Tadanobu Asano | |||||
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| 浅野 忠信 | |||||
.jpg) Asano at the37th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2024 | |||||
| Born | Tadanobu Satō (1973-11-27)November 27, 1973 (age 51) | ||||
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1988–present | ||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Children | 2 | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 浅野 忠信 | ||||
| Hiragana | あさの ただのぶ | ||||
| Katakana | アサノ タダノブ | ||||
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| Alternative Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 佐藤 忠信 | ||||
| Hiragana | さとう ただのぶ | ||||
| Katakana | サトウ タダノブ | ||||
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| Website | asanotadanobu | ||||
Tadanobu Satō (佐藤 忠信,Satō Tadanobu; born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage nameTadanobu 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 fiveJapan 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 inHirokazu Kore-eda'sMaboroshi no Hikari (1995) andDistance (2001), Hyozo Tashiro inGohatto (1999), Kakihara inIchi the Killer (2001), Hattori Genosuke inZatoichi (2003), Kenji inLast Life in the Universe (also 2003), andTemujin inMongol (2007). He has also appeared in Hollywood films, notably asHogun in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, LordKira Yoshinaka in47 Ronin (2013),[1] the Interpreter inSilence (2016),Rear AdmiralTamon Yamaguchi inMidway (2019), andRaiden inMortal Kombat (2021), based on thefighting video game of the same name. He gained additional recognition in 2024 for his portrayal of Lord Kashigi Yabushige on the American television seriesShōgun, based on theJames Clavellnovel, for which he won theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
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 andKiyoshi Kurosawa, along with international directors likeMartin Scorsese,Kenneth Branagh,Wong Kar-wai,Roland Emmerich,Pen-ek Ratanaruang andSergei Bodrov. Among other accolades, he has twice won the Best Actor Award at theYokohama Film Festival, the Upstream Prize for Best Actor at theVenice Film Festival, and the Best Actor Award at theMoscow International Film Festival.
Asano was born in the Honmoku area[2] ofYokohama, to artist Yukihisa Satō (佐藤 幸久,Satō Yukihisa)[2] and mother Junko (順子). Through his mother, Asano is of one-quarterAmerican ancestry. His maternal grandfather was Willard Overing, an U.S. citizen ofNorwegian andDutch 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.
Asano's father, an actors' agent, suggested he take on his first acting role in the TV showKinpachi Sensei at the age of 16. His film debut was in the 1990Swimming Upstream (Bataashi Kingyo), though his first major critical success was inShunji Iwai'sFried Dragon Fish (1993). His first critical success internationally wasHirokazu Kore-eda'sMaboroshi 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 thepseudo-documentaryDistance in 2001. His best known works internationally are the samurai filmsGohatto (akaTaboo, 1999) andZatoichi (2003), as well as the critically acclaimedBright Future.
Asano acted in Katsuhito Ishii's 2003 filmThe Taste of Tea, which premiered at the2004 Cannes Film Festival. He appeared as the lead actor inLast Life in the Universe (2003) by Thai directorPen-Ek Ratanaruang and starred in Ratanaruang's 2006 follow-up film,Invisible Waves. In 2007, he starred as the youngGenghis Khan inSergei Bodrov's Oscar-nominated filmMongol.[4] InVillon'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 theMarvel Studios filmThor as theAsgardian warriorHogun, a member of theWarriors Three and companion toThor.[6] He reprised the role in 2013'sThor: The Dark World[7] and 2017'sThor: Ragnarok.[8]
Asano appeared in the 2021Mortal Kombat reboot asRaiden.[9] In September 2021, Asano was announced as part of the cast of theFX limited seriesShōgun, adapted from theJames Clavellnovel.[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 directorSogo 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 andTakeo Kikuchi, for whom he filmed a series of commercial spots directed byWong Kar-wai, including the short filmwkw/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]
Asano metJ-pop singerChara on the set of Iwai'sPicnic (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 hisTwitter andInstagram accounts that he had married model and actressKurumi Nakata who is eighteen years younger than him (b. 1991). The two had reportedly been in a relationship for over six years.[17][18]
Asano won the Most Popular Performer award at the 1997Japanese Academy Awards forAcri and was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category in 2004 for his performance inZatôichi. He also received the Upstream Prize for Best Actor at the 2003Venice Film Festival for his role inLast Life in the Universe.[19][20] In 2014, he won the award for Best Actor at the36th Moscow International Film Festival for his role inMy Man.[21] In 2024, he was nominatedOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in76th Primetime Emmy Awards for his performance inShōgun, his first nomination for thePrimetime 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 | Won | ||
| Critics' Choice Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Won | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series | Nominated |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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) | Japanese-language version | ||
| 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 | Lord Kira | [1] | ||
| 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 AdmiralTamon 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] | ||
| 2026 | Mortal Kombat II | Lord Raiden | Post-production | |
| All the Lovers in the Night | Mitsutsuka | [30] | ||
| TBA | Funky Forest: The Second Contact | [31] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kinpachi-sensei | Masahiro Azuma | ||
| 1993 | Fried Dragon Fish | Natsuro | TV movie | |
| Haru no Ichizoku | Tomoki | |||
| 2006 | Japanorama | Himself | Documentaries | |
| 2011 | Sutekina Kakushi Dori: Kanzen Muketsu no Concierge | Artist | TV movie | |
| Yonimo kimyô na Monogatari | Killer | TV movie | ||
| 2017 | A Life: A Love | Masao Danjō | ||
| 2019 | Idaten | Shōjirō Kawashima | Taiga drama | [32] |
| 2021 | Welcome Home, Monet | Shinji Oikawa | Asadora | |
| 2024 | Shōgun | Kashigi Yabushige | Miniseries |
| Year | Title | Role | Developer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Shadows of the Damned | Garcia Hotspur | Grasshopper Manufacture | Debut video game dubbing role |
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