Takeshi Kaneshiro born October 11, 1973, is a
TaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
-born
JapaneseThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
actor and singer.
Name
Kaneshiro is a common
Okinawan family nameOkinawan names today have only two components, the family names first and the given names last. Okinawan family names represent the distinct historical and cultural background of the islands which now comprise Okinawa Prefecture in Japan...
. In
kanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
, is
Kaneshiro and is
Takeshi (
given nameA given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
), with Japanese readings. He appears as (
Kaneshiro Takeshi) in Japanese media.
Although
Kaneshiro is not a Chinese surname, the first kanji of
Kaneshiro coincides with the
Chinese surnameChinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions laobaixing...
Jin and with the Korean surname "Kim" 김. Since personal names are commonly written in
Chinese characterChinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s in both Chinese and Japanese naming conventions, with surnames before given names, this gives Kaneshiro the freedom whether to distinguish himself as a Japanese or not when working in Chinese-speaking countries by preserving or removing the
spaceIn writing, a space is a blank area devoid of content, serving to separate words, letters, numbers, and punctuation. Conventions for interword and intersentence spaces vary among languages, and in some cases the spacing rules are quite complex....
between his surname and given name.
Biography
Kaneshiro's mother is from
TaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and his father from Okinawa, Japan. He was born and raised in
TaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
and holds Japanese citizenship.
He has two elder brothers, one is his senior by seven years, the other just by one. After graduating from Taipei Japanese Junior High School, he enrolled at English-based
Taipei American School, which enabled him to converse in
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. While he was studying there, he began doing TV commercials and decided to quit school to pursue a singing and acting career. He is multi-lingual, fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien and
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and to lesser degrees in English and Cantonese.
Career
In 1992, Kaneshiro made his singing debut, entering the business with the nickname Aniki, meaning 'older brother' in Japanese. His debut album was
Heartbreaking Night (1992). Contracted to EMI, he wrote many of his own Mandarin and Cantonese songs. The following year, his popularity propelled him into acting and he no longer produces any commercial music.
His first movie was
Executioners (1993) and this was followed by the critically acclaimed
Wong Kar-waiWong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
film
Chungking ExpressChungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman...
(1994) and a string of other Hong Kong movies. Later, Kaneshiro starred in the highly successful Japanese TV mini-series
God, Please Give Me More Time (1998), allowing him to branch into Japanese movies such as
Returneris a 2002 Japanese science fiction film, directed by Takashi Yamazaki and starring Anne Suzuki and Takeshi Kaneshiro.-Plot:Milly is a soldier from 2084, where humanity is on the verge of extinction because of the "Daggra", an alien race. In mankind's final stronghold in Tibet Milly leaps into a...
(2002).
Kaneshiro's work, however, is more heavily concentrated in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 2008 and 2009 he starred in
Red Cliff (Chinese: 赤壁; pinyin: Chìbì), a high budget film by Hong Kong director
John WooJohn Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
. He has also played the romantic lead in the Zhang Yimou film
House of Flying DaggersHouse of Flying Daggers is a 2004 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. It differs from other wuxia films in that it is more of a love story than a straight martial arts film....
, and starred alongside
Jet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
and
Andy LauAndy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
in the film
The WarlordsThe Warlords, previously known as The Blood Brothers, is a 2007 epic war film directed by Peter Chan and starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei. The film was released on December 13, 2007 simultaneously in most of Asia, except Japan...
. Kaneshiro has also become well known in the video game industry portraying the samurai warrior Samanosuke in the Capcom hit Onimusha. In a June 2007 article on the movie site
Ain't It Cool NewsAin't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
, it was revealed that Kaneshiro will be in the Onimusha movie, reprising his role as Samanosuke and for a 2011 release.
In 2003, Kaneshiro was featured in
Time MagazineTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and was coined as becoming the Asian film industry's
Johnny DeppJohn Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
. Moreover, Kaneshiro was interviewed by
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
in the TalkAsia segment in 2006.
Outside of the entertainment business, Kaneshiro has acted as a spokesperson and model for Emporio Armani (2008) as well as,
PradaPrada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
(1998), Lifecard credit card company,
VAIOVAIO is a sub-brand used for many of Sony's computer products. Originally an acronym of Video Audio Integrated Operation, this was amended to Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer in 2008 to celebrate the brand's 10th anniversary...
personal computer,
Hondais a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, Lipice lips moisturizer, SonyEricsson,
Pocari Sweatis a popular Japanese soft drink and sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It was launched in 1980 and is now also available in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East....
soft drink,
Morinagais a confectionery company in Tokyo, Japan, in operation since August 15, 1899. Their products include candy and other confectioneries. Morinaga has Ayumi Hamasaki and Mao Asada appear in their commercials....
chocolate,
VolvicVolvic is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-History:The church at Volvic is dedicated to “St Priest” . Projectus was killed here in 676 AD.-References:* -External links:***...
