Japanese actor Ken Takakura dead at 83

Japanese movie star Ken Takakura has died, aged 83. The actor passed away at a hospital in Tokyo, Japan on 10 November (14) after a battle with lymphoma.
Takakura’s death has prompted a flood of tributes on Twitter.com from fellow Japanese celebrities including Thor: The Dark World star Tadanobu Asano, who expressed his sadness in a message posted on the social networking website.
Takakura began his career in film in the 1950s and became known for his portrayal of movie tough guys, rising to international fame with a role 1970 war film Too Late the Hero with Henry Fonda and Sir Michael Caine.
He followed it up by appearing in Sydney Pollack’s 1971 drama The Yakuza, playing a Japanese gangster opposite Robert Mitchum, and he went on to star with Michael Douglas in 1989 action movie Black Rain.
His other films include The Yellow Handkerchief, Poppoya and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.
Takakura won the best actor trophy at the Japanese version of the Academy Awards four times and was honoured for his career achievements with Japan’s Order of Culture award last year (13).