Toshiro Mifune (三船 敏郎 Mifune Toshirō) (April 1, 1920 - December 24, 1997) was a charismatic Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films.
Mifune was born on April 1 1920 in Tsingtao (now Qingdao) China to Japanese parents, and he grew up in Dalian. As a youngster, Mifune worked in the the photography shop of his father, who was a commercial photographer and an importer. At the age of 20, Mifune was drafted into the Japanese Air Force, where he served in the Aerial Photography unit througout the Second World War.
In 1947, a friend of Mifune's who worked for the Photography Department of Toho Productions suggested Mifune try out for the Photography Department. Unfortunately, upon arriving, Mifune got into the wrong line, getting into the Actors line, instead of the Photography Line. Mifune then took a screen test for Kajiro Yamamoto , during which Mifune was told to mime anger. Drawing on his wartime experiences, Mifune did such a good job the testers decided he would be to arrogant to work with. Yamamoto took a liking to Mifune, however, and recommended him to director Senkichi Taniguchi , which led to Mifune's casting in his first feature film, Shin Baka Jidai.
His imposing bearing, acting range, facility with foreign languages and a partnership with director Akira Kurosawa made him perhaps the most famous Japanese actor of his time; certainly the best known to Western audiences. He often portrayed a samurai or ronin, sometimes rough and gruff, and usually a reluctant hero. Mifune was also famous for his self-deprecating humor, which he often injected into his film roles. Mifune was renowned for the effort he placed into his film roles. For his character in The Seven Samurai, Mifune reportedly studied tapes of lions in the wild; for Animas Trujano, he studied tapes of mexican actors speaking, so he could recite all his lines in spanish. In his earliest film roles in English like Grand Prix, made in 1966, he learned his lines phonetically. This met with limited success and his voice was usually dubbed. By the time he made Red Sun in 1971 he had become somewhat more proficent in the language and his voice is heard throughout this multinational western. He was always disappointed that he did not have a larger career in the West.
It is also reported that director George Lucas wished to tap Mifune as Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. Lucas was a great fan of the Kurosawa/Mifune movie The Hidden Fortress, from which Lucas took a great deal of inspiration for the Star Wars Saga.
Mifune has been credited with being the prototype for the "roving warrior" archetype, which he perfected in his time working with Kurosawa. Clint Eastwood is just one of many actors who has taken note and utilized this character type, especially in his spaghetti westerns with Sergio Leone. In fact, A Fistful of Dollars is essentially a remake of the Kurosawa–Mifune movie Yojimbo.
Most of the sixteen Kuroswa–Mifune films are considered cinema classics. These include Rashomon, Stray Dog, The Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. (See filmography, below.)
Mifune and director Akira Kurosawa finally parted ways after the movie Red Beard. Most Japanese actors of the time played roles in several different movies throughout the year; for Red Beard, since he had to keep the natural beard that he grew, for the entire two years of shooting, Mifune was unable to act in any other films during this time. This put Mifune and his financially strapped production company deeply into debt. Red Beard played to packed houses in Japan and was popular in Europe, but, failed to find commercial success in America.
Mifune was once voted the "most Japanese man" in a Japanese magazine poll.
Mifune received wider audience acclaim, in the West, than he ever had before for playing Toranaga in the 1980 miniseries Shogun. But this series historical inaccuracies, and somewhat simplified view of Japan, meant that it was not as well received in his homeland. It deepened the rift that he had with Kurosawa, ensuring that they would not work together again.
Toshiro Mifune died December 24, 1997, in Mitaka, Japan, of organ failure.
Filmography
Due to variations in translation from the Japanese, and other factors there are multiple titles to many of Mifune's films (see link to Imdb's website) This page is using the most common title used in the U.S.
