Ken Watanabe as 'Katsumoto' in 'The Last Samurai'
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In Production:
Kita no zeronen
(January 2005)
Ken Watanabe will star opposite legendary Japanese actress Sayuri Yoshinaga in the epic drama 'Kita no Zeronen' (Zero Year North; January 2005), which began filming in February, 2004
Batman Begins
(June 29, 2005)
Ken Watanabe will flex his brilliant acting skills as the terrorist mastermind 'Ras Al Ghul' in what may turn out to be the greatest Batman film ever, 'Batman Begins' (June/July 2005)
Some of Ken's other roles (mainly movies)
Suna no ustsuwa (2004)
Ken Watanabe is a police inspector trying to solve a string of crimes in the 12-series TV drama 'Suna no Utsuwa' (Vessels of Sand; 2004)
Kawa itsuka umi e (2003)
Ken as the critical, unmotivated husband trying to keep a motel alfoat in the TV series 'Kawa itsuka umi e' (A River, Flowing Back to the Ocean), a 6-part drama that explores the strength and fragility of love (2003)
Try (2003)
Ken plays military leader 'Azuma Masanobu' double-crossed in an international weapons intrigue in 'T.R.Y.' (2003)
Battles Without Loyalty/Murder (2003)
Ken is a man who decides to settle some old scores with family and aquaintences in 'Battles Without Loyalty/Murder'
Daikokuya Kodayu (2003)
Ken and a co-star reading for the radio drama 'Daikokuya kodayu' (2003), made from a historical novel
Hi ma wata noboru (2002)
Ken stars as the section manager of a small technology company that triumphs over giant Sony in the race to develop the first worldwide videocasette standard, VHS, in the true story 'Hi wa mata noburu' (The Sun Will Rise Again; 2002)
Sennen no koi -- hikaru genji mongatari (2002)
Ken starred in the famous 'Sennen no koi -- hikaru genji monogatari' (Genji -- a Thousand-Year Love; 2002)
Niigata 2001: A Space Oddessey (2001)
Ken took part in the 100-year festival 'Niigata 2001: A Space Oddessey' in his home prefecture of Niigata along with over 400 locals. He played the talking role of 'Wind' in the musical 'The Man Who Plants the Wood' (2001)
Sepeesu toraboraazu (2000)
Ken owned 2 small but memorable roles, including a teddy-bear-toting terrorist, in 'Sepeesu toraboraazu' (Space Travelers), a goofy comedy about a gang of inept bank robbers who convince their hostages to help them escape capture (2000) Obereru Sakana (?)
Ken is a police inspector trying to catch a serial killer in a department that is understaffed and underpaid in 'Obereru Sakana' (The Fish That Drowns) -- but is this actually an inside job?
Kizuna
Ken co-stars with Koji Yakusho in 'Kizuna' (?)
Gokenin Zankuro (1995-1996)
In the wildly popular 50-episode TV comedy series 'Gokenin Zankuro' (A servant, the Ninth Son), Ken plays a poor young samurai who discovers he can make good money moonlighting as a virtual superhero (1995-1996)
(Ken suffered a lukemia relapse in 1994 that kept him in and out of the hostital for a year.)
Shikakenin Fujieda Baian (1990-1993)
Ken starred as a samurai in this very long-running series from 1990-1993 (typical Japanese TV dramas are 12-series stories)
Bakumatsu jyunjyoden (1991)
Ken plays a samurai caught in a love triangle with his political rival in the comedy 'Bakumatsu jyunjyoden' (An Innocent Episode in the Last Days of the Tokugawa Regime; 1991)
(Ken was diagnosed with acute lukemia in 1989, just as the young actor landed his first movie lead in Ten to chi, and was unable to keep the role)
Umi to dokuyaku (1986)
Ken is a doctor treating the enemy in the WWII drama 'Umi to dokuyaku' (The Sea and Poison Medicine; 1986)

 
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Websites for Ken Watanabe and his works
(For NEWS articles, see News about Ken Watanabe....)
Fan-sites and Profiles of Ken Watanabe
"Ken Watanabe Worldwide Fans" -- International fan club for Watanabe-san! Events calendar with email reminders; "Kenfans" blog for members; purchase KWWF merchandise, join the fan club! [English]

"Ken Watanabe" website -- by my friend, "lamxlam".

NEW!!!    Bushido: the Ken Watanabe Fanlisting -- Record you are a fan of Ken! [English]

"Ken Watanabe" website -- has wallpapers and Winamp skins.

