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Tadanobu Asano

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Tadanobu Asano
浅野 忠信
Asano at the world premiere of Thor 2011
Born
Tadanobu Satō

(1973-11-27) November 27, 1973 (age 51)
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • musician
Years active1988–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2009)​
​
(m. 2022)​
Children2
RelativesMinori Nakata [ja] (sister-in-law)
Japanese name
Kanji浅野 忠信
Hiraganaあさの ただのぶ
Katakanaアサノ タダノブ
Transcriptions
RomanizationAsano Tadanobu
Alternative Japanese name
Kanji佐藤 忠信
Hiraganaさとう ただのぶ
Katakanaサトウ タダノブ
Transcriptions
RomanizationSatō Tadanobu
Websiteasanotadanobu.com

Tadanobu Satō (佐藤 忠信, Satō Tadanobu, born November 27, 1973) better known by his stage name Tadanobu Asano (浅野 忠信, Asano Tadanobu) is a Japanese actor, director, and musician, who has had an extensive career working in both Japanese and international cinema. He has been nominated for five Japan Academy Film Prizes, twice for Best Actor and three times for Best Supporting Actor, and winner of its Most Popular Performer award.

Among his best-known roles are in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Maboroshi no Hikari (1995) and Distance (2001), Hyozo Tashiro in Gohatto (1999), Kakihara in Ichi the Killer (2001), Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi (2003), Kenji in Last Life in the Universe (also 2003), and Temujin in Mongol (2007). He has also appeared in Hollywood films, notably as Hogun in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lord Kira Yoshinaka in 47 Ronin (2013),[1] the Interpreter in Silence (2016), Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi in Midway (2019), and Raiden in Mortal Kombat (2021), based on the fighting video game of the same name. He gained additional recognition in 2024 for his portrayal of Lord Kashigi Yabushige on the American television series Shōgun, based on the James Clavell novel.

Asano has worked with some of the most prominent and acclaimed directors in Japanese cinema, including Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takeshi Kitano, Nagisa Ōshima, Takashi Miike, Nobuhiko Obayashi and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, along with international directors like Martin Scorsese, Kenneth Branagh, Wong Kar-wai, Roland Emmerich, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Sergei Bodrov. Among other accolades, he has twice won the Best Actor Award at the Yokohama Film Festival, the Upstream Prize for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, and the Best Actor Award at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Early life

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Asano was born in the Honmoku area[2] of Yokohama, to artist Yukihisa Satō (佐藤 幸久, Satō Yukihisa)[2] and mother Junko (順子). Through his mother, Asano is of one-quarter American ancestry. His maternal grandfather was Willard Overing, a U.S. citizen of Norwegian descent, whom Asano never met.[2] Asano has an older brother, Kujun Satō, born in 1971,[3] who is a musician and a partner in Anore Inc. (now Adonis A), a talent agency Asano and their father Yukihisa Satō founded.

Career

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Asano's father, an actors' agent, suggested he take on his first acting role in the TV show Kinpachi Sensei at the age of 16. His film debut was in the 1990 Swimming Upstream (Bataashi Kingyo), though his first major critical success was in Shunji Iwai's Fried Dragon Fish (1993). His first critical success internationally was Hirokazu Kore-eda's Maboroshi no Hikari (1995), in which he played a man who inexplicably throws himself in front of a train, widowing his wife and orphaning his infant son. He also worked with Kore-eda in the pseudo-documentary Distance in 2001. His best known works internationally are the samurai films Gohatto (aka Taboo, 1999) and Zatoichi (2003), as well as the critically acclaimed Bright Future.

Asano acted in Katsuhito Ishii's 2003 film The Taste of Tea, which premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. He appeared as the lead actor in Last Life in the Universe (2003) by Thai director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and starred in Ratanaruang's 2006 follow-up film, Invisible Waves. In 2007, he starred as the young Genghis Khan in Sergei Bodrov's Oscar-nominated film Mongol.[4] In Villon's Wife (2009), he played the part of an alcoholic writer, stating that, since he doesn't drink alcohol, he based his performance on people he knows.[5] In 2011, he starred in the Marvel Studios film Thor as the Asgardian warrior Hogun, a member of the Warriors Three and companion to Thor.[6] He reprised the role in 2013's Thor: The Dark World[7] and 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.[8]

Asano appeared in the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot as Raiden.[9] In September 2021, Asano was announced as part of the cast of the FX limited series Shōgun, adapted from the James Clavell novel.[10]

In addition to his acting career, Asano directed commercial TV spots for his then-wife, Chara.[11] He formed the band MACH-1.67 with director Sogo Ishii in 1996 and has also played in the bands Peace Pill and Safari.[12] He is an artist and a model, most notably for Japanese fashion designers Jun Takahashi and Takeo Kikuchi, for whom he filmed a series of commercial spots directed by Wong Kar-wai, including the short film wkw/tk/1996@7'55"hk.net.

