Jun Kunimura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jun Kunimura 國村隼
Jun Kunimura in 2019
Born	Yoshihiro Yonemura (1955-11-15) 15 November 1955 (age 69) Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–present
Japanese name
Kanji	國村 隼
Hiragana	くにむら じゅん
Katakana	クニムラ ジュン
Transcriptions Romanization Kunimura Jun
Japanese name
Kanji	米村 喜洋
Hiragana	よねむら よしひろ
Katakana	ヨネムラ ヨシヒロ
Transcriptions Romanization Yonemura Yoshihiro

Jun Kunimura (國村 隼, Kunimura Jun) is a famous Japanese actor. He has appeared in movies and TV shows in Japan, the United States, and Hong Kong. He is known for playing a wide variety of characters.

Kunimura became well-known internationally for his role in the South Korean horror movie The Wailing. For that performance, he won two major awards at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards. This was a huge achievement because he was the first non-Korean actor to ever win.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Jun Kunimura was born on November 15, 1955, in Yatsushiro, Japan. His birth name was Yoshihiro Yonemura. His family moved to the city of Osaka when he was two years old, and he grew up there.

As a young man, he studied acting at a school run by a local TV station. He was inspired by the famous Japanese actor Yūsaku Matsuda. Kunimura decided he wanted to become an actor just like him.

A Career on the Big Screen

Getting Started

Kunimura's acting career began in 1973 with a small part in the disaster movie Tidal Wave. After appearing in a few TV shows, he got his first leading role in the 1981 film Gaki Teikoku.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he started working in Hong Kong. He had a memorable role in the action movie Hard Boiled, directed by John Woo. In 1989, he acted in his first American movie, Black Rain. This film was directed by Ridley Scott and was filmed in Kunimura's hometown of Osaka. It also starred his hero, Yūsaku Matsuda.

Becoming an International Star

Kunimura is known around the world for working with famous directors. In Hollywood, he has worked with Quentin Tarantino and Roland Emmerich. He has also worked with top Japanese directors like Takashi Miike and Hideaki Anno.

His role in the 2016 South Korean film The Wailing made him a huge star in Asia. Critics and audiences loved his performance as a mysterious stranger. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of South Korea's biggest movie award shows. This was special because he was the first Japanese actor to even be nominated.

Notable Roles

Kunimura has been in hundreds of movies and TV shows. Here are some of his most famous roles:

• Hard Boiled (1992) - He played a gunman in a famous teahouse action scene in this classic Hong Kong movie.
• ... Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - He played Boss Tanaka in this popular action film by director Quentin Tarantino.
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) - He played Major Komuro in this exciting movie from the famous Godzilla series.
• The Wailing (2016) - He played a mysterious Japanese man in this hit South Korean horror film, a role that won him major awards.
• Shin Godzilla (2016) - He appeared as a military leader in this modern version of the Godzilla story.
• Manhunt (2017) - He teamed up again with director John Woo for this action-packed movie.
• Midway (2019) - He played Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, a real-life historical figure, in this big-budget American war movie.
• Kate (2021) - He played a powerful crime boss in this action movie for Netflix.
• The Boy and the Heron (2023) - He provided the voice for the Parakeet King in the Japanese version of this animated film from the famous Studio Ghibli.

Awards