浅野忠信

One of Japan's most sought-after actors, TADANOBU ASANO made his English-language debut in the big-screen adaptation of the Marvel comic, "Thor." His work in Hollywood continues with the English- language adaptation of the famous Japanese samurai tale, 47 Ronin, co-starring opposite Keanu Reeves.

Born in Yokohama, Japan, Asano made his acting debut as a teenager when his father, an acting agent, arranged his audition on the television program San nen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei 3. At age 16, he gained notice as a love-struck teenager in his motion-picture debut in Joji Matsuoka's 1990 feature Bataashi Kingyo (Swimming Upstream ). Five years later, he parlayed that success in Hirokazu Koreeda's film festival and art-house hit, Maboroshi no Hikari (Illusion ), playing a man who widows his wife and orphans his infant son by inexplicably throwing himself in front of a train. He also won acclaim for his next film, one that many cite as his breakout role, Shinji Aoyama's 1996 crime thriller Helpless.

In the last dozen or so years, Asano has created a unique gallery of edgy and offbeat characters in such films as the samurai epics Gohatto (Taboo ), in 1999, and Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman in 2003; Sergei Bodrov's Mongol, in which he phonetically mastered a Mongolian accent to portray the 12 th century warrior Genghis Khan in the movie that earned an Oscar® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007; international festival favorites Akarui Mirai (Bright Future ), which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and Chikyu de Saigo no Futari (Last Life in the Universe ), which screened at the Venice International Film Festival, where he won the Upstream Prize for Best Actor in 2003; and the extreme, ultraviolent Japanese crime film that introduced him to Western audiences, Koroshiya (Ichi the Killer ), in which he played a psychotic gangster.

His other big-screen credits include Yume no Ginga (Labyrinth of Dreams ), Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle, Electric Dragon 80.000 V and Dead End Run, all for director Sogo Ishii; Snow Prince, in which he reteamed with director Joji Matsuoka; Aitsu; Seishun Dendekedekedeke (The Rocking Horsemen ); Nemuranai Machi: Shinjuku Same; 119; Yonshimai Monogatari; Focus; Acri; Pikunikku (Picnic ); Tokyo Biyori; Samehada Otoko to Momojiri Onna (Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl ); Soseiji (Gemini ); Hakuchi (The Innocent ); Kujaku (Away With Words ), directed by cinematographer Christopher Doyle; Jirai wo Fundara Sayonara (One Step on a Mine, It's All Over ); Distance; Kaza-hana; Mizu no Onna (Woman of Water ); Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman; Cha no Aji (The Taste ofTea ); Tokyo Zombi (Tokyo Zombie ); Ranpo Jigoku (Rampo Noir ); Umoregi (The Buried Forest ); Taga Tameni (Portrait of the Wind ); Naisu no Mori: The First Contact (Funky Forest: The First Contact ); Invisible Waves; Watashi no Guranpa (My Grandpa); Kohi Jiko (Café Lumière); Chichi to Kuraseba (The Face of Jizo); Kabei: Our Mother; Viyon no Tsuma (Villon's Wife), which received an Asian Film Award nomination; Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki (Mt. Tsurugidake); Yume no Mani Mani; Donju (Dumbeast); Ranbo to Taiki (Vengeance Can Wait); Yoi ga Sametara, Uchi ni Kaero (Wandering Home); Korede Iinoda! Eiga Akatsuka Fujio; Sutekina Kanashibari (A Ghost of a Chance); and Gekko no Kamen (Mask of Moonlight).

Asano has garnered several acting awards over the years, including two Best Actor prizes for Picnic and Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle at the Yokohama Film Festival; a Hochi Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle; and Most Popular Performer Award (1997) and two Best Supporting Actor awards for director Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (2003) and director Yoji Yamada's Kabei: Our Mother (2009) at the Japanese Academy Awards. Asano also received two Japanese Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for director Daisaku Kimura's Mt. Tsurugidake (2009) and director Kichitaro Negishi's Villon's Wife (2009).

In addition to his acting talents, Asano has directed R246 Story and the short films 42 One Dream Rush and Tori. He is also accomplished as a vocalist, guitarist, painter and clothing designer.

© 2012 Universal Pictures