Person
Akira Kurosawa
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- March 23, 1910
- Died
- September 6, 1998
- Place of birth
- Shinagawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
- Also known as
- أكيرا كوروساوا, อะกิระ คุโระซะวะ, 黑澤明
Biography
Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明) was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. He displayed a bold, dynamic style, strongly influenced by Western cinema yet distinct from it; he was involved with all aspects of film production. Kurosawa entered the Japanese film industry in 1936, following a brief stint as a painter. After years of working on numerous films as an assistant director and scriptwriter, he made his debut as a director during World War II with the popular action film Sanshiro Sugata (1943). After the war, the critically acclaimed Drunken Angel (1948), in which Kurosawa cast the then little-known actor Toshiro Mifune in a starring role, cemented the director's reputation as one of the most important young filmmakers in Japan. The two men would go on to collaborate on another fifteen films. Rashomon (1950), which premiered in Tokyo, became the surprise winner of the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. The commercial and critical success of that film opened up Western film markets for the first time to the products of the Japanese film industry, which in turn led to international recognition for other Japanese filmmakers. Kurosawa directed approximately one film per year throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, including a number of highly regarded (and often adapted) films, such as Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), Yojimbo (1961) and High and Low (1963). After the 1960s he became much less prolific; even so, his later work—including two of his final films, Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985)—continued to receive great acclaim. In 1990, he accepted the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Posthumously, he was named Asian of the Century in the Arts, Literature, and Culture category by AsianWeek magazine and CNN, cited there as being among the five people who most prominently contributed to the improvement of Asia in the 20th century. His career has been honored by many retrospectives, critical studies and biographies in both print and video, and by releases in many consumer media.
Biography from TMDB, which often draws on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
In Catlg
2 Works in the catalog credit them.
Directing (2)
Filmography
Searching For KurosawaFilm · 2025 · Acting
Morceaux de CannesFilm · 2021 · Acting
Babenco: Tell Me When I DieFilm · 2020 · as Self (archive footage)
What Is Cinema?Film · 2013 · as Self- The World of Kazuo MiyagawaFilm · 2012 · as Self
Kurosawa's WayFilm · 2011 · as Self (archive footage)
IkiruFilm · 2007 · Screenplay
Tsubaki SanjuroFilm · 2007 · Writer
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Dodes'ka-den'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Drunken Angel'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'High and Low'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ikiru'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Kagemusha'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Ran'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Red Beard'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Sanjuro'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Seven Samurai'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Stray Dog'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Bad Sleep Well'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Hidden Fortress'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'The Lower Depths'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Throne of Blood'Film · 2002 · as Self
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Yojimbo'Film · 2002 · as Self
The Sea Is WatchingFilm · 2002 · Screenplay
A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful MoviesFilm · 2000 · as Self
After the RainFilm · 2000 · Screenplay
Dora-heitaFilm · 2000 · Screenplay
KurosawaFilm · 2000 · as Self
Kurosawa: The Last EmperorFilm · 1999 · Acting
Akira Kurosawa: My Life in CinemaFilm · 1993 · as Self
In Love With and Living Within Movies - Akira Kurosawa and Hayao MiyazakiFilm · 1993 · as Self
MadadayoFilm · 1993 · Director- MadadayoFilm · 1993 · Editor
- MadadayoFilm · 1993 · Screenplay
Rhapsody in AugustFilm · 1991 · Director- Rhapsody in AugustFilm · 1991 · Editor