,
GEOS (eikaiwa)was one of the Big Four private eikaiwa, or English conversation teaching companies, in Japan. Its extensive network of overseas schools made it the world's largest language school chain. The firm went into bankruptcy in Japan on 20 April 2010...
(language school),
PetronasPETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
oil company,
Japan Asia Airwaysis a defunct subsidiary of Japan Airlines which existed between 1975 and 2008. JAA was headquartered in the Japan Airlines Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo....
,
Hyundai Motor CompanyHyundai Motor Company is a Korean multinational automaker based in Seoul, South Korea which, along with Kia, comprises the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world's fourth largest automaker as of 2009. As of 2011, it is the world's fastest growing automaker for two years running...
, Toyota MarkX ZiO,
Mitsubishi GalantThe first generation of the car, initially known as the Colt Galant, was released in December 1969. The design was dubbed "Dynawedge" by Mitsubishi, referring to the influence of aerodynamics on the silhouette. Three models were available, powered by the new 'Saturn' engine in 1.3 or 1.5 L ...
,
NTT docomois the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan,
NTT, commonly known as NTT, is a Japanese telecommunications company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Ranked the 31st in Fortune Global 500, NTT is the largest telecommunications company in Asia, and the second-largest in the world in terms of revenue....
Yellow PagesYellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
,
Shiseidois a major Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer. It is the oldest cosmetics company in the world and the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world.-History:...
,
LycosLycos, Inc. is a search engine and web portal established in 1994. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, webhosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.-Corporate history:...
,
UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.is a manufacturer of coffee and tea products in Kobe, Hyōgo. "UCC" stands for "Ueshima Coffee Company".Note that the official English corporate name is fully capitalized: UCC UESHIMA COFFEE CO., LTD.It owns Kona coffee farm on the island of Hawaii....
,
Kadokawa Shotenis a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
a well-known Japanese publisher based in Tokyo, Rice Burger, Roasted barley tea, One2Free (HK), and Kiwi cold drink, and the most recent Biotherm Homme since 2005.
Personal life
Kaneshiro is known for trying to avoid the media spotlight. He has been quoted as saying “If one day I get married and have kids, I will probably be one of those men who really care for the family. I will eat at home every day, and help with the chores and take care of the children.”
Movies
- Wu Xia
Wu Xia or Swordsmen is a 2011 martial arts thriller film directed by Peter Chan and starring Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tang Wei. Yen also served as the film's action director. It premiered on 13 May 2011 at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screenings category...
(2011)
- The Battle of Red Cliff II (2009) as Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
- K-20: Legend of the Mask
at film festivals, The Fiend with Twenty Faces on home video in the United States and The Legend of the Black Mask in the United Kingdom) is a 2008 Japanese action feature film written and directed by Shimako Satō and based on a novel by Sō Kitamura and its sequel. The film released worldwide on...
K-20 (2008)
- The Battle of Red Cliff (2008) as Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
- Accuracy of Death/ Suwito rein:Shinigami
is the personification of death in Japan. It's unclear when the concept entered Japanese culture; it may have been imported from China , or possibly been imported from Europe during the Sengoku era—that period in European history featured a common motif of the Grim Reaper gathering souls...
no seido (2008) as Chiba
- The Warlords
The Warlords, previously known as The Blood Brothers, is a 2007 epic war film directed by Peter Chan and starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei. The film was released on December 13, 2007 simultaneously in most of Asia, except Japan...
(2007) as Jiang Wuyang
- Confession of Pain
Confession of Pain is a 2006 Hong Kong crime/drama film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi and Xu Jinglei.-Plot summary:...
(2006) as Bong
- Perhaps Love (2005) (Titled Winter Song for the Japanese release)
- House of Flying Daggers
House of Flying Daggers is a 2004 wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. It differs from other wuxia films in that it is more of a love story than a straight martial arts film....
(2004) (Titled Lovers for the Japanese release)
- Turn Left, Turn Right
Turn Left, Turn Right is a 2003 joint Hong Kong-Singaporean romance film, filmed in Taipei. Produced and directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai, the film stars Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung. The story is based on the book A Chance of Sunshine by Jimmy Liao, who makes a cameo appearance in the film...
(2003)
- Returner
is a 2002 Japanese science fiction film, directed by Takashi Yamazaki and starring Anne Suzuki and Takeshi Kaneshiro.-Plot:Milly is a soldier from 2084, where humanity is on the verge of extinction because of the "Daggra", an alien race. In mankind's final stronghold in Tibet Milly leaps into a...
