When it comes to senior actors in the film industry, the perspective of the majority population is that due to their age, they will not be able to gain popularity as compared to younger actors. However, it has been rightly said that age is just a limitation you put on your mind and in contemporary times, more than ever it can be proved.ย In every field whether it is acting, modeling or dancing, we can see people of all age groups establishing their names and many times, doing better than younger generations due to their experience.
In this article, letโs have a look on top 10 Japanese actors who come off with flying colors irrespective of their current age and are continuously shining bright and have worked for more than 25 years.
1. Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano was born on 27th November 1973.ย He is a Japanese actor and musician. Tadanobu Asano grabbed his first acting role in TV show โKinpachi Sensei (1988)โ at the age of 16. He debuted in films in year 1990 through โSwimming Upstream (Bataashi Kingyo)โ. His first major critical success was in โDragon Fishโ in the year 1993.ย Some of his film works include โ โAitsu (1991)โ, โ119 (1994)โ, โMabo Rosi (1995)โ, โHelpless (1996)โ, โTokyo Biyori (1997)โ, โGemini (1999)โ, โIchi โ The Killer (2001)โ, โWoman of Water (2002)โ, โDead End Run (2003)โ, โTokyo Zombie (2005)โ, โSad Vacation (2007)โ, โThor (2011)โ,โGrasshopper (2015)โ, โThor: Ragnarok (2017)โ, โDetective Chinatown -3 (2021)โ.
2. Hiroshi Abe
He is a Japanese model and actor born on June 22, 1964. He debuted through the movie โHaikara San: Here Comes Miss Morden (1987)โ.ย In 1988, Hiroshi Abe also released an album as a Pop โ idol. Some of his notable works are โYAWARA (1989)โ,ย โBlood Sucking Space (2001)โ,ย โPlatonic Sex(2001)โ, โHana And Alice (2004)โ, โ Forbidden Siren (2006)โ, โLegend Of Toki (2008)โ, โA Yell From Heaven (2011)โ, โA Loving Husband (2016)โ, โSakura Guardian In The North (2018)โ, โHokusai (2021)โ, โOffbeat Corps (2022)โ. He also acted in TV series like โGoing My Home (2012)โ and โDragon Sakura โ 2 (2021)โ.
3. Hiroyuki Sanada
He is a Japanese actor cum martial artist. He was born on October 12, 1960. He debuted through film โGame of Chance (1966)โ. He also appeared in TV series, namely โFreezing Point (1966)โ, โThe Yagyu Conspiracy (1979)โ, โFall Guy (1991)โ, โThe Last Ship (2016)โ. Some notable movies in which he actedย are โLegacy Of Honour (1970)โ, โFall Guy (1982)โ, โTugumi (1990)โ, โSpeed Racer(2008)โ, โLife (2017)โ, โBullet Train (2022)โ. He marked his Hollywood appearance in โThe Last Samurai (2003)โ, โAvengers (2019)โand โArmy of the Dead (2022)โ.
4. Ken Watanabe
He is a Japanese actor born on October 21, 1959.ย Watanabe was introduced internationally in 2003 with the American movie โThe Last Samuraiโ, โBatman Begins (2005)โ, โGodzilla (2014)โ and โTransformer: Age of Extinction (2014)โ.
He debuted through the film โMacArthurโs Children (1984)โ. Some of his notable films are โThe Sea And Poison (1986)โ, โSpace Travelers (2000)โ, โShangai (2010)โ, โInception (2010)โ, โDetective Pikachu (2019)โ and โFukushima (2020)โ.
5. Koji Yakusho
He is a Japanese actor born on January 1, 1956.ย He debuted in the year 1979 through the film โHunter in the Darkโ. Some of his notable films are โ12 Months (1980)โ, โWillful Murder (1981)โ, โShall We Dance (1996)โ, โCharisma (1999)โ, โLake Side Murder Case (2004)โ, โA Terminal Trust (2012)โ, โThe Boy and The Beast (2015)โ, โBelle (2021)โ and โThe Pass: Last Date Of Samurai (2022)โ.
6. Hidetoshi Nishijima
He is a Japanese actor born on March 29, 1971. He is best known internationally for his role in โDrive My Car (2021)โ. He also received Japan Academy Film Prize for the Best Actor for this film. He debuted through film โGhost Pubโ in the year 1994. Some of his notable works are โKura (1995)โ, โDoll (2002)โ, โSu-ki-da (2005)โ, โOh! Oku (2006)โ, โZero Focus (2009)โ, โCreepy (2016)โ, โWhat Did You Eat Yesterday (2021)โ and โGood Bye Cruel World (2022)โ.
7. Yo Oizumi
Oizumi is a Japanese actor, voice actor, comedian and television personality. He was born on April 13, 1973. Oizumi debuted in 1996 through the film โGamera 2โ. Some of his other notable works are โThe Cat Returns (2002)โ, Brave Story (2006)โ, โLooking up at the Half Moon (2010)โ, โThe Kiyosu Conference (2013)โ, โ I am a Hero (2016)โ, โAfter the Rain (2018)โ, โFood Luck (2020)โ, โAsakusa Kid (2021)โ. He also worked in TV dramas like โDoctor in Love (2006)โ, โThe Golden Piggy (2010)โ, โBrother and Sister (2018)โ and โThe 13 Lords of Shogun (2022)โ.
8. Yutaka Takenouchi
He is a Japanese actor. He was born on January 2, 1971. He debuted with a drama named โBoku no Syushokuโ in 1994. His works are โThe World of Ice (1999)โ, โToshiie and Matsu: Love shines through (2002)โ, โBoss -2 (2011)โ. He also worked in films. Some of his films are โThe Hovering Blade (2009)โ, โA Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. and Mrs. Okiโs Fabulous Trip (2011)โ, โBirds Without Names (2017)โ and โThe Blood of Wolves (2018)โ.
9. Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
He is a Japanese actor, television host, singer and a former member of the J-Pop band โSMAPโ. He debuted in acting through the film โShoot!โ in the year 1994. Some of his other notable works as an actor are โSinking of Japan 2006โ, โ1,778 Stories of Me and My Wife (2011)โ, โAttack on Titan (2015)โ and โMid-Night Swan (2020)โ.
10. Masato Sakai
He is a Japanese actor. He was born on October 14, 1973. He was active from the year 1992, his notable works contain โBeing Here (2001)โ, โHoney and Clover (2006)โ, โMy So Has Got Depression (2011)โ, โThe Samurai that Night (2012)โ, โ7 Days of Himawari and her Puppies (2013)โ, and โSakura Guardian in the North (2018)โ.
