Ken Watanabe
Ken Watanabe is a renowned Japanese actor known for his powerful performances in both Japanese and Hollywood films. He gained international fame with roles in movies such as 'The Last Samurai' and 'Inception'. Watanabe is celebrated for his distinctive voice and ability to convey deep... Read More
Known for
Inception (2010)
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life...
The Last Samurai (2003)
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the...
Batman Begins (2005)
Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work...
Personal details
Credits
| Year | Title | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
Samurai VengeanceIn January 1810 in Edo, Kikunosuke, the 17-year-old-son of a murdered samurai, takes revenge on his father's murderer, Sakubai, who... |
Kinji Shinoda | |
| 2026 |
Kyotojin no Hisokana Tanoshimi Rouge: KeishoAfter years in Paris, former wagashi heiress Miyako Sawafuji returns as illness threatens her Kyoto family. Between centuries-old tradition and... |
東雲朔太郎 | |
| 2025 |
The Final PieceKeisuke, a 10-year-old boy, living hard despite being abused by his father, finds a ray of light in the midst... |
Shigeyoshi Toumyo | |
| 2025 |
LA PANTHÈRE DE CARTIERTo mark the opening of a new Cartier boutique in Tokyo's Ginza district, the French fashion house presented a seven-minute... |
Unknown character | |
| 2025 |
KokuhoNagasaki, 1964: Following the death of his Yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wings of a famous Kabuki... |
Hanjiro Hanai | |
| 2025 |
UnboundIn 18th-century Edo, Tsutaya Juzaburo rises from a poor background to become a leading publisher. Despite political changes threatening his... |
Tamema Okitsugu | |
| 2025 |
TRUE COLORSA top fashion photographer who, after being diagnosed with a life-altering illness, must overcome overwhelming challenges and find hope and... |
Taichirou Tsujimura | |
| 2024 |
All LivesTV Tokyo's 60th anniversary special drama. This is a human drama about a doctor struggling with his life and a... |
Unknown character | |
| 2024 |
Kensuke's KingdomA young boy and his family set off on a sailing trip of a lifetime until a violent storm erupts,... |
Kensuke (voice) | |
| 2023 |
True Love: Making The CreatorJoin director Gareth Edwards and crew for nearly an hour look behind the scenes. Hear from actors about the filming... |
Self | |
| 2023 |
The CreatorAmid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving... |
Harun | |
| 2022 |
Tokyo ViceA first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat following Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who embeds himself into the... |
Hiroto Katagiri | |
| 2020 |
Alice in BorderlandWith his two friends, a video-game-obsessed young man finds himself in a strange version of Tokyo where they must compete... |
Old Gentleman | |
| 2020 |
TouboushaA remake of the American show "The Fugitive." After performing emergency surgery, elite doctor Kazuki Kakurai returns home to find... |
Unknown character | |
| 2020 | Unknown character | ||
| 2020 |
Fukushima 50Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Japan risk their lives and stay at the nuclear power plant to prevent... |
Masao Yoshida | |
| 2019 |
Godzilla: King of the MonstersFollows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters,... |
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa | |
| 2019 |
Pokémon Detective PikachuIn a world where people collect pocket-size monsters (Pokémon) to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent monster who... |
Lieutenant Hide Yoshida | |
| 2019 |
An Artist of the Floating WorldIn the face of the misery in his homeland, the artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art solely... |
Ono Masuji | |
| 2018 |
The King and IWidowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn... |
The King of Siam | |
| 2018 |
Bel CantoA famous opera singer is held hostage in South America by a guerrilla rebel group after performing at a Japanese... |
Katsumi Hosokawa | |
| 2018 |
Isle of DogsIn the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to... |
Head Surgeon (voice) | |
| 2018 |
7 Guardians of the TombAn innocent discovery of a well-preserved mummified Emperor from 200 BC China unearths a 2000 year old nightmare - a... |
