Tadanobu Asano
- Actor
- Director
- Composer
Tadanobu Asano's a Japanese film actor. His father suggested he take on what became his first role in the TV show Kimpachi Sensei at 16. His film debut wasBataashi kingyo (1990)though his first major critical success was inShunji Iwai'sFried Dragon Fish (1993).His first critical success in the West was inHirokazu Koreeda'sMaboroshi no hikari (1995),in which he played a man who inexplicably throws himself in front of a train, widowing his wife & orphaning his infant son. His best known works internationally are the samurai filmsGohatto (1999)&Zatôichi (2003).It was on the set of Iwai'sPikunikku (1996)that he met & fell in love with J-Pop idolChara.They married soon after learning she was pregnant with their first child, Sumire. While best known for characters who are psychologically offbeat, if not downright psychotic (e.g. Kakihara inKoroshiya 1 (2001)), he has been described by those who know him as a down-to-earth family man. He has directed commercial TV spots for Chara. Hesistant to identify himself as an actor, he most readily describes himself as a vocalist, referring to Mach 1.67, the band he has w/ directorGakuryû Ishii.He's also an artist & sometimes works as a model, most notably for the Japanese designers Takeo Kikuchi & Jun Takahashi.
