Sonny Chiba
Acting
Born: Jan 23, 1939 — Died: Aug 19, 2021
From: Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Credits: 30 titles
Biography
Sonny Chiba (born January 23, 1939 - August 19, 2021), also known as Shin'ichi Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fukuoka, Chiba played a variety of sports in high school, including baseball and volleyball. He also practiced gymnastics and participated at the National Sports Festival of Japan in his third year. When he was a university student, he learned martial arts, earning a black belt in Kyokushin Karate in 1965 and later receiving a fourth degree in 1984. Chiba's career began in the 1960s, when he starred in two tokusatsu superhero shows. In his first role, he replaced Susumu Wajima as the main character Kōtarō Ran/Seven Color Mask in Seven Color Mask (Nana-iro Kamen) in the second half of the series. However, his breakthrough role was in the 1974 film The Street Fighter. Before retiring, Chiba had also appeared in a number of English language American films, including Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift (2006). Chiba died of COVID-19 complications at the hospital in Tokyo …
Filmography
| Title | Character | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masaaki Hatsumi: Living Ninja Legend | 2016 | 10.0 | |
| Sushi Girl | Sushi Chef | 2012 | 5.5 |
| The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Uncle Kamata | 2006 | 6.541 |
| Explosive City | Otosan | 2004 | 6.667 |
| Survive Style 5+ | Azama | 2004 | 7.268 |
| Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | Hattori Hanzo | 2003 | 7.97 |
| Battle Royale II: Requiem | Makio Mimura | 2003 | 4.987 |
| Deadly Outlaw: Rekka | Yasunori Hijikata | 2002 | 6.597 |
| The Storm Riders | Lord Conqueror | 1998 | 6.559 |
| Fall Guy | 1982 | 6.385 | |
| Roaring Fire | Mr. Magic | 1981 | 6.533 |
| Hunter in the Dark | Samon Shimoguni | 1979 | 6.3 |
| Shogun's Samurai | Jûbê Yagyû | 1978 | 6.895 |
| Karate for Life | Sensei Masutatsu Oyama | 1977 | 6.813 |
| The Killing Machine | Doshin So | 1975 | 5.55 |
| Karate Bear Fighter | Mas Oyama | 1975 | 6.769 |
| Karate Bullfighter | Sensei Masutatsu Oyama | 1975 | 6.714 |
| The Executioner | Ryuichi Koga | 1974 | 6.607 |
| The Street Fighter | Takuma Tsurugi | 1974 | 6.81 |
| Return of the Street Fighter | Takuma Tsurugi | 1974 | 6.048 |
| The Street Fighter's Last Revenge | Takuma Tsurguri | 1974 | 5.574 |
| Sister Street Fighter | Seiichi Hibiki | 1974 | 6.571 |
| Yakuza Wolf 2: Extend My Condolences | Toru Ibuki | 1972 | 6.5 |
| The Kamikaze Guy | Mitarai Ken | 1966 | 7.667 |
| Judo Hall Demon | 1964 | — | |
| Two Lives, Two Yakuza | Shinichi Matsuhashi | 1964 | — |
| Judo Life | 1963 | — | |
| South Pacific Waves Are High | 1962 | — | |
| Invasion of the Neptune Men | Tachibana - Scientist / Space … | 1961 | 3.111 |
| Police Department Part 15: Alibi | 1961 | — | |
| Known for | Acting |
| Credits | 30 |
| Born | 1939 |
| From | Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, … |