Sonny Chiba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sonny Chiba
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| 千葉 真一 | |
Sonny Chiba at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019
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| Born |
Sadaho Maeda
22 January 1939 |
| Died | 19 August 2021 (aged 82) Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan
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| Other names | Shinichi Chiba JJ Sonny Chiba Rindō Wachinaga |
| Alma mater | Nippon Sport Science University |
| Occupation | Actor, martial artist |
| Years active | 1960–2021 |
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| Children |
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| Relatives | Jirō Yabuki (brother) |
| Signature | |
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Shinichi Chiba (Japanese: 千葉 真一, Hepburn: Chiba Shin'ichi, born Sadaho Maeda; 22 January 1939 – 19 August 2021), known around the world as Sonny Chiba, was a famous Japanese actor and martial artist. He was one of the first actors to become a big star because of his amazing martial arts skills. He first became famous in Japan and then internationally.
Sonny Chiba was born in Fukuoka, Japan. In high school, he played many sports like baseball and volleyball. He also did gymnastics and competed in the National Sports Festival of Japan. When he was in college, he started learning martial arts. He earned a black belt in Kyokushin Karate in 1965. Later, he achieved a fourth-degree black belt in 1984.
His acting career started in the 1960s. He starred in two tokusatsu (special effects) superhero shows. His big break came in the 1974 film The Street Fighter. Before he retired, Chiba also appeared in popular movies like Kill Bill: Volume 1 and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Sonny Chiba passed away on August 19, 2021, at age 82. He died from problems caused by the COVID-19 Delta variant.
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What Were Sonny Chiba's Names?
Sonny Chiba was born as Sadaho Maeda (前田 禎穂, Maeda Sadaho). He used the stage name "Shinichi Chiba" for most of his career. When his film Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken was released in the United States in 1974, it was renamed The Street Fighter. The movie studio called him Sonny Chiba.
Later, he changed his name to "JJ Sonny Chiba." The "JJ" stood for "Justice Japan." After appearing in a TV show in 2007, he announced he would stop using "Shinichi Chiba." From then on, he was known as "JJ Sonny Chiba" as an actor. As a film director, he used the name Rindō Wachinaga (和千永 倫道, Wachinaga Rindō).
Sonny Chiba's Early Life and Training
Chiba was the third of five children. His father was a pilot for the Japanese army. His mother was a track and field athlete when she was young. When he was four, his family moved to Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture.
In junior high, his teacher suggested he try artistic gymnastics. He also loved track and field sports, baseball, and volleyball. He competed in championships for all four sports in Chiba Prefecture. In high school, he focused on gymnastics and won a national festival in his third year. He also enjoyed watching Western movies like Shane.
Chiba went to Nippon Sport Science University in 1957. He was almost on the Japanese Olympic team for gymnastics. But a back injury stopped him. While in college, he started learning martial arts. He trained with the famous Kyokushin Karate master Masutatsu "Mas" Oyama. Chiba later played Oyama in three movies. He earned his first black belt in Kyokushin Karate in 1965. He received his fourth-degree black belt in 1984.
Sonny Chiba's Acting Career
Around 1960, a film studio called Toei found him in a talent search. He started his acting career soon after. The CEO of Toei gave him the stage name "Shinichi Chiba."
He began on television in two tokusatsu superhero shows. He starred in the 1961 science fiction movie Invasion of the Neptune Men. He also worked with director Kinji Fukasaku on Drifting Detective: Tragedy in the Red Valley. This was the start of many movies they made together. For the next ten years, he mostly acted in crime thrillers.
By 1970, Chiba started his own training school. It was for actors and stunt performers who wanted to learn martial arts for films. This school was called JAC (Japan Action Club). Today, it is known as Japan Action Enterprise (JAE). His first martial arts movie was Karate Kiba in 1973.
Sonny Chiba became famous worldwide with The Street Fighter (1974). This movie was brought to Western audiences and dubbed in English. This film and its sequels made him the top Japanese martial arts actor for the next 20 years. The founder of New Line Cinema, Robert Shaye, gave him the English name "Sonny." Chiba then used this name for his projects outside Japan.
Chiba's later movies included The Bullet Train (1975) and Karate Warriors (1976). He also appeared in science fiction films like Message from Space (1978). He started acting in jidaigeki (historical dramas) too. Some of these were Shogun's Samurai (1978) and G.I. Samurai (1979). He was also a stunt coordinator for some films. He even directed and produced some movies like Yellow Fangs (1990).
Chiba played the character Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi many times. He first played him in the 1978 film Shogun's Samurai. He also played him in TV shows and other movies. He also played ninja leaders like Hattori Hanzō in the Shadow Warriors TV series.
In the 1980s, Chiba was very busy. He made many movies and TV shows. He also starred in the popular Hong Kong movie The Storm Riders (1998). His fame in Japan continued into the 1990s.
In his 50s, he started working as a choreographer for martial arts scenes again. In the early 2000s, Chiba was still very active. He appeared in Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and Battle Royale II. His long career was honored when he played Hattori Hanzo in director Quentin Tarantino's movie Kill Bill: Volume I in 2003. In this film, he was a retired samurai sword maker.
Sonny Chiba starred in over 125 films for Toei Studios. He won many awards in Japan for his acting.
Sonny Chiba's Family and Passing
Sonny Chiba had a daughter, Juri Manase, with his first wife, actress Yōko Nogiwa. Juri is also an actress. He had two sons, Mackenyu Arata (新田真剣佑, Arata Makken'yū) and Gordon Maeda (郷敦), with his second wife, Tamami Chiba. Both of his sons are also actors. His younger brother, Jirō Yabuki, was also an actor.
In early August 2021, Chiba became sick with the COVID-19 Delta variant. He was first treated at home. But he was hospitalized a few days later on August 8 because he developed pneumonia. He passed away on August 19, 2021, at 82 years old. According to his agency, Chiba had not been vaccinated. His body was cremated on August 20, 2021.
Sonny Chiba's Influence in Western Culture
Christian Slater's character, Clarence Worley, in the movie True Romance is a big fan of Sonny Chiba. In one scene, he watches three Sonny Chiba movies. The writer of True Romance, Quentin Tarantino, later worked with Chiba in Kill Bill: Volume I.
A changed version of the opening words from the 1973 movie Karate Kiba was used in the script for Quentin Tarantino's 1994 movie Pulp Fiction. Tarantino's script changed a famous speech, replacing "I am Chiba the Bodyguard" with "my name is the Lord."
The character Takayuki Chiba in the Kengan Ashura manga series is based on Sonny Chiba and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Sonny Chiba's Martial Arts Ranks
Sonny Chiba held black belts in many martial arts:
- Kyokushin Karate: 4th Dan
- Togakure-ryū Ninpō Taijutsu: 4th Dan
- Goju-ryu karate: 2nd Dan
- Shorinji Kempo: 2nd Dan
- Judo: 2nd Dan
- Kendo: 1st Dan
Images for kids
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Sonny Chiba's signature
See also
In Spanish: Sonny Chiba para niños