Father | |
| 2018 |
SegodonSaigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain... |
Shimazu Nariakira | |
| 2017 |
NHK WORLD PRIMENHK WORLD PRIME brings you a world of mainly documentaries, and more. Tune in to see special select programs on... |
Self - Presenter | |
| 2017 |
Transformers: The Last KnightHumans and Transformers are at war. Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the... |
Drift (voice) | |
| 2017 |
Dirty, Clean, & InbetweenDirty, Clean and Inbetween is a Sex and The City for guys, with a delightful mix of Entourage, Suits and... |
Restaurant Patron | |
| 2017 |
The Memories of HappinessTaro's business failed and he got divorced. He also left his family's home. 5 years later, his oldest daughter Natsumi,... |
Taro Miura | |
| 2016 | 키자키 슈지 | ||
| 2016 |
RageA man brutally murders a married couple and leaves the word “ikari” (“rage”) written with their blood. The killer undergoes... |
Yohei Maki | |
| 2016 |
The Sea of TreesIn Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of... |
Takumi Nakamura | |
| 2015 |
The Secret Lives of Kyoto FolkThe series depicts "Kyoto as Kyoto people love it" in dramas and documentaries. |
東雲朔太郎 | |
| 2014 |
Evolution Within ExtinctionThe definitive feature-length documentary on the creation of "Transformers: Age of Extinction". |
Self | |
| 2014 |
Snow JackA blackmail arrives at Appi ski resort. “We demand 30,000,000 yen as consolation money for the destruction of the environment.... |
Reiji Kurata | |
| 2014 |
Back of FatherA 10-part omnibus drama by 10 different scriptwriters on the theme of fathers and their sons and daughters. |
Takamura Kouji | |
| 2014 |
Transformers: Age of ExtinctionAs humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to... |
Drift (voice) | |
| 2014 |
GodzillaFord Brody, a Navy bomb expert, has just reunited with his family in San Francisco when he is forced to... |
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa | |
| 2013 |
UnforgivenAn old swordsman, his former comrade and a young braggart are hired by prostitutes to track down bandits who mutilated... |
Jubee Kamata | |
| 2012 |
Hayabusa: The Long Voyage HomeIn May 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (or JAXA) launched an unmanned spacecraft of their own development to retrieve... |
Junichiro Kawaguchi | |
| 2011 | Regular | ||
| 2011 |
Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -Japanese TV movie |
Unknown character | |
| 2010 |
A School Behind Bars"A School Behind Bars" centers around Asahi Junior High School, which is located within Nagano Matsumoto Boy's prison in Matsumoto... |
Unknown character | |
| 2010 |
InceptionCobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to... |
Saito | |
| 2010 |
ShanghaiAn American man returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been... |
Tanaka | |
| 2009 |
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's AssistantWhen Darren Shan is taken to a circus that's chock-full of sideshow oddities, he meets a vampire and receives a... |
Mr. Tall | |
| 2009 |
The UnbrokenOnchi was exiled to posts around Asia and Africa due to his work as head of a labor union for... |
Hajime Onchi | |
| 2009 | Unknown character | ||
| 2007 |
EarthAn epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature... |
Narrator (voice) | |
| 2007 |
星ひとつの夜Janitor Hiroharu Nonoyama (Ken Watanabe) discovers a coat filled with cash while working. The coat belongs to Daiki Iwasaki (Hiroshi... |
Nonoyama Hiroji | |
| 2007 |
Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of 'Letters from Iwo Jima'Documentary on the making of Clint Eastwood's film 'Letters from Iwo Jima'. |
Self | |
| 2006 |
Letters from Iwo JimaThe story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as... |
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi | |
| 2006 |
Memories of TomorrowAfter being stricken with Alzheimer's disease in the prime of his life, a successful young businessman slips slowly away from... |
Masayuki Saeki | |
| 2005 |
Memoirs of a GeishaIn the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a... |
Le président | |
| 2005 |
Batman BeginsDriven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham... |
Ra's al Ghul | |
| 2005 |