Asano and his father left the actors' agency Anore Inc. (now Adonis A) in 2022. After leaving the agency, he continued to give it his support.[13]

Personal life

[edit]

Asano met J-pop singer Chara on the set of Iwai's Picnic (1994). They were married in March 1995 while Chara was pregnant with their first child, a daughter named Sumire, who was born on July 4 that same year.[14] In 1999, they had a son named Himi.[15] In July 2009, Chara announced on her website that the couple was divorcing. She received custody of both their children.[16]

In August 2022, Asano announced through his Twitter and Instagram accounts that he had married model and actress Kurumi Nakata who is eighteen years younger than him (b. 1991). The two had reportedly been in a relationship for over six years.[17][18]

Awards

[edit]

Asano won the Most Popular Performer award at the 1997 Japanese Academy Awards for Acri and was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2004 for his performance in Zatôichi. He also received the Upstream Prize for Best Actor at the 2003 Venice Film Festival for his role in Last Life in the Universe.[19][20] In 2014, he won the award for Best Actor at the 36th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in My Man.[21] In 2024, he was nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 76th Primetime Emmy Awards for his performance in Shōgun, his first nomination for the Primetime Emmy Awards.[22]

Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Primetime Emmy Awards 2024 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Shōgun Nominated [23]
Golden Globe Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television Pending
Critics' Choice Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Pending
Independent Spirit Awards 2025 Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series Pending

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1990 Bataashi kingyo Ushi
1991 Aitsu Sadahito Iwata
1992 Seishun Dendekedekedeke Seiichi Shirai
1993 Nemuranai Machi: Shinjuku Same Koichi Sunagami
1994 119 Satoshi Matsushita
1995 Yonshimai Monogatari Akira Higuchi
Maborosi Ikuo
1996 wkw/tk/1996@7'55"hk.net Man Short film
Picnic Tsumuji
Helpless Kenji Shiraishi
Acri Hisoka
Swallowtail Butterfly Customer in club
Focus Kanemura
1997 Yume no Ginga Tatsuo Niitaka
Tokyo Biyori
1998 Love & Pop Captain XX
Screwed (Neji-shiki) Tsube
Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl Kuroo Samehada
Rakka Suru Yugata
1999 Away with Words Asano Takashi
Gemini Revenger with Sword
Hakuchi Isawa
One Step on a Mine, It's All Over Taizo Ichinose
Gohatto Samurai Hyozo Tashiro
2000 Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle Shanao
Kaza-hana Sawaki
Party 7 Okita Souji
2001 Electric Dragon 80.000 V Dragon Eye Morrison
Distance Sakata
Ichi the Killer Kakihara
2002 Woman of Water Yusaku
2003 Bright Future Mamoru Arita
My Grandpa S. Nakatoh
Last Life in the Universe Kenji
Zatoichi Hattori Gennosuke
Dead End Run
Café Lumière Hajime Takeuchi
2004 Tori Short film
The Taste of Tea Ayano, the Uncle
Vital Hiroshi Takagi
The Face of Jizo Kinoshita
Survive Style 5+ Aman
2005 The Buried Forest San-chan
Takeshis'
My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? Mizui
Portrait of the Wind Tamio Murase
Funky Forest Masaru Tanaka
Rampo Noir Kogorô Akechi/Man/Masaki
Tokyo Zombie Fujio
2006 Invisible Waves Kyôji
Hana Jubei Kanazawa
2007 Mongol Temujin
Sad Vacation Kenji Shiraishi
2008 Kabei: Our Mother Yamazaki Toru
R246 Story
Yume no Mani Mani Black Marketeer
2009 42 One Dream Rush Short film
Mt. Tsurugidake Shibasaki
Dumbeast Dekogawa
Redline Frisbee (voice)
Villon's Wife Otani
Snow Prince Haigo
2010 Wandering Home
Vengeance Can Wait Hidenori Yamane
2011 Gekkō no Kamen Okamoto
Thor Hogun
Korede Iinoda! Eiga Akatsuka Fujio Fujio Akatsuka
A Ghost of a Chance Ken'ichi Kido
2012 Battleship Captain Yugi Nagata
Anata e
A Terminal Trust Takai
Fly with the Gold Kitagawa
2013 Thor: The Dark World Hogun
47 Ronin[1] Lord Kira
The Kiyosu Conference Maeda Toshiie
2014 Lupin III Inspector Koichi Zenigata
Kiki's Delivery Service Dr. Ishi
Parasyte: Part 1 Goto
2015 Parasyte: Part 2 Goto
Grasshopper Kujira
Journey to the Shore Yūsuke
Haha to Kuraseba Kuroda
2016 Harmonium Yasaka
Silence Interpreter
The Wasted Times Watabe
2017 Dear Etranger Makoto Tanaka
Thor: Ragnarok Hogun
Shinjuku Swan II Masaki Taki
2018 The Outsider Kiyoshi
Kuso-yarō to Utsukushiki Sekai
Punk Samurai Slash Down Chayama Hanrō
Kasane Kingo Habuta
2019 Chiwawa Sakata
They Say Nothing Stays the Same
Noroshi ga Yobu Short film
Midway Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
2020 Minamata Tatsuo Matsumura
Labyrinth of Cinema Lt. Sako
Independence of Japan Jirō Shirasu
2021 Detective Chinatown 3 Naoki Tanaka Chinese film
Mortal Kombat Lord Raiden
Kate Renji
2023 We're Broke, My Lord! Isogai Heihachirō
Kubi Kuroda Kanbei [24]
2024 The Box Man Fake Doctor [25]
The Women in the Lakes Isami [26]
2025 Ravens Masahisa Fukase [27]
Kanasando [28]
Broken Rage Detective Inoue [29]
Mortal Kombat 2 Lord Raiden Post-production

