Few directors ever utilized actors as well as Akira Kurosawa did. He spent a huge amount of time and effort preparing his actors with elaborate rehearsals, and would go to great lengths to get them into the correct frame of mind for shooting. Kurosawa worked with a huge range of actors, but often relied on a core group of favourites who would become regular faces in his movies. This section is dedicated to Kurosawa's most interesting actors, and details the films in which they appeared.
Toshirō Mifune
Mifune was Kurosawa’s most celebrated actor. Discovered in 1947 by Kurosawa and his mentor Kajiro Yamamoto (during a tense but memorable Toho casting session) and going on to appear in sixteen of Kurosawa’s films. Born in Tsingtao in 1920 to Japanese parents, Mifune lived in China until he was twenty one. During the Second World War he was drafted into the Japanese Air Force and was attached to an aerial photography unit.
One of Japan's finest actors, Takashi Shimura enjoys the distinction of appearing in more Kurosawa films than any other actor. Shimura was born in 1905 and began acting during university, after which he set up a theatre group, eventually signing a long-term contract with Toho in 1943. After that he averaged six films a year for the next four decades. Shimura is best known for his Kurosawa roles, though he is also famous for his appearance in the original Toho classic, Godzilla.
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