A martial arts legend with six black belts who started out in tokusatsu TV, Chiba made over 120 movies for Toei and was Japan's most popular action star for decades.
The great Sonny Chiba passed away today at age 82, another victim of Covid-19.
Watch one of his films today,” wrote filmmaker Ted Geoghegan on Twitter. “A martial arts legend with six black belts who started out in tokusatsu TV, Chiba made over 120 movies for Toei and was Japan’s most popular action star for decades. The sun goes down,” tweeted famed video game creator Hideo Kojima. “Maestro,” said Reeves upon shaking his hand.įans of Chiba have taken to social media to voice their admiration of the actor in light of the news. During a press tour for John Wick 2 in Japan, Chiba surprised Keanu Reeves, a vocal fan of his martial arts work, in a talk show interview. In his martial arts career, Chiba earned six black belts in ninjitsu, kendo, and judo.
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He also appeared in Battle Royale II, the sequel to the hugely popular manga series adaptation. ‘Kill Bill’ actor Sonny Chiba (Credit: Alamy)Įarlier in his career, which spanned over 60 years, the actor and martial arts performer gained international appeal for his ongoing role in the Street Fighter franchise. 1 and 2, Chiba was also known as Kamata, a Yakuza boss and uncle of the main antagonist Takashi (Brian Tee) in The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift. The actor had been admitted to hospital initially on August 8.Īlongside his performances opposite Uma Thurman as the master Japanese sword smith Hanzo in Kill Bill Vol. Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba, the Japanese actor known for his role as Hanzo in Quentin Tarantino‘s Kill Bill films, has died aged 82.Ĭhiba died on August 19 from pneumonia which was caused by contracting COVID-19, Variety has confirmed via his agent.