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Network Notes
1988 Kinpachi-sensei Masahiro Azuma TBS
1993 Fried Dragon Fish Natsuro Fuji TV TV movie
Haru no Ichizoku Tomoki NHK
2006 Japanorama Himself BBC Three Documentaries
2011 Sutekina Kakushi Dori: Kanzen Muketsu no Concierge Artist Fuji TV TV movie
Yonimo kimyô na Monogatari Killer Fuji TV TV movie
2017 A Life: A Love Masao Danjō TBS
2019 Idaten Shōjirō Kawashima NHK Taiga drama
2021 Welcome Home, Monet Shinji Oikawa NHK Asadora
2024 Shōgun Kashigi Yabushige FX on Hulu Miniseries

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Developer Notes
2011 Shadows of the Damned Garcia Hotspur Grasshopper Manufacture Debut video game dubbing role

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Keanu's 47 Ronin has A-List Japanese Cast Archived April 21, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Japan-Zone.com March 2, 2011
  2. ^ a b c "Tokyo Psycho". Time Magazine. October 21, 2002. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  3. ^ "Profile: Kujun". anore. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  4. ^ Golovnina, Maria (January 25, 2008). "Mongol actress from soldier dreams to Oscar buzz". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  5. ^ Hadfield, James (July 7, 2011). "Tadanobu Asano: The Interview". Time Out Tokyo. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  6. ^ "Thor Update: Warriors Three Cast". Marvel. November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  7. ^ Clark, Noelene (August 2, 2012). "'Thor: The Dark World': Christopher Eccleston is villain Malekith". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  8. ^ "Thor: Ragnarok Press Kit" (PDF). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (August 16, 2019). "'Mortal Kombat' Movie Adds Fistful of Fighters (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (September 30, 2021). "'Shōgun': Anna Sawai Joins Hiroyuki Sanada & Cosmo Jarvis In FX Limited Series; Full Cast Set". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  11. ^ Donat, Begoña (January 30, 2004). "Johnny Depp tiene un primo japonés (Johnny Depp has a Japanese Cousin)". El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  12. ^ Mes, Tom (June 24, 2002). "Tadanobu Asano". Midnight Eye. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  13. ^ Wallace, Bruce (June 13, 2008). "12th century leader, 21st century ideas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  14. ^ "Chara". November 9, 2000. Archived from the original on November 9, 2000.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ "浅野忠信の息子・佐藤緋美、ドラマ初出演「楽しくてとてもいい経験に」". Oricon. January 27, 2019. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Tadanobu Asano, Chara divorce". Tokyograph. July 24, 2009. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  17. ^ "浅野忠信と中田クルミが１８歳差結婚「愛と笑顔が溢れる日々を」１４年に交際報道/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  18. ^ "浅野忠信＆中田クルミ結婚発表、１８歳差婚「幸せな報告ができてうれしい」" [Tadanobu Asano & Kurumi Nakata announce their marriage, 18 years apart: "I'm happy to report this happy news"]. スポーツ報知 (in Japanese). August 23, 2022. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Riggs, Thomas (2007). Contemporary Theatre, Film & Television. Gale Cengage Learning. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7876-9050-2.
  20. ^ "Venice 2003 festival winners list". Screen Daily. September 6, 2003. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "36 MIFF Prizes". MIFF. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  22. ^ "Emmy Experts warn Billy Crudup ('Morning Show') that Tadanobu Asano ('Shogun') is coming on strong". Yahoo. August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "76th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List" (PDF). Television Academy. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  24. ^ "北野武監督『首』今秋公開決定！ティザービジュアルが解禁！". Fan's Voice. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "永瀬正敏「20数年の思いこめて」安部公房さん原作映画「箱男」主演 共演は浅野忠信、佐藤浩市". Nikkan Sports. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  26. ^ "湖の女たち". eiga.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  27. ^ "レイブンズ". eiga.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  28. ^ "かなさんどー". eiga.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "菅田将暉「ずっと夢見ていました」主演映画「Cloud」ベネチア映画祭で上映、北野武監督作品も". Nikkan Sports. Retrieved July 23, 2024.

[1]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Morris, Jerome C. "I'm Not as Whacked Out as Dragon Eye Morrison" (interview), in Asian Cult Cinema, #54.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tadanobu Asano.
  1. ^ "Thor: Ragnarok Press Kit" (PDF). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
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