Director
Takeshi Kitano
January 18, 1947 · Tokyo, Japan
Takeshi Kitano (北野 武, Kitano Takeshi, born January 18, 1947), also known in Japan as Beat Takeshi (ビートたけし, Bīto Takeshi), is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. Kitano rose to prominence in the 1970s as one half of the comedy duo Two Beat, before going solo and becoming one of the three biggest comedians in the country. After several small acting roles, he made his directorial debut with 1989's Violent Cop and garnered international acclaim for Sonatine (1993). He was not widely accepted as an accomplished director in Japan until Hana-bi won the Golden Lion in 1997. In October 2017, Kitano completed his Outrage crime trilogy with the release of Outrage Coda.
Notable work
6.1Ghost in the Shell (2017)
as Aramaki
7.3Battle Royale (2000)
as Kitano
5.8Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
as Takahashi
7.2Zatoichi (2003)
as Zatoichi / Ichi and Director
7.7Fireworks (1997)
as Yoshitaka Nishi and Director
7.5Sonatine (1993)
as Aniki Murakawa and Director
7.5Kikujiro (1999)
as Kikujiro and Director
5Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003)
as Kitano
7.1Brother (2000)
as Aniki Yamamoto and Director and Writer
7.3Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
as Hara
6.9Outrage (2010)
as Otomo and Director
7.2Violent Cop (1989)
as Azuma Ryosuke and Director and Writer
Film and television data provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.