Ken Ogata

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Ken Ogata
緒形 拳
Born
緒形 明伸 (Akinobu Ogata)

(1937-07-20)July 20, 1937
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
DiedOctober 5, 2008(2008-10-05) (aged 71)
Mibu, Tochigi, Japan
NationalityJapanese
OccupationActor
Years active1960–2008
AwardsJapan Academy Prize
Best Actor

1979 The Demon
1984 The Ballad of Narayama
1987 House on Fire

Akinobu Ogata (緒形 明伸, Ogata Akinobu, 20 July 1937 – 5 October 2008), better known by his stage name Ken Ogata (緒形 拳, Ogata Ken), was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 50 movies and 25 television series.[1] For his merits and contribution to arts in 2000 received Japan's Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon.[2]

Among many movie awards and nominations, he received three times Japan Academy Film Prize award for Best Actor for The Demon (1978), The Ballad of Narayama (1983) and House on Fire (1986), and in addition Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for The Catch and Okinawan Boys (1983).[3] Other notable roles were in Shohei Imamura's Vengeance Is Mine (1979), Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book (1996).[1][4]

Life[edit]

Ogata was born on July 20, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. He started his acting career in 1958 as part of the Shinkokugeki theater troupe.[1][5]

His movie debut was 1960s Tooi Hitotsu No Michi, but his starring role as Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 1965 NHK Taiga drama Taikōki catapulted him to fame.[4][6] Ken went on to many prominent roles in subsequent programs. The following year, he portrayed Benkei in Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The network tapped him again for the role of Fujiwara no Sumitomo in the 1976 Kaze to Kumo to Niji to. He returned to playing Hideyoshi in the 1978 Ōgon no Hibi, and returned to the lead as Ōishi Kuranosuke in Tōge no Gunzō, the 1982 Chūshingura. Another featured appearance in a Taiga drama was in Taiheiki (1991, as Ashikaga Sadauji, father of Takauji). His final appearance in the taiga drama was Fūrin Kazan in 2007. Besides the taiga drama series, Ogata portrayed Fujieda Baian in the Hissatsu series Hissatsu Shikakenin,[7] he reprised the character twice in the film series later.[8][9]

His last lead role was in A Long Walk (2006).[4] Mr. Ogata died of liver cancer on October 5, 2008, just days after finishing his role in the production of the Fuji TV drama Kaze no Garden (Garden of the Winds).[1]

Ogata was a talented calligrapher and held a public exhibition in 1991.[6] His sons Kanta and Naoto are actors as well.[1]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Director Notes Ref(s)
1968 The Sex Check Yasuzo Masumura
1969 Samurai Banners Hiroshi Inagaki
Farewell, My Beloved Hideo Ōba
Lady with Seven Faces Yōichi Maeda
1973 Professional Killers: Assassin’s Quarry Fujieda Baian Yūsuke Watanabe Lead role, Hissatsu series
1974 Hissatsu Shikakenin Shunsetsu shikakebari Fujieda Baian Yūsuke Watanabe Lead role, Hissatsu series
Castle of Sand Ken'ichi Miki Yoshitarō Nomura
The Last Samurai Kenji Misumi
1977 Mount Hakkoda Shirō Moritani
1978 The Demon Yoshitarō Nomura Lead role
1979 Vengeance Is Mine Shohei Imamura Lead role
1980 Virus Kinji Fukasaku
1981 Samurai Reincarnation Miyamoto Musashi Kinji Fukasaku
Eijanaika Shohei Imamura
Edo Porn Tetsuzō Kaneto Shindo Lead role
1982 Yaju-deka Eiichi Kudo Lead role
1983 The Ballad of Narayama Shohei Imamura Lead role
The Catch Shinji Sōmai Lead role
Okinawan Boys Taku Shinjō
The Geisha Hideo Gosha Lead role
1985 Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Yukio Mishima Paul Schrader Lead role
Oar Hideo Gosha
1986 House on Fire Kinji Fukasaku Lead role
1987 Zegen Shohei Imamura Lead role
1988 A Chaos of Flowers Kinji Fukasaku
Oracion Shigemichi Sugita
1989 Shogun's Shadow Yasuo Furuhata Lead role
Shaso Toshio Masuda Lead role
Zatoichi, Darkness Is His Ally Shintaro Katsu
1991 Rainbow Kids Daigoro Igari Kihachi Okamoto [10]
My Soul Is Slashed Shusuke Kaneko Lead role
1992 Dreams of Russia Daikokuya Kōdayū Junya Sato Lead role
1996 The Pillow Book Peter Greenaway
1999 Shooting Star Kikujirō Yamamoto Hiromitsu Yamanaka Lead role
2000 Film Noir Ichihara Masahiro Kobayashi
2001 Man Walking on Snow Nobuo Honma Masahiro Kobayashi Lead role
2002 11'09"01 September 11 Shohei Imamura Episode 11: "Japan"
2004 The Hidden Blade Yoji Yamada
Izo Takashi Miike
Last Quarter of the Moon Ken Nikai
The Man Who Wipes Mirrors Seisoku Kajita Lead role
2005 The Samurai I Loved Maki Sukezaemon Mitsuo Kurotsuchi
2006 Love and Honor Yoji Yamada
A Long Walk Eiji Okuda Lead role
2008 Kitaro and the Millennium Curse Nurarihyon Katsuhide Motoki Final film role