(2002)
- Lavender
Lavender is an upcoming Malayalam film written by Anoop Menon and directed by Altas T. Ali. It is a remake of Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau's 2006 South Korean film Daisy. It stars Rahman, Nishan, Anoop Menon, and Thalaivasal Vijay in the lead roles. Notabily, the film will feature a promotional...
(2000)
- Space Travelers (2000)
- Tarzan
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
(1999) as TarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
(Voice for Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese versions)
- Tempting Heart
Tempting Heart is a 1999 movie, directed and co-written by Sylvia Chang, starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung as a pair of onscreen lovers.The film has a notable theme song "Xin Dong", performed by Shino Lin Xiao Pei...
(1999)
- Sleepless Town
Fuyajo is a Hong Kong and Japan joint film production released in 1998.It was directed by Chi-Ngai Lee; cinematography by Arthur Wong, who was granted 2 cinematography awards for this film.- Cast :...
(1998)
- Anna Magdalena
Anna Magdalena is a 1998 Hong Kong film starring Kelly Chen, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Aaron Kwok. It was the directorial debut of production designer Yee Chung-Man.-Title:...
(1998)
- Too Tired to Die (1998)
- First Love: The Litter on the Breeze (1997)
- The Odd One Dies (1997)
- Downtown Torpedoes (1997)
- Hero - The Legend (1997)
- The Jail In Burning Island (1997)
- Misty (1996)
- Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" (1996)
- Lost and Found
Lost and Found is a 1996 Hong Kong film written and directed by Lee Chi-Ngai. It stars Kelly Chan, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Michael Wong.-Synopsis:...
(1996)
- Forever Friends (1996)
- The Feeling of Love (1996)
- Trouble Maker (1995)
- School Days (1995)
- China Dragon (1995)
- Forever Friends
Forever Friends is a Taiwanese comedy war film released in 1996. It features Taiwan's popular "four little heavenly kings" as friends serving in the army of Taiwan...
(1995)
- Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels is a 1995 Hong Kong movie written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Charlie Yeung and Karen Mok.Fallen Angels can be seen as a companion piece to Chungking Express...
(1995) - as He Zhiwu
- Young Policemen in Love
Young Policemen in Love is a 1995 Hong Kong movie directed by Chu Yin-ping.-Cast:* Takeshi Kaneshiro * Nicky Wu* Charlie Yeung* Wong Yat Fei* Yip Chuen Chan -External links:*...
(1995)
- No Sir (1994)
- The Wrath of Silence (1994)
- Don't Give a Damn (1994)
- Mermaid Got Married
Mermaid Got Married is a 1994 Hong Kong film based on the film Splash, directed by Norman Law Man. There is no plans for a DVD release.-Plot:...
(1994)
- Chungking Express
Chungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman...
(1994) - as He Zhiwu, Cop 223
- Heroic Trio 2: Executioners (1993)
Japan
- Golden Bowl (2002) (Japanese: ゴールデンボウル)
- Love 2000 (2000) (Japanese: 二千年の恋)
- God, Please Give Me More Time (1998) Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi Dake (Japanese: 神様、もう少しだけ)
- The Miracle on a Christmas Night (1995) (Japanese: 聖夜の奇跡)
Videogames
- Onimusha: Warlords
Onimusha: Warlords, released in Japan as , is the first action-adventure video game of the Onimusha series, released first for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. Later it went through many changes and was released as for the Xbox in 2002...
(2001) (VG) (voice: Japanese version) Samanosuke Akechi
- Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, released in Japan and Europe as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the third game of the Onimusha series and was released for the PlayStation 2 on April 27, 2004. It was later ported to Windows on December 8, 2005.-Plot:The game opens...
(2004) - (VG) (voice: Japanese version) Samanosuke Akechi
Misc
- Smap X Smap September (2002) TV Episode
- Smap X Smap October (2002) TV Episode
Awards
Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of 10 recipients of the Green Planet Film Award (23 March 2010) in the category "10 Best International Actors of the Decade (Asia)". Source - the official site of the award http://www.movie-voters.com/3001.html.
Albums
Movie soundtracks
| Year |
Title |
Track Featuring Takeshi |
Notes |
| 2005 |
Perhaps Love (如果愛) |
No.4 Forgot Who I am (忘了我是誰)
(duet with Zhou Xun 周迅),
No.6 Beautiful Story (美麗故事)
(duet with Ji Jin Hee 池珍熙),
No.10 Crossroad (十字街頭)
(duet with Zhou Xun 周迅),
No.11 What If (假如)
(Solo) |
Mandarin album (Release date: 2005) |
External links