Biography
He appeared in many of the great post-war Japanese films, most notably those of director Akira Kurosawa.
The collaboration between Kurosawa and Mifune began with the film "Drunken Angel" (1948) and continued with such notable works as "Rashomon" (1950), "Seven Samurai" (1954), "Throne of Blood" (1957), "Yojimbo" (1961) and "Red Beard" (1965). The actor also appeared in such varied Japanese films as Senkichi Taniguchi's "Snow Trail" (1947), …
Career Milestones
1995 | Final film role in "Deep River" | |
1980 | Starred as the warlord Toranaga in the NBC miniseries "Shogun" | |
1979 | Played the submarine commander in Steven Spielberg's "1941" | |
1968 | Teamed with Lee Marvin in "Hell in the Pacific", directed by John Boorman | |
1965 | Made last film with Kurosawa, "Red Beard" | |
1963 | Made feature directorial debut, "The Legacy of the 500,000" | |
1963 | Formed Mifune Productions | |
1961 | Returned to samaurai roles in "Yojimbo" | |
1957 | Starred in "Throne of Blood", Kurosawa's version of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" | |
1954 | Played Kikuchiyo in "The Seven Samaurai" | |
1950 | Starred in Kurosawa's "Rashomon" | |
1948 | Cast by Kurosawa in "The Drunken Angel"; played a gangster suffering with tuberculosis | |
1946 | Made film debut in small role in a film directed by Akira Kurosawa | |
| Participated in a nationwide talent search sponsored by Toho Studios | ||
| After WWII, settled in Tokyo | ||
1939 | Joined the Japanese Imperial Air Force as an aerial photographer | |
| Raised outside of Japan | ||
| Born in China to Japanese parents | ||
Awards
1985 | Montreal World Film Festival for Special Grand Prix of the Festival |
1981 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Limited Series or a Special in Shogun |
1965 | Venice International Film Festival for Volpi Cup for Best Actor in Red Beard |
1961 | Venice International Film Festival for Volpi Cup for Best Actor in Yojimbo |
1955 | BAFTA Award for Foreign Actor in Seven Samurai |