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Network Notes Ref(s)
1965 Taikōki Toyotomi Hideyoshi NHK Lead role, Taiga drama [11]
1966 Minamoto no Yoshitsune Benkei NHK Taiga drama
1972 Shin Heike Monogatari Dr. Abe no Asadori NHK Taiga drama
Hissatsu Shikakenin Fujieda Baian ABC Lead role, Hissatsu series
1975 Hissatsu Hitchuu Shigotoya Kagyō Hanbei ABC Lead role, Hissatsu series
Tsūkai! Kōchiyama Sōshun Chōji Fuji TV Episode 15
1976 Kaze to Kumo to Niji to Fujiwara no Sumitomo NHK Taiga drama
Hissatsu Karakurinin Yumeya Tokijirō ABC Lead role, Hissatsu series
Zatoichi Season 2 Gonnosuke Fuji TV Episode 12 "Money And Hell"
1977–78 Shin Hissatsu Karakurinin Hiroshige, narrator ABC Hissatsu series
1978 Ōgon no Hibi Toyotomi Hideyoshi NHK Taiga drama [11]
1979 Ashura no Gotoku Part 1 Satomi Takao NHK
Zatoichi Season 4 Hikotarō Fuji TV Episode 6 "The Spinning Wheel"
1982 Tōge no Gunzō Ōishi Kuranosuke NHK Lead role, Taiga drama
1985 Hagoku Seitarō Sakuma NHK Lead role, TV movie
1988 Tokugawa Ieyasu Toyotomi Hideyoshi TBS TV movie
1991 Taiheiki Ashikaga Sadauji NHK Taiga drama
1997 Mōri Motonari Amago Tsunehisa NHK Taiga drama
Gift Yujiro Kishiwada Fuji TV The final episode
1998 The Scorching Silk Road TBS Documentary
1999 Furuhata Ninzaburō Kengo Kuroiwa Fuji TV Episode 27
Dear Friend Kiichi Satake TBS TV movie
2003 Say Hello to Black Jack Osamu Hattori TBS
2005 Ruri's Island Yūzō Nakama NTV
2006 Sailor Suit and Machine Gun Hajime Sandaiji TBS Special appearance
2007 Fūrin Kazan Usami Sadamitsu NHK Taiga drama
2008 Bōshi Shunpei Takayama NHK Hiroshima Lead role
Garden of Breeze Teizō Shiratori Fuji TV

Japanese dub[edit]

Honours[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Weber, Bruce (2008-10-17). "Ken Ogata, Japanese Actor Famed for Films and TV, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Screen great Ken Ogata dead at 71". The Japan Times. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  3. ^ ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  4. ^ a b c Gray, Jason (2008-10-07). "Japanese actor Ken Ogata dies aged 71". Screen Daily. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Ken Ogata: Japanese film and television actor". The Times. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b Bergan, Ronald (2008-10-10). "Obituary: Ken Ogata". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ^ "今こそ見たい緒形拳の世界】画期的だった必殺仕掛人 勧善懲悪が主流の時代にダークヒーローが見せたゾクゾクする男の色気". Zakzak. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Hissatsu shikakenin Baian arijigoku". 日本映画製作者連盟. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Hissatsu shikakenin Baian shikakebari". 日本映画製作者連盟. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  10. ^ Stuart Galbraith IV (16 May 2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-4616-7374-3.
  11. ^ a b "「大河ドラマ」の歴代"秀吉"". NHK. Retrieved June 18, 2020.

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