"Kensan-an" Ken Watanabe fan website -- (officially acknowledged by Ken's agency) [Japanese]    English profile page on "Kensan-an"

Another Ken Watanabe fan-site! -- I've been told the information here is EXTENSIVE! [Japanese]

Ken's page on "Toho Kingdom" -- PKen's works, some pictures, etc. [English]

Ken Watanabe Movie Websites
NEW!!!    The Last Samurai on AllMoviePortal.com -- Information, reviews, and articles about The Last Samurai [English]

NEW!!!    Batman Begins on FilmForce.ign.com -- Find updated news about Batman Begins [English]

Chicago, USA filming location updates -- Info on "Batman Begins" should be updated ANY DAY! Keep looking! [English]

NEW!!!    BatmanNews.de -- Dutch website for news on Batman Begins [Dutch]

NEW!!!    Batman Begins on Movies.go.com -- Movie and cast information; film news [English]

Official "Batman Begins" Website (tbr June 29, 2005) -- [English]

Official Website for "The Last Samurai" (2003) -- Video interviews with cast (GREAT!), trailers, photos, information, book, samurai and bushido info, and much more! [English]    Japanese Website -- Unique production info!    French Website

"The Last Samurai" Special Content! (Special section of Japanese website) -- Many pictures never seen before, including costumes with related drawings, locations and sets with related storyboards, etc.. Can turn music on or off (lower-right corner). Excerpts from Japanese press conferences and Tokyo premiere. Japanese club or mailing list of some kind. (T-shirts are shown.) [Japanese. Hint for English viewers: if you click a bottom button, and you see vertical chinese characters in the middle, each column is a link to content! GREAT TO SEE!]

German Pages about "The Last Samurai" -- THE ENTIRE PAGE DOESN'T LOAD PROPERLY (links on left and top missing)...just click something to get to another page, then on left, click "Film-Special > Last Samurai". Clips, trailers, articles (article about Berlin premiere, review of Tom Cruise's performance, review of Katsumoto's performance) photo albums. [German]

Theater schedule for "The Last Samurai" and movie info -- [Italian?]

Official Website for "Kita no Zeronen" [Japanese movie] (tbr 2005) -- (Zero Year North) Ken stars opposite legendary Japanese actress Sayuri Yoshinaga in this epic drama of one family's upheaval from their ancestral home and survival in the harsh conditions of the north. [Japanese]

Sysnopsis of "Kita no Zeronen" [Japanese movie] -- (Zero Year North) [Japanese]

Profile of "Ras Al Ghul" on "Batman: Shadow of the Bat" -- Read about the character of "Ra's Al Ghul" and his daughter "Talia", who is loyal to her father but also in love with Batman. Ken will be playing this enourmous villan in the upcoming movie, likely to be titled "Batman Begins". (Click the word "villans" in the Batman cartoon then click Ra's picture.) [English]

Profile of "Ras Al Ghul", Batman's most evil adversary, on "BatmanAS.com" -- (Scroll down the Character Index and click Ra's picture.) [English]

Official Website for "T.R.Y." (2003) -- A criminal makes a deal to save his life; steal military weapons from the Lieutenant Azuma Mansanobu (Ken) [Japanese]

Movie information for "Batman Begins" -- [English]

Film company information page for "T.R.Y." -- (Includes trailer with English subtitles.) [English]

Movie company webpage for "Supeesu toraberaazu" [Japanese movie] -- (Space Travelers) A comedy about a gang of bank robbers who convince their hostages to pose as part of the criminal group to help them escape. Ken has small but fantastic performances as one of the hostages, "Hayato", and as a teddy-bear-toting terrorist bomber named "Crash". [English]

Official Website for "Hi wa mata no boru" [Japanese movie] -- (The Sun Will Rise Again) Follows the failures and triumphs of a group of engineers to the successful invention of VHS (true story). Ken is "Okubu", the division manager. [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Kizuna" [Japanese movie] on Goo.com -- (Bond - Mark) Ken plays police inspector Akio Saka, determined to clear up an unsolved murder. [Japanese]
Another Synopsis and Info page about "Kizuna" -- [English]

Synopsis and Cast of "Bakumatsu jyunjyoden" [Japanese movie] -- (An Innocent Episode in the Last Days of the Tokugawa Regime) In this Tokugawa-period comedy, Ken plays Sakamoto Royoma, a samurai who finds himself entangled in a love triangle that involves his political rival. [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Tampopo" [Japanese movie] -- (Dandelion) Romantic comedy, involving a widowed woman, struggling for the success of her restaurant, trying to create the perfect noodle. Ken plays a supporting role as "Gun". [Japanese]

Official Website for "Sennen no koi - hikaru genji monogatari" [Japanese movie] -- (Genji: A Thousand-Year Love) [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Kekkon annai mystery" [Japanese movie] on Goo.com -- (The Bridal Consultant Mystery) Ken plays 2 parts in this murder-mystery involving a widowed bridal consultant and family secrets. [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Umi to dokuyaku" [Japanese movie] on Goo.com -- (The Sea and Poison Medicine) Ken plays the doctor "Heda" in this WWII medical drama. [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Setouchi shonen yakyu dan" [Japanese movie] on Goo.com -- (Setouchi Boys' Baseball Team, aka MacArthur's Children) A drama in the World War II era regarding the tradgedies and triumphs of several characters. One of them, a female 5th-grade boys' teacher, decides to use baseball to teach her students about democracy. [Japanese]

Ken Watanabe TV Drama Websites
Official Website for "Suna no Utsuwa" (2004) [Japanese TV drama series] -- (Vessels of Sand) Ken stars as a police inspector in this weekly Japanese TV drama. [Japanese / good for pictures regardless!]

Page about "Hojo Tokimune" on KikuTV.com [Japanese TV drama series] -- Story of a real young samurai in the Kamakura era who holds off the Mongol invasion. [English]

Synopsis, Cast and TV Schedule for "Itan no natsu" [Japanese TV series] -- Starring Ken Watanabe [Japanese]

Official Website for "Obereru sakana" [Japanese TV series] -- (The Drowned Fish) Ken is a police investigator assigned to investigate death threats against the department...but wait until you find out who's repsonsible! [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Oboreru Sakana" [Japanese TV series] on Goo.com -- (The Fish That Drowns) An understaffed police deparment tries to track down a killer who sends them threatening messages. But it is the identity of "Oboreru Sakana" that is the shocker!

Hojo Tokimune [Japanese TV series] -- (Hojo Tokimune) Ken Watanabe co-stars as Hojo Tokiyori, Tokimune's father. [Japanese]

Section on TV-Tokyo for "Mibugishiden" [Japanese TV series] -- [Japanese]

Synopsis and details about "Gokenin Zankuro" [Japanese TV series] -- (aka, The Ninth Son) [English]

Official Website for "Ikebokuru [Japanese TV series] -- (West Gate Park) Drama/mystery about some young people who are about to be implicated in a murder. Ken plays a minor part, "Yokoyama". [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Ikebokuru" [Japanese TV series] on Goo.com -- (West Gate Park) But if you click the link for "IWGP2000" you can flip through a slideshow which has some VERY good pictures. [Japanese]

Section on TV-Tokyo for "Mibugishiden" [Japanese TV series] -- Ken starred in this 2002 TV drama. [Japanese]

Synopsis and Cast of "Rajio no jikan" [Japanese TV drama] on Goo.com -- (aka, Welcome Back, Mr. MacDonald) Ken plays small part as a truck driver named "Onuki" in this comedy about a housewife-turned-actress who insists on changing a radio script as the show is about to broadcast. [Japanese]

Websites for TV and Movie Schedules
Japan Society -- Holds screenings, for members, of popular Japanese movies in New York City. "Japan Society, America's leading resource on Japan, is a private, nonprofit, nonpolitical institution offering programs in the arts, business, education and public affairs. Founded in New York in 1907, Japan Society promotes greater understanding and cooperation between Japan and the U.S., and in recent years has reflected a broader Asian and global context in U.S.-Japan relations." [English]

KikuTV.com [Japanese] -- Website for Kiku TV, which broadcasts Asian programing in Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, and Hong Kong. [English]

"J!-Ent Dorama" (Japanese Drama Database) -- Resources and broadcast information for anyone interested in Japanese Drama (the acutal Romanji translation of the Japanese is "dorama", nor drama). [Japanese/English]

Website of "NHK" ("Japan Broadcasting Corporation") -- Kind of like our PBS in the United States. Children's television, news, popular drama series, and even Japanese language lessons. You can also LISTEN TO JAPANESE-LANGUAGE LESSONS VIA THE WEB! [Japanese/English].

Japanese movie theatre schedules -- also video links, actor pages with previous works. [Japanese]

Yahoo! TV Listings -- [English]

Ken Watanabe's Musical Recordings
"Rit" (1992?) [Japanese]
Music by
Watanabe Ken
Watanabe Ken		 Ken Watanabe's (1992?) CD 'Rit'
"Adante" (1988) [Japanese] "Rondo (1987) [Japanese]
Ken Watnabe's (1988) CD 'Adante' Ken Watanabe's (1987) CD 'Rondo'


"Rit" [Japanese musical recording] -- Website about this album recorded by Ken Watanabe, probably around 1992; the website is run by the man who was the sound engineer or something simliar; no longer in production. [Japanese]