(born October 21, 1959) is a Japanese
stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing
tragic hero characters, such as General
Tadamichi Kuribayashi in
Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsu in
The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Japanese roles
After graduating from high school in 1978, Watanabe moved to Tokyo to begin his acting career, getting his big break with the Tokyo-based theater troupe En. While with the troupe, he was cast as the hero in the play
Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari, under
Yukio Ninagawa's direction. The role attracted critical and popular notice.
In 1982, he made his first TV appearance in
Michinaru Hanran (
Unknown Rebellion), and his first appearance on TV as a samurai in
Mibu no koiuta. He made his feature-film debut in 1984 with
MacArthur's Children.
