- Young People as Taro
- Women and Miso Soup
- The Woman Champion
- How to Be the Worst of Office Workers
- Cry of the Mountain
- Three Rogues
- In Broad Daylight as March
- The Woman Gambler's Revenge
- The Day the Sun Rose
- Angel's Lover
- An Angel's Temptation
1967
- Let's Go! Young Guy as Shinjirou Ishiyama
- Young Guy in the South Pacific as Shinjiro Ishiyama
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
- Game of Chance 2
- River of Forever
- Birth of a Fighter
- Circuit-A-Go-Go
- Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
- Mesu ga osu o kuikorosu: Kamakiri as Ken Takahashi
- The Free Island
1966
- The Sword of Doom as Senkichi
- The Face of Another as Mentally Ill Man #1
- Cash Calls Hell as Umegaya
- The Threat
- Zatoichi's Pilgrimage as Storyteller
- Koto—The Lake of Tears as Kenkichi Ohara
- Golden Ninja as Risuke
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
- The Bullet and the Horse
- Silence Has No Wings
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
- The Front Line Showdown as Sawamura
- It Started In The Alps as Shinjiro Ishiyama / Aodaisyô
- Debt of Honor
- Third Class Soldier Boss
1965
- Kwaidan as Yasaku (segment "Hoichi the Earless")
- Three Yakuza
- Sword of the Beast as Tanji
- Yakuza G-Men as Masayoshi Imanishi
- Prison Walls of Abashiri 3 as Otsuki
- Abashiri Prison as Otsuki
- Young Guy at Sea as 石山新次郎（青大））
- Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2 as Kirikawa
- Tale of Ninja Duty
- Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
- Campus A Go-Go
- The Last Judgment
- 若い野ばら as 石丸雄吉
1964
- The Desperate as Chiba
- Shingo's Final Duel
- 間諜
- Punishment of a Lawless Villian
- Red Diamond as George Takase
1963
- Young Guy in Hawaii as 石山新次郎（青大将）
- Sasuke and His Comedians
- Sensation Seekers
- A Fishmonger's Tour
- Okashina yatsu as Sankichi Fujita
- Walleyed Nippon as Shirosaka
- Hell Festival as Somei To
- A Photo journalist's Story: Risk Your Life for the Moment
1962
- Sanjuro as Samurai
- The Inheritance
- Pitfall as Man in White Suit
- Operation Sewer Rats as Private Anayama
- Pride of the Campus as Shinjiro Ishiyama (Aodaisho)
- The Crimson Sky
- College Champ
1961
- Big Shots Die at Dawn
- Hidden Fangs
- Eternity of Love
- Sir Galahad in Campus as Shinjiro Ishiyama (Aodaisho)
- The Merciless Trap
- Blood on the Sea
1960
- The Bad Sleep Well as Hitman
- The Sun's Burial as Thief
1959
- The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity as Obara Nitôhei
- Lucky Dragon No. 5
1957
- The Story of Pure Love as Satoyan