- 1947 Snow Trail - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1947 These Foolish Times - Parts 1 & 2 - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1948 Drunken Angel - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1949 The Quiet Duel - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1949 Jakoman and Tetsu - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1949 Stray Dog - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1950 Escape at Dawn - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1950 Conduct Report on Professor Ishinaka - Directed by Mikio Naruse
- 1950 Scandal - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1950 Engagement Ring - directed by Keisuke Kinoshita
- 1950 Rashomon - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1951 Beyond Love and Hate - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1951 Elegy - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1951 The Idiot - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1951 Pirates - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1951 Meeting of the Ghost Aprčs-Guerre - directed by Kiyoshi Saeki
- 1951 Conclusion of Kojiro Sasaki-Duel at Ganryu Island directed by Hiroshi Inagaki - This was the first, but not the last, time that Mifune played Musashi Miyamoto
- 1951 The Life of a Horsetrader - directed by Keigo Kimura
- 1951 Who Knows a Woman's Heart - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1952 Vendetta for a Samurai - directed by Kazuo Mori
- 1952 Foghorn - directed by directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1952 The Life of Oharu - directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
- 1952 Jewels in our Hearts - directed by Yasuke Chiba
- 1952 Swift Current - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1952 The Man Who Came to Port - directed by Ishiro Honda
- 1953 My Wonderful Yellow Car - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1953 The Last Embrace - directed by Masahiro Makino
- 1953 Love in a Teacup - directed by Yasuke Chiba
- 1953 The Eagle of the Pacific - directed by Ishiro Honda
- 1954 The Seven Samurai - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1954-56 Samurai Trilogy - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1954 The Sound of Waves - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1954 The Black Fury - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1955 A Man Among Men - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1955 All is Well - Part 1 & 2 - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1955 No Time for Tears - directed by Seiji Maruyama
- 1955 Record of a Living Being aka I Live in Fear - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1956 Rainy Night Duel - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1956 The Underworld - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1956 Yagyu Secret Scrolls - part 1 - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1956 Settlement of Love - directed by Shin Saburi
- 1956 A Wife's Heart - directed by Mikio Naruse
- 1956 Scoundrel - directed by Nabuo Aoyagi
- 1956 Rebels on the High Seas - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1957 The Throne of Blood aka Spider Web Castle - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1957 A Man in the Storm - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1957 Be Happy These Two Lovers - directed by Ishiro Honda
- 1957 Yagyu Secret Scrolls - part 1 - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1957 A Dangerous Hero - directed by Hideo Suzuki
- 1957 The Lower Depths - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1957 Downtown - directed by Yasuki Chiba
- 1958 Yagyu Secret Scrolls - part 2 - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1958 Tokyo Holiday - directed by Kajiro Yamamoto
- 1958 Muhomatsu, The Rikshaw Man - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1958 The Happy Pilgrimage - directed by Yasuki Chiba
- 1958 All About Marriage - uncredited cameo - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1958 Theater of Life - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1958 The Hidden Fortress - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1959 The Big Boss - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1959 Samurai Saga - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1959 The Saga of the Vagabonds - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1959 Desperado Outpost - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1959 The Birth of Japan - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1960 The Last Gunfight - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1960 The Gambling Samurai - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1960 The Storm of the Pacific - directed by Shue Matsubayashi
- 1960 Man Against Man - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1960 The Bad Sleep Well - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1960 The Masterless 47 - part 1 - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1961 The Story of Osaka Castle - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1961 The Masterless 47 - part 2 - directed by Toshio Sugie
- 1961 Yojimbo aka The Bodyguard - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1961 The Youth and his Amulet - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1962 Ánimas Trujano aka The Important Man - directed by Ismael Rodríguez
- 1962 Sanjuro - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1962 Tatsu - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1962 Chushingura - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1963 Wings over the Pacific - directed by Shue Matsubayashi
- 1963 High and Low aka Heaven and Hell - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1963 Legacy of the 500,000 - directed by Toshiro Mifune
- 1963 The Great Thief - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1964 Whirlwind - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1965 Samurai Assassin aka Samurai - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1965 Red Beard - directed by Akira Kurosawa
- 1965 Sanshiro Sugata - directed by Seiichiro Uchikiro - this is a remake of Kurosawa's films Sanshiro Sugata and Sanshiro Sugata part 2
- 1965 Retreat from Kiska - directed by Seiji Maruyama
- 1965 Fort Graveyard - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1966 Wild Goemon - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1966 The Sword of Doom - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1966 The Adventure of Kigan Castle - directed by Senkichi Taniguchi
- 1966 The Mad Atlantic - directed by Jun Fukuda
- 1966 Grand Prix - directed by John Frankenheimer - This was Mifune's first english language film - He was learning English phonetically - It is reported that his voice was used at the premeire - All versions of the film after that are dubbed by Paul Frees
- 1967 Rebellion - directed by Masaki Kobayashi
- 1967 The Longest Day of Japan - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1968 The Sands of Kurobe - directed by Kei Kumai
- 1968 Admiral Yamamoto - directed by Eiji Tsuburaya
- 1968 Gion Festival - directed by Daisuke Ito and Tetsuya Yamanouchi
- 1968 Hell in the Pacific - directed by John Boorman - This was filmed with different endings for the U.S. and Japanese releases. Both are available on current video releases.
