Acting

Ken Watanabe

1959-10-21 · Uonuma, Niigata, Japan

Ken Watanabe (born October 21, 1959) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Actor twice, in 2007 for Memories of Tomorrow and in 2010 for Shizumanu Taiyō. He is also known for his roles in director Christopher Nolan's Hollywood blockbusters Batman Begins and Inception.

Movies & TV shows

80 credits

MOVIE

Inception

2010 · Saito

Alice in Borderland

2020 · Old Gentleman

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Batman Begins

2005 · Ra's al Ghul

Tokyo Vice

2022 · Hiroto Katagiri

Not in this catalog

Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen

1990

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

2019 · Lieutenant Hide Yoshida

MOVIE

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

2019 · Dr. Ishiro Serizawa

MOVIE

Transformers: Age of Extinction

2014 · Drift (voice)

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Last Samurai

2003 · Moritsugu Katsumoto

MOVIE

Transformers: The Last Knight

2017 · Drift (voice)

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Godzilla

2014 · Dr. Ishiro Serizawa

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Creator

2023 · Harun

MOVIE

Isle of Dogs

2018 · Head Surgeon (voice)

Segodon

2018 · Shimazu Nariakira

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Letters from Iwo Jima

2006 · General Tadamichi Kuribayashi

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Memoirs of a Geisha

2005 · Chairman

Not in this catalog

Masamune Shogun

1987 · 伊達政宗

Not in this catalog

The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk

2015 · 東雲朔太郎

Not in this catalog

Unbound

2025 · Tamema Okitsugu

Not in this catalog

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

2000 · Yokoyama

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2009 · Mr. Tall

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Sea of Trees

2016 · Takumi Nakamura

Not in this catalog

NHK WORLD PRIME

2017 · Self - Presenter

Not in this catalog

TRUE COLORS

2025 · Taichirou Tsujimura

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Kokuho

2025 · Hanjiro Hanai

Not in this catalog

Back of Father

2014 · Takamura Kouji

Not in this catalog

Hanekonma

1986 · Genzo Onodera

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

7 Guardians of the Tomb

2018 · Father

MOVIE

Shanghai

2010 · Tanaka

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Final Piece

2025 · Shigeyoshi Toumyo

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Tampopo

1985 · Gun

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Kensuke's Kingdom

2024 · Kensuke (voice)

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Bel Canto

2018 · Katsumi Hosokawa

MOVIE

Fukushima 50

2020 · Masao Yoshida

The Fire Still Burns

1993 · Fujiwara Tsunekiyo

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Earth

2007 · Narrator (voice)

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Rage

2016 · Yohei Maki

Kyotojin no Hisokana Tanoshimi Rouge: Keisho

2026 · 東雲朔太郎

Not in this catalog

Gokenin Zankuro

1995 · Zankuro Matsudaira

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Samurai Vengeance

2026 · Kinji Shinoda

Not in this catalog

Hojo Tokimune

2001 · Hojo Tokiyori

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Unforgiven

2013 · Jubee Kamata

Not in this catalog

Toubousha

2020

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

1997 · Raita Onuki

Not in this catalog

A Tale of Two Truncheons

1984

Not in this catalog

Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko

2002

Not in this catalog

Vessel of Sand

2004 · Shuichiro Imanishi

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The King and I

2018 · The King of Siam

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Ashes and Snow

2005 · Japanese Narrator (voice)

Not in this catalog

Baian the Assassin

1991 · Fujieda Baian

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Unbroken

2009 · Hajime Onchi

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Oda Nobunaga

1992

Not in this catalog

横山秀夫サスペンスシリーズ (TBS)

2002

Not in this catalog

川、いつか海へ 6つの愛の物語

2003

Not in this catalog

Waga Machi

1992

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

All Lives

2024

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

T.R.Y.

2003 · Masanobu Azuma

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Evolution Within Extinction

2014 · Self

Not in this catalog

Kagi-shi

1993

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Love of a Thousand Years - Story of Genji

2001

Not in this catalog

No poster

Shimei Tehai

1998

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Year One in the North

2005 · Komatsubara Hideaki

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Memories of Tomorrow

2006 · Masayuki Saeki

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Making of "Tampopo"

1986 · Self

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Whispered City

2000 · Ishida

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Drowning Fish

2001 · Miyota

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

The Sea and Poison

1986 · Toda

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -

2011

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home

2012 · Junichiro Kawaguchi

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Space Travelers

2000 · Sakamaki ("Crusher")

Not in this catalog

No poster

Oda Nobunaga

1989

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

An Artist of the Floating World

2019 · Ono Masuji

Not in this catalog

Musuko no Gokikan

1990

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Snow Jack

2014 · Reiji Kurata

Not in this catalog

Izakaya Chōji

1992

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Commando Invasion

1987

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Takeda Shingen

1991 · Narrator

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

Dirty, Clean, & Inbetween

2017 · Restaurant Patron

Not in this catalog

五年目のひとり

2016 · 키자키 슈지

Not in this catalog

MOVIE

A Naive History of the Bakumatsu Era

1991 · Ryoma Sakamoto

Not in this catalog

Ken Watanabe

Inception

Alice in Borderland

Batman Begins

Tokyo Vice

Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Transformers: Age of Extinction

The Last Samurai

Transformers: The Last Knight

Godzilla

The Creator

Isle of Dogs

Segodon

Letters from Iwo Jima

Memoirs of a Geisha

Masamune Shogun

The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk

Unbound

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

The Sea of Trees

NHK WORLD PRIME

TRUE COLORS

Kokuho

Back of Father

Hanekonma

7 Guardians of the Tomb

Shanghai

The Final Piece

Tampopo

Kensuke's Kingdom

Bel Canto

Fukushima 50

The Fire Still Burns

Earth

Rage

Kyotojin no Hisokana Tanoshimi Rouge: Keisho

Gokenin Zankuro

Samurai Vengeance

Hojo Tokimune

Unforgiven

Toubousha

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

A Tale of Two Truncheons

Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko

Vessel of Sand

The King and I

Ashes and Snow

Baian the Assassin

The Unbroken

Oda Nobunaga

横山秀夫サスペンス シリーズ (TBS)

川、いつか海へ 6つの愛の物語

Waga Machi

All Lives

T.R.Y.

Evolution Within Extinction

Kagi-shi

Love of a Thousand Years - Story of Genji

Shimei Tehai

Year One in the North

Memories of Tomorrow

The Making of "Tampopo"

The Whispered City

Drowning Fish

The Sea and Poison

Ai inochi - Shinjuku Kabukicho Kakekomi Dera -

Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home

Space Travelers

Oda Nobunaga

An Artist of the Floating World

Musuko no Gokikan

Snow Jack

Izakaya Chōji

Commando Invasion

Takeda Shingen

Dirty, Clean, & Inbetween

五年目のひとり

横山秀夫サスペンスシリーズ (TBS)