- Rhapsody in AugustFilm · 1991 · Screenplay
DreamsFilm · 1990 · Director- DreamsFilm · 1990 · Writer
Making of 'Dreams'Film · 1990 · as Self
A. K.Film · 1985 · as Self
Making of RanFilm · 1985 · as Self
RanFilm · 1985 · Director- RanFilm · 1985 · Editor
- RanFilm · 1985 · Screenplay
KagemushaFilm · 1980 · Director- KagemushaFilm · 1980 · Editor
- KagemushaFilm · 1980 · Producer
- KagemushaFilm · 1980 · Screenplay
The South Bank ShowTV · 1978 · Acting · 1 episode
Dersu UzalaFilm · 1975 · Director- Dersu UzalaFilm · 1975 · Screenplay
Spécial cinémaTV · 1974 · as Self · 2 episodes
Dodes'ka-denFilm · 1970 · Director- Dodes'ka-denFilm · 1970 · Screenplay
Song of the HorseFilm · 1970 · Director- Song of the HorseFilm · 1970 · Writer
- Red BeardFilm · 1965 · Director
- Red BeardFilm · 1965 · Editor
- Red BeardFilm · 1965 · Screenplay
Sanshiro SugataFilm · 1965 · Producer- Sanshiro SugataFilm · 1965 · Writer
Jakoman and TetsuFilm · 1964 · Screenplay- High and LowFilm · 1963 · Director
- High and LowFilm · 1963 · Editor
- High and LowFilm · 1963 · Screenplay
Legacy of the 500,000Film · 1963 · Editor
SanjuroFilm · 1962 · Director- SanjuroFilm · 1962 · Editor
- SanjuroFilm · 1962 · Screenplay
The Fencing MasterFilm · 1962 · Screenplay
YojimboFilm · 1961 · Director- YojimboFilm · 1961 · Editor
- YojimboFilm · 1961 · Producer
- YojimboFilm · 1961 · Screenplay
The Bad Sleep WellFilm · 1960 · Director- The Bad Sleep WellFilm · 1960 · Editor
- The Bad Sleep WellFilm · 1960 · Producer
- The Bad Sleep WellFilm · 1960 · Writer
Saga of the VagabondsFilm · 1959 · Writer
The Hidden FortressFilm · 1958 · Director- The Hidden FortressFilm · 1958 · Editor
- The Hidden FortressFilm · 1958 · Producer
- The Hidden FortressFilm · 1958 · Screenplay
Advance PatrolFilm · 1957 · Screenplay
The Lower DepthsFilm · 1957 · Director- The Lower DepthsFilm · 1957 · Editor
- The Lower DepthsFilm · 1957 · Producer
- The Lower DepthsFilm · 1957 · Screenplay
Throne of BloodFilm · 1957 · Director- Throne of BloodFilm · 1957 · Editor
- Throne of BloodFilm · 1957 · Producer
- Throne of BloodFilm · 1957 · Screenplay
I Live in FearFilm · 1955 · Director- I Live in FearFilm · 1955 · Story
Tomorrow I'll Be a Fire-TreeFilm · 1955 · Editor- Tomorrow I'll Be a Fire-TreeFilm · 1955 · Screenplay
Vanished Enlisted ManFilm · 1955 · Screenplay
Seven SamuraiFilm · 1954 · Director- Seven SamuraiFilm · 1954 · Editor
- Seven SamuraiFilm · 1954 · Screenplay
My Wonderful Yellow CarFilm · 1953 · Screenplay
IkiruFilm · 1952 · Director- IkiruFilm · 1952 · Editor
- IkiruFilm · 1952 · Screenplay
Sword for HireFilm · 1952 · Screenplay
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's TailFilm · 1952 · Director- The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's TailFilm · 1952 · Writer, Screenplay
Vendetta of a SamuraiFilm · 1952 · Writer
Beyond Love and HateFilm · 1951 · Screenplay
The Den of BeastsFilm · 1951 · Screenplay
The IdiotFilm · 1951 · Director- The IdiotFilm · 1951 · Editor
- The IdiotFilm · 1951 · Screenplay
Escape at DawnFilm · 1950 · Screenplay
Jiruba no TetsuFilm · 1950 · Screenplay
RashomonFilm · 1950 · Director- RashomonFilm · 1950 · Editor
- RashomonFilm · 1950 · Screenplay
ScandalFilm · 1950 · Director- ScandalFilm · 1950 · Screenplay
Flirtation in SpringFilm · 1949 · Producer
Jakoman and TetsuFilm · 1949 · Writer
Lady From HellFilm · 1949 · Writer
Stray DogFilm · 1949 · Director- Stray DogFilm · 1949 · Writer
The Quiet DuelFilm · 1949 · Director- The Quiet DuelFilm · 1949 · Writer
Drunken AngelFilm · 1948 · Director- Drunken AngelFilm · 1948 · Writer
The PortraitFilm · 1948 · Screenplay
Four Love StoriesFilm · 1947 · Screenplay
One Wonderful SundayFilm · 1947 · Director- One Wonderful SundayFilm · 1947 · Screenplay
Snow TrailFilm · 1947 · Screenplay
No Regrets for Our YouthFilm · 1946 · Director- No Regrets for Our YouthFilm · 1946 · Editor
- No Regrets for Our YouthFilm · 1946 · Writer
Those Who Make TomorrowFilm · 1946 · Director
Sanshiro Sugata, Part TwoFilm · 1945 · Director- Sanshiro Sugata, Part TwoFilm · 1945 · Screenplay
The Admirable Isshin Tasuke!Film · 1945 · Screenplay
The Most BeautifulFilm · 1944 · Director- The Most BeautifulFilm · 1944 · Writer
Wrestling-Ring FestivalFilm · 1944 · Writer
Sanshiro SugataFilm · 1943 · Director- Sanshiro SugataFilm · 1943 · Editor
- Sanshiro SugataFilm · 1943 · Screenplay
World of LoveFilm · 1943 · Writer
Currents of YouthFilm · 1942 · Story
Wings of VictoryFilm · 1942 · Writer
HorseFilm · 1941 · Writer
Filmography from TMDB. This product uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.