Ashes and SnowAshes and Snow, a film by Gregory Colbert, uses both still and movie cameras to explore extraordinary interactions between humans... |
Japanese Narrator (voice) | |
| 2005 |
Year One in the NorthIn 1868, after the fall of the Shogun-dominated Japan, the new government orders people from Awaji, near Kobe, to re-locate... |
Komatsubara Hideaki | |
| 2004 |
Vessel of SandEiryo Waga is well-known musician who has begun a rapid climb to stardom, but he must keep his terrible past... |
Shuichiro Imanishi | |
| 2003 |
川、いつか海へ 6つの愛の物語NHK's 50th-anniversary memorial drama serial. This drama consisting of several short stories starring some of the well-known actors and actress... |
Unknown character | |
| 2003 |
The Last SamuraiNathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him... |
Moritsugu Katsumoto | |
| 2003 | Unknown character | ||
| 2003 |
Another Battle/ConspiracyKatsunori Takahashi and Ken Watanabe star in a modern yakuza tale in the classic Japanese film series, Battles Without Honor... |
Fujimaki Hiroaki | |
| 2003 | Unknown character | ||
| 2003 |
T.R.Y.At the turn of the 20th Century amongst tension between China and Japan, a Japanese swindler in Shanghai plans to... |
Masanobu Azuma | |
| 2002 |
Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta OtokoBased on the novel by Jirō Asada, the TV movie depicts the lives of the Shinsengumi warriors during the turmoil... |
Unknown character | |
| 2002 | Unknown character | ||
| 2002 | Unknown character | ||
| 2002 |
Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHSA Japanese film that tells the tale of the birth of VHS. It follows Kagatani Shizuo, an electronics employee who... |
Okubo | |
| 2001 |
Love of a Thousand Years - Story of GenjiSet in 900AD and tells the story of a famous female writer of the time, Murasaki Shikibu. Her story begins... |
Unknown character | |
| 2001 |
Drowning FishWhen corporate executives are blackmailed into public displays of nudity on the busy streets of Shinjuku, the big guns are... |
Miyota | |
| 2001 |
Hojo TokimuneThe 40th NHK Taiga Drama is Hojo Tokimune. It tells the dramatic and turbulent life of young shikken Hojo Tokimune,... |
Hojo Tokiyori | |
| 2000 |
The Whispered CityDirector Jun Ichikawa spins this affectionate portrait of the people who populate Shimokitazawa, a bohemian corner of Tokyo filled with... |
Ishida | |
| 2000 |
Ikebukuro West Gate ParkLiving in Ikebukuro — an area infamous for juvenile crime, 21-year-old Makoto Majima becomes associated with a youth gang called... |
Yokoyama | |
| 2000 |
Space TravelersThree bank robbers, who declare themselves to be Space Travelers, take six persons as hostages when they are surrounded by... |
Sakamaki ("Crusher") | |
| 1998 |
Shimei TehaiDetective TV specials starring Ken Watanabe as a detective in search of wanted suspects. |
Unknown character | |
| 1998 |
BondsTetsuro Haga is a troubled gangster, living under the assumed identity Ise for ten years, to escape jail for gunning... |
Detective Sako Akio | |
| 1997 |
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonaldA love story written by an ordinary housewife is going to be broadcast as a radio drama and almost everyone... |
Raita Onuki | |
| 1995 |
Gokenin ZankuroZankuro Matsudaira (Ken Watanabe) is a low-grade vassal of the Tokugawa Shogun, forced to moonlight as a bodyguard and executioner... |
Zankuro Matsudaira | |
| 1993 |
Baian the Assassin: ShowdownFujieda Baian is admired during the day as a skilled acupuncturist. However, at night, he is a highly skilled assassin,... |
Dr. Baian | |
| 1993 |
The Fire Still BurnsThis drama tells the story of the Oushu Fujiwara clan spanning generations, 140 years in the late Heian era. They... |
Fujiwara Tsunekiyo | |
| 1993 |
Kagi-shiA locksmith who can open any kind of lock with his well-honed fingertip skills is caught up in a case... |
Unknown character | |
| 1993 |
Hanzo, the RazorDuring Tenpo period, Bakuhu announced a law regulating expenditures in order to improve the financial situation. However, Doshin of a... |
Unknown character | |
| 1992 |
Chronicle of the Town MagistrateIn a maelstrom of evil, can a new magistrate, samurai Mochizuki Koheita, with a reputation like an alley cat, bring... |
Mochizuki Koheita | |
| 1992 |
