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
- 北の国から 記憶 前編 as 演员
- The Boat to Heaven as Masato Sakurai
- Fukumimi
2002
2001
- 世界で一番熱い夏
- All About Our House as Chouichirou Iwata
2000
- The Password is Courage
- As the River Flows as Matsuda (The Shopkeeper)
1998
1996
- Oishinbo as Tattsan
- The Rainbow Seeker as Tsune-san
1995
1993
1992
1991
- My Sons
- The love song of farewell later
- Baian the Assassin as Han-Emon of Otowa
- Private Detective Dobu
- Kamigata Kugaizoshi
- A Desirable Marriage as Mr. Kawamata
- Castle of Sand as Eitaro Imanishi
- Shy Security
- Mourning Work
1990
- Ronin-gai as Magozaemon Doi
- Tasmania Story
- Hoshi wo tsugu mono as Kenji Yoshida
- Baian the Assassin
1988
- Yojo no jidai
- Love on a Daily Basis
- Tomorrow as Shoji's stepfather
- Oración
- This Heartbeat
- I Love You So Much
1987
- The Return of the Newshound and the Lady Cop as Yutaro Hatori
- Take Me Out to the Snowland as Yûichirô Tayama
- Kita no kuni kara '87 Hatsukoi
- The Great Department Store Robbery
- The Roaming Reporter and Rookie Detective 3 - I Saw a Woman's Corpse in the Steam of Beppu Onsen! as Yutaro Hatori
- The Thief and the Expelled Master
1986
- The House of Wedlock as Kazuya Enomoto
- Rice Curry
- Maison Ikkoku - Apartment Fantasy as Man
- The Roaming Reporter and Rookie Detective 2 - I Saw the Bride's Corpse in the Sea of Toba! as Yutaro Hatori
1985
- Demon as Keita
- Early Spring Story as Okino, Hitomi's father
- The Roaming Reporter and Rookie Detective - I Saw a Female Ghost in Hida Takayama! as Yutaro Hatori
1984
- The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel
- Ghost Reunion as Inspector Joichi Uno
- Tokimeki Kaigan Monogatari
- Sukanpin Walk as Keizo Fukami
- Kita no kuni kara '84 Natsu
1983
- Nogare no machi
- Choji Snack Bar as Iwashita
- Private Detective DOBU 5: The Pinwheel Murder Case as Dobu
- Kita no kuni kara '83 Fuyu
- The Undercover Ninja Organization
- Deadly Swords in Search of Hidden Gold
- Private Detective DOBU 4: The Mysterious Kite Murders Case as Dobu
- Private Detective DOBU 6: The Origami Murder Case as Dobu
1982
1981
- From the Northern Country as Goru Kuroita (黑板五郎)
- Station as Sugawara
- Return of the Champ as Shinjiro Ishiyama
- At This Late Date, the Charleston as Army Minister
- Private Detective DOBU 1 as Dobu
1980
- May Love Be Restored as Yugiri-ro client
- The Revolt
- Aoki Ookami Narukichiomoase no Shougai as ボオルチュ
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: The Complete Saga as Masakichi Makihara
1979
- White Love
- The Inferno as Unpei Ikegata
- Troubleman Laughs and Kills
- Down with The Big Boss
- The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi as Lt. Todoroki
- Nichiren
- The Fixer
- Ghost Festival in Zenjin Village as Inspector Joichi Uno
- The Bride of the Ghost Lake as Inspector Joichi Uno
- The Last Game
- Murder in the Doll House as Detective Naraki
1978
- Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron as Rikichi Komadera
- The Demon as Policeman
- Never Give Up as Bartender
- Blood Type: Blue
- Winter's Flower as Kokichi Minami
- Ghost Train
- Pink Lady's Motion Picture
- Dynamite Don-Don as Sakuzo
- The Truck Rascals Go to The North
- Inside the Storm of Love
- Ghost Coast as Inspector Joichi Uno
1977
- Older brother as Kintaro
- Dazzling Cops as Nangou Goro
- Village of Eight Gravestones
- Japan's Don
- Sugata Sanshiro as Yasuyoshi
- The Love and Adventures of Kuroki Taro as Kuroki Taro
- The Extravagant Cops
- Seasonal Wind
1976
- Manhunt as Yokomichi Keiji
- Hangyaku no Tabi
- The Machine Gun Dragon
- Kawachi Rascal Is Spurred On as Shinichiro Nabeyama
- Hobo General
- Yoake no hata matsumoto jiichirō Den as Toramatsu Otani
1975
- The Bullet Train as Koga's Brother
- The Nagasaki Crime Chronicles as Yoshitoshi Kogure
- Graveyard of Honor as Katsuji Kozaki
- Great Jailbreak as Goda
- Cops vs. Thugs as Kinpachi Komiya
- The International Gang of Kobe as Teruo Maruyama
- The Wild Trucker as Borsalino 2
- Path of Japanese Chivalry: Story of All-Out Attack
- Shimane Prison Riot as Yoshikazu Minagawa
- Battle Cry as Yamakawa Hiroshi
- 300 Million Thief: Statute of Limitations as Toyama
- Company Buggers
- Light of Africa as Katsuhiro
- Doterai Man
- Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women
1974
- Submersion of Japan as Tatsuno
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics as Masakichi Makihara
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode as Masakichi Makihara
- Third Generation Boss
- New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 1 as Gen Sakagami
- Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy as Daisuke Jigen
- Evil of Dracula as Dr. Shimomura
- Machi no Hi as Goro
1973
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity as Masakichi Makihara
- Rika 3: Juvenile's Lullaby as Soldier Mania
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War as Masakichi Makihara
- Japan's Top Gangster
- Stray Dog as Sagawa
- Yakuza of the Present as Zen san
- The School Deviate Waru
- Deeper Than Blue as Ajikawa
- The Three Musketeers of Japan: The Tale of Hakata Obi
- What is Love? as Saitaro Asami
1972
- The Shin Hasegawa Series as 蛙ヶ池の仙太
- Outlaw Killers: Three Mad Dog Brothers as Ohno
- Summer Soldiers as Fujimura
- New Abashiri Prison Story: Honor and Humanity, Ammunition That Attracts the Storm
- Kogarashi Monjiro 2: Secret of Monjiro's Birth as Johei Yawata
- My Voiceless Friends
- Zorome no San Kyoudai
- The Witty Samurai
1971
- The Battle of Okinawa as Barber Higa
- The Wolves as Matsuzo Tsumura
- New Prison Walls of Abashiri: Snowbound Deserter
- The Instant Services Bureau
- Tora-san, the Good Samaritan as Teacher Fukushi
- Japan's No. 1 Shocked Man
- Detective Story: A Brother's Rule
- Kigeki: Onna ikitemasu
- Young Guy, the Ace Rider
1970
- Dodes'ka-den as Hatsutaro Kawaguchi
- The Summit of Mt. Fuji
- Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
- Fear of Sex
- Bravo, Young Guy
- Live Again Tomorrow as 刈田勝利
- Banner of the Young as Taro
- The Kingpin of Fair Ladies as Tadao Ueda
- It's a Man's Way of Life as Heihachirou Yanai
- Duel at Fort Ezo as Kurobei
- Get Your Sky, Young Guy
- Charming Men as Kuramoto Kuraji
- Rebel Against Glory
- Zoku Isoginchaku as Takashi Takai
1969
- Tenchu! as Rokkaku Prison Officer
- Goyokin as Hirosuke
- The Great Japanese Pick-Pocket Club as Kanegai
- Young Guy Graduates
- Forward, Young People! as Taro
- Vermillion Sword: Scabbard Code Sword Amidst the Swirling Cherry Blossoms as Seiji Matsumiya
- 夕月
- Young Guy on Mt. Cook
1968
- Outlaw: Black Dagger as Doctor Michio Hongô
- The Day the Sun Rose
- The Human Bullet as Platoon Leader
- Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 as Katsuji Nemoto
- Hymn to a Tired Man as Hisataro Ohno
- In Broad Daylight as March
- The Woman Champion
- The Woman Gambler's Revenge
- Young People as Taro
- Women and Miso Soup
- Young Guy in Rio
- Angel's Lover
- Three Rogues
- How to Be the Worst of Office Workers
- An Angel's Temptation
- Cry of the Mountain
1967
- The Free Island
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in Hokkaido
- Birth of a Fighter
- Game of Chance 2
- Young Guy in the South Pacific as Shinjiro Ishiyama
- Mesu ga osu o kuikorosu: Kamakiri as Ken Takahashi
- River of Forever
- Abashiri Prison: Challenge to the Evil
- Let's Go! Young Guy as Shinjirou Ishiyama
- Circuit-A-Go-Go
1966
- The Sword of Doom as Senkichi
- The Face of Another as Mentally Ill Man #1
- Debt of Honor
- Zatoichi's Pilgrimage as Storyteller
- Cash Calls Hell as Umegaya
- Koto—The Lake of Tears as Kenkichi Ohara
- The Threat
- Third Class Soldier Boss
- The Saturday Tiger
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in the Snow Country
- Golden Ninja as Risuke
- The Bullet and the Horse
- Silence Has No Wings
- The Front Line Showdown as Sawamura
- It Started In The Alps as Shinjiro Ishiyama / Aodaisyô
- Abashiri Prison: Duel in the South
1965
- Kwaidan as Yasaku (segment "Hoichi the Earless")
- Abashiri Prison as Otsuki
- Three Yakuza
- Prison Walls of Abashiri 3 as Otsuki
- Tale of Ninja Duty
- The Last Judgment
- Sword of the Beast as Tanji
- Wakai nobara as 石丸雄吉
- Prison Walls of Abashiri, Part 2 as Kirikawa
- Prison Walls of Abashiri 4
- Campus A Go-Go
- Young Guy at Sea as 石山新次郎（青大））
- Yakuza G-Men as Masayoshi Imanishi
1964
- Red Diamond as George Takase
- 間諜
- Shingo's Final Duel
- The Desperate as Chiba
- Punishment of a Lawless Villian
1963
- Sasuke and His Comedians
- A Fishmonger's Tour
- Young Guy in Hawaii as 石山新次郎（青大将）
- A Photo journalist's Story: Risk Your Life for the Moment
- Sensation Seekers
- Walleyed Nippon as Shirosaka
- Kagami no naka no razō
- Okashina yatsu as Sankichi Fujita
- Hell Festival as Somei To
1962
- Sanjuro as Samurai
- Pitfall as Man in White Suit
- The Inheritance
- Pride of the Campus as Shinjiro Ishiyama (Aodaisho)
- The Crimson Sky
- Operation Sewer Rats as Private Anayama
- College Champ
1961
- Blood on the Sea
- The Merciless Trap
- Sir Galahad in Campus as Shinjiro Ishiyama (Aodaisho)
- Big Shots Die at Dawn
- Hidden Fangs
- Eternity of Love
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