Ken Watanabe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ken Watanabe
Watanabe in 2022
Born	(1959-10-21) October 21, 1959 (age 65) Hirokami (now part of Uonuma), Niigata, Japan
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Yumiko Watanabe ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2005)​ Kaho Minami ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2018)​ Undisclosed ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	2, including Anne Watanabe

Ken Watanabe (born October 21, 1959) is a famous Japanese actor. He is known for playing strong, heroic characters in movies.

He gained international fame for his roles in big Hollywood films. These include The Last Samurai, where he played Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu. For this role, he was nominated for an Academy Award. He also appeared in Christopher Nolan's movies Batman Begins and Inception.

Watanabe has won many awards in Japan. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor twice. This was for his work in Memories of Tomorrow (2007) and The Unbroken (2010).

In 2014, he starred as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa in the movie Godzilla. He played this role again in the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He also voiced the character Drift in the Transformers movies. In 2022, he appeared in the TV series Tokyo Vice.

In 2015, Ken Watanabe made his debut on Broadway in the musical The King and I. He played the main role, The King. He was nominated for a Tony Award for this performance. He was the first Japanese actor to receive this nomination.

Ken Watanabe's Early Life

Ken Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959. He grew up in a mountain village called Koide in Japan. His mother was a teacher, and his father taught calligraphy (beautiful writing).

Because his parents moved for work, Ken lived in different villages. He played the trumpet in his high school's concert band. After high school, he wanted to study music in Tokyo. However, his family faced financial difficulties, so he could not pursue music. He then decided to try acting instead.

Ken Watanabe's Acting Career

Japanese Film and TV Roles

After high school, Ken Watanabe moved to Tokyo in 1978. He joined a drama school to start his acting career. His first big role was in a play called Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari. This role brought him a lot of attention.

In 1982, he first appeared on TV in Michinaru Hanran. He also started playing samurai characters on TV. His first movie role was in MacArthur's Children in 1984.

Ken Watanabe is very well-known in Japan for playing samurai. He starred in the 1987 TV drama Dokuganryu Masamune. He also played the lead in the TV series Gokenin Zankurō. He has been praised for his roles in other historical dramas like Oda Nobunaga.

In 1989, while filming Heaven and Earth, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, a type of cancer. He continued acting while getting treatment. The cancer returned in 1991, but he recovered.

As his health improved, his career grew stronger. He was nominated for a Japan Academy Film Prize for his role in Kizuna in 1998. In 2002, he joined a new talent agency. He received another Japanese Academy Award nomination for the film Sennen no Koi.

In 2006, he won Best Lead Actor at the 30th Japan Academy Film Prize. This was for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), where he played a character with Alzheimer's disease.

Watanabe at the NYC opening of Memories of Tomorrow

International Film Roles

Ken Watanabe became known to audiences outside Japan with the 2003 American film The Last Samurai. His performance as Lord Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award nomination.

In 2005, he appeared in Memoirs of a Geisha. He also played a role in Christopher Nolan's Batman movie, Batman Begins. In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, playing General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. He also voiced a character in the Batman Begins video game.

In 2010, he co-starred in the hit movie Inception. He played Mr. Saito, a businessman who helps the main characters.

He continued to star in major Hollywood films. In 2014, he was in Godzilla and Transformers: Age of Extinction. In 2019, he appeared in Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

In 2023, he worked again with director Gareth Edwards in the science fiction film The Creator.

Television Appearances

Ken Watanabe stars in Tokyo Vice, a TV series based on a true story. The show is about an American journalist in Tokyo. Ken also appears in the NHK World Japan comedy You're a Genius!.

In April 2019, it was announced that he would star in a remake of the movie The Fugitive. This new series takes place in Tokyo.

Ken Watanabe's Personal Life

Ken Watanabe has two children from his first marriage: a son, Dai Watanabe, and a daughter, Anne Watanabe. Both of his children are also actors. He has five grandchildren.

He married his second wife, Kaho Minami, in 2005. They later divorced in 2018. In June 2023, Ken Watanabe married for the third time.

Helping Others

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Ken Watanabe started a YouTube page. He wanted to raise awareness and money to help the victims. He asked other celebrities to share videos about the disaster. He also created his own website to support the relief efforts.

Health Information

Ken Watanabe has faced health challenges. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 1989, and it returned in 1994. He recovered from both instances.

In 2006, he shared that he had contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion he received during his leukemia treatment. He stated he was in good condition and was receiving treatment.

In 2016, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Because it was found early, surgery successfully removed the cancer.

Ken Watanabe's Filmography

Films

Television

Video Games

Stage Performances

• Britannicus henso(1980)
• Britannicus henso (1980)
• Shitaya mannencho monogatari (1981)
• Fuyu no raion (The Lion in Winter) (1981)
• Pajaze (1981)
• Platonof (1982)
• Kafun netsu (1982)
• Pizarro (1985)
• Hamlet (1988)
• Hamlet no gakuya -anten (2000)
• Towa part1-kanojo (2000)
• Towa part2-kanojo to kare (2001)
• Dialogue with Horowitz (2013)
• The King and I (2015)
• The King and I (2016)
• The King and I (2018)
• The Royal Hunt of the Sun (2020)

Voice Acting (Dubbing)

Live-action

Animation

Awards and Nominations

Ken Watanabe has received many awards and nominations for his acting.

Images for kids

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  Watanabe at the premiere of Inception in July 2010

See also

In Spanish: Ken Watanabe para niños