Age, Biography and Wiki

Ken Watanabe was born on 21 October, 1959 in Hirokami (currently Uonuma), Niigata, Japan, is a Japanese actor. Discover Ken Watanabe's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 64 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Actor
Age 64 years old
Zodiac Sign Libra
Born 21 October, 1959
Birthday 21 October
Birthplace Hirokami (currently Uonuma), Niigata, Japan
Nationality Japan

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 21 October. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 64 years old group.

Ken Watanabe Height, Weight & Measurements

At 64 years old, Ken Watanabe height is 1.84 m .

Physical Status
Height 1.84 m
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Ken Watanabe's Wife?

His wife is Yumiko Watanabe (m. 1983-2005) Kaho Minami (m. 2005-2018)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Yumiko Watanabe (m. 1983-2005) Kaho Minami (m. 2005-2018)
Sibling Not Available
Children Dai Watanabe Anne Watanabe

Ken Watanabe Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Ken Watanabe worth at the age of 64 years old? Ken Watanabe’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from Japan. We have estimated Ken Watanabe's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Actor

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Timeline

Ken Watanabe (渡辺 謙) is a Japanese 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.

1959

Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959, in the mountain village of Koide in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

His mother was a school teacher and his father taught calligraphy.

Due to a number of relocations for his parents' work, he spent his childhood in the villages of Irihirose and Sumon, both now part of the city of Uonuma, and in Takada, now part of the city of Jōetsu.

He attended Niigata Prefectural Koide High School, where he was a member of the concert band club, playing trumpet, which he had played since childhood.

1978

After graduation from high school, in 1978 he aimed to enter Musashino Academia Musicae, a conservatory in Tokyo.

However, he had never received a formal musical education, and his father became seriously ill when he was in junior high school and was unable to work, which meant that his family could no longer afford to pay for his music lessons.

Because of these problems, Watanabe was forced to give up his intention of entering the conservatory.

He said of the decision: "I had to give up my musical aspirations. I realised I had no talent as a musician. But I still wanted to find a way to be creative, so I decided to try acting".

After graduating from high school in 1978, Watanabe moved to Tokyo to begin his acting career, by enrolling in the drama school run by the Engeki-Shudan En theatre troupe.

While with the troupe, he was cast as the hero in the play Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari, directed by the acclaimed Yukio Ninagawa.

The role attracted critical and popular notice.

1982

In 1982, he made his first TV appearance in Michinaru Hanran (Unknown Rebellion), and his first appearance on TV as a samurai in Mibu no koiuta.

1984

He made his feature-film debut in 1984 with MacArthur's Children.

1987

Watanabe is mostly known in Japan for playing samurai, as in the 1987 Dokuganryu Masamune (One eyed dragon, Masamune) the 50-episode NHK taiga drama.

He played the lead character, Matsudaira Kurō, in the television jidaigeki Gokenin Zankurō, which ran for several seasons.

He has gone on to garner acclaim in such historical dramas as Oda Nobunaga, Chūshingura, and the movie Bakumatsu Junjo Den.

1989

In 1989, while filming Haruki Kadokawa's Heaven and Earth, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.

1991

He returned to acting while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy treatments, but in 1991 suffered a relapse.

As his health improved his career picked back up.

1998

He co-starred with Kōji Yakusho in the 1998 Kizuna, for which he was nominated for the Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

2002

In 2002, he quit the 'En' theatre group where he had his start and joined the K Dash agency.

The film Sennen no Koi (Thousand-year Love, based on The Tale of Genji) earned him another Japanese Academy Award nomination.

2003

Watanabe was introduced to most Western audiences in the 2003 American film The Last Samurai, set in 19th Century Japan.

His performance as Lord Katsumoto earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

2005

Watanabe appeared in the 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, playing Chairman Iwamura.

That same year, he also played the decoy of Ra's al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's Batman film reboot, Batman Begins.

2006

In 2006, he won Best Lead Actor at the Japanese Academy Awards for his role in Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no Kioku), in which he played a patient with Alzheimer's disease.

In 2006, he starred in Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, playing Tadamichi Kuribayashi.

He has voiced Ra's al Ghul in the Batman Begins video game.

2007

Among other awards, he has won the Japan Academy Film 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 Christopher Nolan's films Batman Begins and Inception, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

2014

In 2014, he starred in the reboot Godzilla as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, a role he reprised in the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

He lent his voice to the fourth and fifth installments of the Transformers franchise respectively, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight, as Decepticon-turned-Autobot Drift.

In 2022, he starred in the HBO Max crime drama series Tokyo Vice.

2015

He made his Broadway debut in April 2015 in Lincoln Center Theater's revival production of The King and I in the title role.

In 2015, Watanabe received his first Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical at the 69th Tony Awards for his role as The King.

He is the first Japanese actor to be nominated in this category.

2018

Watanabe reprised his role at the London Palladium in June 2018.