Actor and martial arts legend Sonny Chiba passes away

Japanese actor and famed martial artist Sonny Chiba passed away on Thursday at the age of 82. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran artist’s death was reported in Japanese state media as due to pneumonia, a complication of COVID-19 for which Chiba was being treated at a hospital near Tokyo.

Born in Japan as Sadaho Maeda, Sonny had displayed a fascination with sports right from his school years, being actively involved in gymnastics, baseball, volleyball and track events. When a back injury ruined his chances of making it into the Japanese Olympic team, Chiba turned his sights to martial arts, earning black belts in karate, ninjutsu and judo, among others. He had made his debut on the silver screen in 1960, starring in two superhero TV shows in Japan, Seven Color Mask and Messenger of Allah, before securing an acting role the next year on the movie Invasion of the Neptune Men.

He gained international fame and recognition for his role in the 1974 martial arts film The Street Fighter, where his combat and fighting prowess wooed western audiences. His work on the film reached the notice of Hollywood heavyweight director Quentin Tarantino, who cast Chiba in his movie Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2, which itself served as a homage to martial arts and samurai cinema. He played the role of a legendary swordsmith, who comes out of retirement to craft a sword for the vengeful protagonist.

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In addition, he has also made an appearance on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as a Yakuza boss and uncle to one of the lead characters. In his career spanning over six decades, he featured in over 100 films and TV shows, in addition to performing on stage as well.

The late actor is survived by three children, Juri Manase, Mackenyu Arata and Gordon, all of whom are actors.