- 1969 Samurai Banners - directed by Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1969 5,000 Kilometers to Glory - directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara
- 1969 Battle of the Japan Sea - directed by Seiji Maruyama
- 1969 Red Lion - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1969 Band of Assassins - directed by Tadashi Sawashima
- 1970 Zatoichi vs. Yojimbo - directed by Kihachi Okamoto
- 1970 The Ambitious - directed by Daisuke Ito
- 1970 The Ambush - directed by Hiroshi Inigaki
- 1970 The Walking Majo - directed by Koji Senno , Nobuaki Shirai and Keith Eric Burt
- 1970 The Militarists - directed by Hiromichi Horikawa
- 1971 Red Sun - directed by Terence Young - not released in the U.S. until 1972
- 1975 Paper Tiger - directed by Ken Annakin
- 1975 midway - directed by Jack Smight
- 1977 Proof of the Man - directed by Junya Sato
- 1977 - directed by Sadao Nakajima
- 1977 Intrigue of the Yagyu Clan - directed by Kinji Fukasaku
- 1978 Dog Flute - directed by Sadao Nakajima
- 1978 Lady Ogin - directed by Kei Kajima
- 1978 - directed by Sadao Nakajima
- 1978 The Fall of Ako Castle - directed by Kinji Fukasaku
- 1978 Lord Incognito - directed by Tetsuya Yamauchi
- 1979 Winter Kills - directed by William Richart
- 1979 The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi - directed by Nobuhiku Kobayashi
- 1979 Secret Detective Investigation-Net in Big Edo - directed by Akinori Matsuo
- 1979 1941 - directed by Steven Spielberg
- 1981 The Bushido Blade - directed by Tsugunobu Kotani
- 1981 Port Arthur - directed by Toshio Masuda
- 1981 Shogun - directed by Jerry London - this was shown on television in the U.S. and as a theatrical version in the rest of the world
- 1981 Inchon! - directed by Terence Young
- 1982 The Challenge - directed by John Frankenheimer
- 1983 Conquest - directed by Sadao Nakajima
- 1983 Theater of Life - directed by Sadao Nakajima, Junya Sato and Kinji Fukasaku
- 1983 Battle Anthem - directed by Toshio Masuda
- 1984 The miracle of Joe the Petrel - directed by Toshiya Fujita
- 1985 Legend of the Holy Woman - directed by Toru Murakawa
- 1986 Song of Genkai Tsurezure - directed by Masanobu Deme
- 1987 Shatterer - directed by Tonino Valerii
- 1987 Tora-san Goes North - directed by Yoji Yamada
- 1987 Princess from the Moon - directed by Kon Ichikawa
- 1989 Demons in Spring - directed by Akira Kobayashi
- 1989 Death of a Tea Master - directed by Kei Kumai
- 1989 cf Girl - directed by Izo Hashimoto
- 1991 Strawberry Road - directed by Koreyoshi Kurihara
- 1992 Helmet - directed by Gordon Hessler
- 1992 Shadow of the Wolf - directed by Jacques Dorfman
- 1994 Picture Bride - directed by Kayo Hatta
- 1995 Deep River - directed by Kei Kumai
Television Appearances
All shows aired in Japan except for Shogun which aired in the U.S.
- 1968 The Masterless Samurai - 6 one hour episodes
- 1971 Epic Chushingura - 52 one hour episodes
- 1972 Ronin of the Wilderness - 104 one hour episodes
- 1973 Yojimbo of the Wilderness - 5 one hour episodes
- 1976 The Sword, The Wind and the Lullaby - 27 one hour episodes
- 1977 Ronin in a Lawless Town - 23 one hour episodes
- 1978 The Spy Appears - 5 one hour episodes
- 1978 An Eagle in Edo - 38 one hour episodes
- 1979 Hideout in a Suite - 11 one hour episodes
- 1980 Shogun - parts 1 & 5 159 minutes parts 2-4 93 minutes
- 1981 Sekigahara - one seven hour episode
- 1981 Bungo's Detective Notes - 3 one hour episodes
- 1981 The Ten Battles of Shingo - 2 one hour episodes
- 1981 My Daughter! Fly on the Wings of Love and Tears - 1 two hour episode
- 1981 The Crescent Shaped Wilderness - 1 two hour episode
- 1982 The Ronin's Path - 5 two hour episodes
- 1982 The Happy Yellow Handkerchief - 1 two hour episode
- 1983 The Brave Man Says Little - 1 eight hour episode
- 1983 The Ronin's Path vol. 5 - 1 one hour episode
- 1983 Ronin-Secret of the Wilderness Valley - 1 one hour episode
- 1984 Soshi Okita, Burning Corpse of a Sword Master - 1 one hour episode
- 1984 The Burning Mountain River - 51 episodes
External links
Further Reading
- Stuart Galbraith IV. The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Faber & Faber, 2002. ISBN 0571199828
