Mifune Toshirō

born April 1, 1920, Tsingtao, Shantung province, China

died Dec. 24, 1997, Mitaka, near Tokyo, Japan

Japanese film actor.

After serving in the Japanese army in World War II, he made his screen debut in These Foolish Times (1947). He followed it with Drunken Angel (1948) and achieved international fame in Rashomon (1950). He acted in more than 100 films and was known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters in the films of Kurosawa Akira, including Seven Samurai (1954), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), and Sanjuro (1962); he also played legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi in three films. His other films include Throne of Blood (1957), The Lower Depths (1957), Red Beard (1965), and Midway (1976).

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▪ Japanese actor

born April 1, 1920, Tsingtao, Shantung province, China

died Dec. 24, 1997, Mitaka, near Tokyo, Japan

      leading actor in the post-World War II Japanese cinema, known internationally for his energetic, flamboyant portrayals of samurai characters, especially in films directed by Kurosawa Akira.

      During World War II, Mifune served in the Japanese armed forces, studying aerial photographs. Going to Tokyo after the war, he was hired as a contract player by Toho Film Studios at Kurosawa's urging. In 1946 Mifune had a small part in Shin baka jidai (1947; “These Foolish Times”), and in 1947 he achieved critical recognition and box-office success as the gangster in Kurosawa's Yoidore tenshi (1948; Drunken Angel). Mifune first achieved international fame for his role as a boastful bandit in the classic film Rashomon (1950). He is best known for his popular portrayals of samurai in other period films by Kurosawa, including Shichinin no samurai (1954; Seven Samurai), Kakushitoride no san akunin (1958; The Hidden Fortress), Yojimbo (1961), and Tsubaki Sanjuro (1962). Mifune's forceful gestures and vivid character portrayals linked him indelibly with the image of the complex and unpredictable samurai as developed by Kurosawa. A highly versatile actor, he also starred in Kurosawa's adaptations of three Western literary classics: Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Idiot, titled Hakuchi (1951); Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Kumonosu-jo (1957; Throne of Blood); and Maksim Gorky's play The Lower Depths, titled Donzoko (1957). Mifune also appeared in Kurosawa's Tengoku to jigoku (1963; High and Low), a detective thriller; and Akahige (1965; Red Beard), his last appearance in a film by that director.

      Besides the 16 films he made with Kurosawa, Mifune starred in dozens of other Japanese motion pictures, among them Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Joi-uchi (1967; Rebellion). Among the international productions Mifune appeared in are Hell in the Pacific (1969), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1969), Soleil rouge (1971; Red Sun), and Midway (1976). He also performed in the American television production Shogun (1980).

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