Biography
Kunie Tanaka (田中 邦衛 Tanaka Kunie, November 23, 1932 - March 24, 2021) was a Japanese actor. He had his first notable role in 1960 as a thug in Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well, and worked with the director again on Sanjuro. Tanaka is well known for his roles in Kinji Fukasaku's yakuza films, namely the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series. He also appeared in Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan. He has been nominated for five Japanese Academy Awards, winning the Best Supporting Actor statuette for Gakko in 1993. He appeared as the lecherous Shinjiro Ishiyama, nicknamed Aodaishō, the antagonist of the hero, played by Yūzō Kayama, in all of the Wakadaishō series of films. The character Kizaru, from Eiichiro Oda's manga series One Piece, is modeled after Tanaka.
Awards & recognition
- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette · 2006
- Medal with Purple Ribbon · 1999
- Blue Ribbon Awards — Best Actor · 1987
- Blue Ribbon Awards — Best Supporting Actor · 1984
- Golden Arrow Award
Filmography32 titles
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity
Sanjuro
The Face of Another
The Sword of Doom
Kwaidan
The Bad Sleep Well
Sword of the Beast
The Hidden Blade
Battles Without Honor and Humanity
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode
Pitfall
The Inheritance
Dodes'ka-den
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics
Proxy War
Bullet Train
Graveyard of Honor
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival
The Last Ronin
Lewis Black: Red, White and Screwed
The Demon
The Sun's Burial
Ronin-gai
Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
New Battles Without Honor and Humanity 1
Private Detective DOBU 6: The Origami Murder Case
Private Detective DOBU 4: The Mysterious Kite Murders Case
Private Detective DOBU 5: The Pinwheel Murder Case
Private Detective DOBU 2: The Kyoto Murder Case
Private Detective DOBU 3: The Exile Island Murder Case
Private Detective DOBU 1