Toshiro Mifune: Legend - Samurai of the Silver Screen
Toshiro Mifune, born April 1, 1920, in Qingdao, China, was to become one of the most iconic faces in Japanese cinema. He had a new style for portraying honor, intensity, and vulnerability on screen that audiences loved. Mifune is that favorite Asian actor, as far as many film enthusiasts go-again, including my own-who made the contribution to film being nothing but legendary. His dynamic range, commanding presence, and memorable performances established him as a giant in world cinema, especially with his work for the celebrated director Akira Kurosawa.
Mifune's entrance into the acting world was about as odd as his on-screen persona was. Planning to enter the Japanese military during World War II, he worked with aerial photography, unwittingly training for the visual arts. Immediately after the war, in 1947, he tried his hand at being an actor, immediately taking a role with Toho Studios. It wouldn't be long before his intensity and raw talent would get him noticed by Kurosawa, and thus began one of the most iconic actor-director collaborations in the history of film.
The collaborations of Mifune with Kurosawa gave birth to a series of legendary films, including Rashomon in 1950, Seven Samurai in 1954, and Yojimbo in 1961, each further solidifying his prowess. In these films, Mifune's characters often portrayed an acute…
