Personal details
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Born
21 octobre 1959 (66)
Place of birth
Uonuma, Niigata, Japan
Also known as
渡邊謙 · 渡辺 謙 · کِن واتانابه · ک ِن واتانابه
Biography
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.
Connu(e) pour
8.4
Film
Inception
Saito
2010
7.7
Film
Batman Begins
Ra's al Ghul
2005
7.9
Series
Tokyo Vice
Hiroto Katagiri
2022–2024
6.7
Film
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
2019
7.6
Film
The Last Samurai
Moritsugu Katsumoto
2003
7.5
Film
Letters from Iwo Jima
General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
2006
6.0
Film
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Drift (voice)
2014
7.0
Film
The Creator
Harun
2023
6.4
Film
Godzilla
Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
2014
7.8
Film
Isle of Dogs
Head Surgeon (voice)
2018
6.9
Film
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Lieutenant Hide Yoshida
2019
0.0
Series
The Fire Still Burns
Fujiwara Tsunekiyo
1993–1994
9.0
Series
Masamune Shogun
伊達政宗
1987
6.1
Film
Space Travelers
Sakamaki ("Crusher")
2000
7.6
Film
Memoirs of a Geisha
Le président
2005
7.9
Film
Kokuho
Hanjiro Hanai
2025
6.1
Film
Shanghai
Tanaka
2010
7.4
Series
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Yokoyama
2000
8.8
Series
The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
東雲朔太郎
2015–
7.8
Film
Tampopo
Gun
1985
9.3
Series
Unbound
Tamema Okitsugu
2025
7.7
Film
Earth
Narrator (voice)
2007
8.0
Series
TRUE COLORS
Taichirou Tsujimura
2025
7.3
Film
Ashes and Snow
Japanese Narrator (voice)
2005
8.0
Series
Hanekonma
Genzo Onodera
1986
5.5
Film
Bel Canto
Katsumi Hosokawa
2018
5.9
Film
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Mr. Tall
2009
4.0
Series
Vessel of Sand
Shuichiro Imanishi
2004
8.0
Film
Oda Nobunaga
1992
8.0
Series
Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko
2002
6.5
Film
Fukushima 50
Masao Yoshida
2020
6.2
Film
The Sea of Trees
Takumi Nakamura
2016
5.3
Film
7 Guardians of the Tomb
Father
2018
8.0
Series
Hojo Tokimune
Hojo Tokiyori
2001
7.2
Film
Kensuke's Kingdom
Kensuke (voice)
2024
7.0
Series
Toubousha
2020
6.8
Film
Rage
Yohei Maki
2016
10.0
Series
Baian the Assassin
Fujieda Baian
1991
6.7
Film
All Lives
2024
9.4
Film
The Final Piece
Shigeyoshi Toumyo
2025
8.8
Film
Samurai Vengeance
Kinji Shinoda
2026
8.0
Film
True Love: Making The Creator
Self
2023
7.0
Film
劇場の灯を消すな！PARCO劇場編
2020
Acting credits 43 titles
Samurai Vengeance
as Kinji Shinoda
8.8
2026
The Final Piece
as Shigeyoshi Toumyo
9.4
2025
Kokuho
as Hanjiro Hanai
7.9
2025
Unbound
as Tamema Okitsugu
9.3
2025
TRUE COLORS
as Taichirou Tsujimura
8.0
2025
All Lives
6.7
2024
Kensuke's Kingdom
as Kensuke (voice)
7.2
2024
The Creator
as Harun
7.0
2023
True Love: Making The Creator
as Self
8.0
2023
Tokyo Vice
as Hiroto Katagiri
7.9
2022–2024
Fukushima 50
as Masao Yoshida
6.5
2020
Toubousha
7.0
2020
劇場の灯を消すな！PARCO劇場編
7.0
2020
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
6.7
2019
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
as Lieutenant Hide Yoshida
6.9
2019
Bel Canto
as Katsumi Hosokawa
5.5
2018
Isle of Dogs
as Head Surgeon (voice)
7.8
2018
7 Guardians of the Tomb
as Father
5.3
2018
Rage
as Yohei Maki
6.8
2016
The Sea of Trees
as Takumi Nakamura
6.2
2016
The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
as 東雲朔太郎
8.8
2015–
Godzilla
as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
6.4
2014
Transformers: Age of Extinction
as Drift (voice)
6.0
2014
Inception
as Saito
8.4
2010
Shanghai
as Tanaka
6.1
2010
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
as Mr. Tall
5.9
2009
Earth
as Narrator (voice)
7.7
2007
Letters from Iwo Jima
as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi
7.5
2006
Ashes and Snow
as Japanese Narrator (voice)
7.3
2005
Memoirs of a Geisha
as Le président
7.6
2005
Batman Begins
as Ra's al Ghul
7.7
2005
Vessel of Sand
as Shuichiro Imanishi
4.0
2004
The Last Samurai
as Moritsugu Katsumoto
7.6
2003
Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko
8.0
2002
Hojo Tokimune
as Hojo Tokiyori
8.0
2001
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
as Yokoyama
7.4
2000
Space Travelers
as Sakamaki ("Crusher")
6.1
2000
The Fire Still Burns
as Fujiwara Tsunekiyo
0.0
1993–1994
Oda Nobunaga
8.0
1992
Baian the Assassin
as Fujieda Baian
10.0
1991
Masamune Shogun
as 伊達政宗
9.0
1987
Hanekonma
as Genzo Onodera
8.0
1986
Tampopo
as Gun
7.8
1985