Waga MachiBased on Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" series. The drama series is set in Tsukishima, a popular town near downtown Tokyo,... |
Unknown character | |
| 1992 |
Izakaya ChōjiThe special drama depicts the sad and joyful life of a single-minded izakaya owner in a small yakitori restaurant. |
Unknown character | |
| 1992 |
Oda NobunagaAmong the great ‘Warlords’ in Japanese history, Oda Nobunaga holds a unique place. In effect, his military success led to... |
Unknown character | |
| 1992 |
Ganryujima: Kojiro and MusashiIn the 16th Year of Keityo (1611), the lord of Ogura Castle in Kyushu admitted Sasaki Kojiro's because of his... |
Kojirō | |
| 1991 |
Baian the AssassinDuring the day, Dr. Baian is the friendly and trusted village acupuncturist. At night, he becomes Baian, the assassin. Using... |
Fujieda Baian | |
| 1991 |
A Naive History of the Bakumatsu EraIn the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, there was a cute warrior, Souji Okita, who belonged to the armed... |
Ryoma Sakamoto | |
| 1991 |
Takeda ShingenDuring the 16th century, Japan was involved in the Sengoku Period, an era of civil wars and the powerful warlords... |
Narrator | |
| 1990 |
Baian the AssassinFujieda Baian is admired during the day as a skilled acupuncturist. However, his nighttime persona is that of a highly... |
Dr. Baian | |
| 1990 |
Musuko no GokikanDaisuke Ogaki, who ran away from home 11 years ago, returns to his mother Tsuru. Tsuru takes out her accumulated... |
Unknown character | |
| 1990 | Unknown character | ||
| 1989 | Unknown character | ||
| 1987 |
Masamune ShogunBroadcast TV drama NHK broadcast on January 4 to December 13, 1987 (Showa 62). In the questionnaire survey conducted by... |
伊達政宗 | |
| 1987 |
Commando InvasionThe leader of a group of American commandos has 5 days to kidnap a VC General to prove his innocence... |
Unknown character | |
| 1986 |
The Sea and PoisonTwo interns and a nurse are interrogated by American MPs for their involvement in an atrocity during the war: the... |
Toda | |
| 1986 |
HanekonmaRin Tachibana, nicknamed Hanekonma, grew up in Soma, Fukushima. Together with her parents, her sister and brother, and her grandparents,... |
Genzo Onodera | |
| 1986 |
The Making of "Tampopo"Documentary about the making of Juzo Itami's film "Tampopo" (1985). |
Self | |
| 1985 |
TampopoIn this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop... |
Gun | |
| 1985 |
Kekkon Annai MysteryA 19-year-old girl Hiroko Terasawa working in a matching agency promises her client Masakazu Sekine that she'll pose as his... |
Unknown character | |
| 1984 |
MacArthur's ChildrenIn this drama at the end of World War II, the inhabitants of a small Japanese fishing village must come... |
Tetsuo Nakai | |
| 1984 |
A Tale of Two TruncheonsBased on Kazuo Koike's extensive manga (over 110 volumes), this Edo-period drama follows an unlikely pair of law enforcement officers.... |
Unknown character |
Latest Release
Ken Watanabe News and Articles
Got a question about Ken Watanabe?
Ken Watanabe has starred in several successful films, including 'The Last Samurai', 'Inception', and 'Godzilla'. His performances in these films have earned him critical acclaim and a global fan base.
Yes, Ken Watanabe has received numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor and a Tony Award nomination for his performance in 'The King and I'.
Ken Watanabe's film debut was in the 1984 movie 'The Ballad of Narayama'. This marked the beginning of his long and successful acting career.
Ken Watanabe's estimated net worth is around $40 million, primarily earned through his successful acting career in both Japanese and international films.
Ken Watanabe is known for his deep, resonant voice and his ability to portray a wide range of emotions, often bringing a sense of gravitas to his roles.
Yes, Ken Watanabe is known for his philanthropic efforts, particularly in supporting cancer research and education initiatives in Japan.
Ken Watanabe typically acts in drama and action genres, often portraying complex characters that reflect themes of honor, sacrifice, and identity.
Ken Watanabe has performed on stage in productions such as 'The King and I' on Broadway, showcasing his talents beyond film and television.