Takeshi Kaneshiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Takeshi Kaneshiro
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| 金城 武 | |||||||||||||||||
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Kaneshiro in 2011
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| Born | October 11, 1973 Taipei, Taiwan
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| Citizenship | Japan | ||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 金城武 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Kanji | 金城 武 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kana | かねしろ たけし | ||||||||||||||||
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| Also known as | Aniki | ||||||||||||||||
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Takeshi Kaneshiro (born October 11, 1973) is a Japanese actor and singer who grew up in Taiwan. He started his career as a pop singer but soon became more famous as a movie star.
Kaneshiro has worked with some of the most famous movie directors in East Asia. He has starred in hit movies like Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers, and Red Cliff. Gamers might also know him as the voice and model for the samurai hero Samanosuke Akechi in the popular Onimusha video game series.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Takeshi Kaneshiro was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His mother is Taiwanese, and his father is from Okinawa, Japan. Because of his father, Kaneshiro has Japanese citizenship. He grew up in Taipei with two older half-brothers.
He went to a Japanese junior high school and then to Taipei American School, where he learned English. While he was still in school, he started appearing in TV commercials. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to leave school to become a full-time singer and actor.
Kaneshiro is multilingual, which means he can speak several languages. He is fluent in Mandarin, Hokkien, and Japanese. He can also speak some Cantonese and English.
What's in a Name?
His last name, Kaneshiro, is a common family name from Okinawa. His first name is Takeshi. In Japan, he is known as Kaneshiro Takeshi. Because his name is written in Chinese characters, it looks natural in both Chinese and Japanese. This allows him to be seen as either Chinese or Japanese, depending on where he is working.
A Star in Movies and Music
1992–1999: Starting Out
In 1992, Kaneshiro began his singing career. His first album was called Heartbreaking Night. He was signed with the music company EMI and even wrote some of his own songs in Mandarin and Cantonese.
A year later, he started acting. His first movie was Executioners in 1993. He became well-known after starring in director Wong Kar-wai's movies Chungking Express (1994) and Fallen Angels (1995). These roles showed that he could play quirky and interesting characters, not just be a pop idol.
He also starred in a Japanese TV drama called God, Please Give Me More Time (1998). This helped him become popular in Japan and led to roles in Japanese movies like Returner (2002).
2000–2010: Mainstream Success
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During the 2000s, Kaneshiro became a major movie star across Asia. He starred in the Chinese musical film Perhaps Love (2005), where he got to show off his singing skills.
He worked with famous director Zhang Yimou in the martial arts film House of Flying Daggers (2004). He also starred in the epic historical movie Red Cliff (2008) and the action-packed film The Warlords (2007) with other famous actors like Jet Li and Andy Lau.
In 2003, Time magazine called him the "Johnny Depp of the East Asian film industry" because of his talent and cool style.
A Voice in Video Games
Besides movies, Kaneshiro is famous in the world of video games. He was the model and voice for the main character, a samurai named Samanosuke Akechi, in Capcom's video game series Onimusha. The first game, Onimusha: Warlords, came out in 2001. He returned to the role for Onimusha 3: Demon Siege in 2004.
There were plans to make an Onimusha movie with Kaneshiro as Samanosuke, but the project was delayed and has not been made yet.
2011 to Today
In 2011, Kaneshiro starred in the martial arts movie Dragon. In 2017, he won the Best Leading Actor award at the Golden Screen Awards for his role in the romantic comedy This Is Not What I Expected.
In 2018, he became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Oscar awards. He also filmed a movie called Sons of the Neon Night, which was released in 2025.
Personal Life
Kaneshiro is a practicing Buddhist. He is known for being humble and for trying to stay out of the media spotlight. Even though he is a huge star, he prefers a quiet life. He once said that if he got married and had children, he would be a family man who helps around the house and takes care of his kids.
Famous Works
Here are some of Takeshi Kaneshiro's most well-known movies, TV shows, and video games.
Movies
- Chungking Express (1994)
- Fallen Angels (1995)
- Lost and Found (1996)
- Anna Magdalena (1998)
- Tempting Heart (1999)
- Returner (2002)
- Turn Left, Turn Right (2003)
- House of Flying Daggers (2004)
- Perhaps Love (2005)
- The Warlords (2007)
- Red Cliff (2008-2009)
- Dragon (2011)
- The Crossing (2014-2015)
- This Is Not What I Expected (2017)
Television
- God, Please Give Me More Time (1998)
- Love 2000 (2000)
- Golden Bowl (2002)
Video Games
- Onimusha: Warlords (2001)
- Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (2004)
Awards
Takeshi Kaneshiro has won several awards for his acting.
- In 1998, he won Best Actor at The Television Drama Academy Awards for God, Please Give Me More Time.
- In 2006, a song he performed for the movie Perhaps Love won a Golden Horse Award.
- In 2010, he was named one of the Ten Best International Actors of the Decade (Asia) at the Green Planet Film Awards.
- In 2017, he won Best Actor at the Golden Screen Awards for This Is Not What I Expected.
See also
In Spanish: Takeshi Kaneshiro para niños
- Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree
