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Ken Watanabe

Latest News on Ken Watanabe:

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BIO

The King and I (LCT)

Photos

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STAGE CREDITS

The King and I The King and I
[West End]
West End Revival Prodution, 2018
The King of Siam
The King and I The King and I
[Broadway]
Lincoln Center Theatre Broadway Revival, 2015
The King of Siam

Movies

MacArthur's Children
[ 1984 ] Tetsuo
Kekkon annai misuterî
[ 1985 ] Funayama Tetsuya, Makazu Sekine
Tampopo
[ 1985 ] Gun
The Sea and Poison
[ 1986 ] Toda
Chronicle of the Town Magistrate
[ 1987 ] Mochizuki Koheita
Bakumatsu jyunjyoden
[ 1991 ] Ryouma Sakamoto
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
[ 1997 ] Raita Onuki, Truck driver
Kizuna
[ 1998 ] Detective Sako Akio
The Whispered City
[ 2000 ] Ishida
Space Travelers
[ 2000 ] Sakamaki "Crusher"
Sennen no koi - Hikaru Genji monogatari
[ 2001 ] Fujiwara no Michinaga, Fujiwara no Nobutaka
Drowning Fish
[ 2001 ] Miyota
Another Battle/Conspiracy
[ 2002 ] Fujimaki Hiroaki
Dawn of a New Day: The Man Behind VHS
[ 2002 ] Okubo
The Last Samurai
[ 2003 ] Katsumoto
T.R.Y.
[ 2003 ] Manobu Azuma
Memoirs of a Geisha
[ 2005 ] Chairman
Year One in the North
[ 2005 ] Hideaki Komatsubara
Moonlight in Tokyo
[ 2005 ] Inspector
Batman Begins
[ 2005 ] Ra's Al Ghul
Letters from Iwo Jima
[ 2006 ] General Kuribayhi
Memories of Tomorrow
[ 2006 ] Mayuki Saeki
The Unbroken
[ 2009 ] Hajime Onchi
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
[ 2009 ] Mr. Tall
Inception
[ 2010 ] Saito
Shanghai
[ 2010 ] Tanaka
Hayabusa: The Long Voyage Home
[ 2012 ] Shunichiro Yamaguchi
Unforgiven
[ 2013 ] Jubee kamata
Godzilla
[ 2014 ] Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
Transformers: Age of Extinction
[ 2014 ] Drift
The Sea of Trees
[ 2015 ] Takumi Nakamura
Rage
[ 2016 ] Yohei Maki
Transformers: The Last Knight
[ 2017 ] Drift
Isle of Dogs
[ 2018 ] Head Surgeon
Bel Canto
[ 2018 ] Hosokawa
The King and I
[ 2018 ] The King of Siam
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
[ 2019 ] Dr. Ishiro Serizawa
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
[ 2019 ] Lieutenant Hide Yoshida
Fukushima 50
[ 2020 ] Mao Yoshida
True Colors
[ 2025 ] Tsujimura Taichiro
Kokuho
[ 2025 ] Hanjiro Hanai
Banjo no Himawari
[ 2025 ] Shigeyoshi Tomyo

TV Shows

Tokyo Vice
[ 2022-2024 ] Hiroto Katagiri

Awards and Nominations

Tony Awards - 2015 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Ken Watanabe, The King and I

Videos

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News

KOKUHO Sweeps the 49 Th Japan Academy Film Prize with 10 Awards Photo
KOKUHO Sweeps the 49 Th Japan Academy Film Prize with 10 Awards
by Ayaka Ozaki - Mar 24, 2026

On March 13, the 49th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony took place in Tokyo. The event celebrated a landmark year for the Japanese film industry, which saw record-breaking annual box office revenues. Co-hosts Shinichi Hatori and Yuumi Kawai welcomed the nation’s top cinematic talent to honor the year's outstanding achievements. The primary winners are as follows:
Japan Hit KOKUHO to Receive Limited IMAX Release in January Photo
Japan Hit KOKUHO to Receive Limited IMAX Release in January
by Josh Sharpe - Jan 13, 2026

KOKUHO, the acclaimed film by director Sang-il Lee, will arrive exclusively in IMAX theaters for special preview screenings one night only on January 21, from producer and distributor GKIDS.
Interview: Jon Viktor Corpuz of A DRIVING BEAT at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Photo
Interview: Jon Viktor Corpuz of A DRIVING BEAT at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
by Jim Munson - Oct 28, 2025

BroadwayWorld talks to Jon Viktor Corpuz, star of Jordan Ramirez Puckett's 'A Driving Beat' in its world premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley October 29 to November 23 in Mountain View.
Breaking Down the 2025 Tony Awards Nominations Photo
Breaking Down the 2025 Tony Awards Nominations
by Nicole Rosky - May 4, 2025

Still thinking about the Tony nominations? Us too! Check out some takeaways from Tuesday's big announcement and recap the full list and the nominees' reactions!
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld October 21, 2024 Photo
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld October 21, 2024
by - Oct 21, 2024

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is October 21, 2024 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed over the weekend.
Everything Coming to Max This February Photo
Everything Coming to Max This February
by Michael Major - Jan 23, 2024

Max announces programming coming to the platform this February, including the debut of the twelfth and final season of HBO Original CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (2/4). Check out the full list of everything coming to stream on Max in February!
TOKYO VICE Drama Series Returns to Max in February Photo
TOKYO VICE Drama Series Returns to Max in February
by Michael Major - Jan 9, 2024

Created and written by Tony Award winner J.T. Rogers, the series is loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein's first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat. The series stars Golden Globe nominee Ansel Elgort, Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe, Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi, Rachel Keller, and more.
2023 Gotham Awards to Present Michael Mann's FERRARI with the Icon & Creator Tribute Photo
2023 Gotham Awards to Present Michael Mann's FERRARI with the Icon & Creator Tribute for Innovation
by Michael Major - Oct 30, 2023

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced that Ferrari, the emotional and thrilling dramatization of the life of legendary ex-racer, racecar manufacturer, and entrepreneur, directed and produced by Michael Mann, will receive the Icon & Creator Tribute for Innovation at the 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony.
Interview: Peloton London Cycling Instructor Sam Yo on Bringing Broadway to the Bike Photo
Interview: Peloton London Cycling Instructor Sam Yo on Bringing Broadway to the Bike
by Rachel Weinberg - Jul 26, 2022

Peloton Studios London instructor and former West End performer Sam Yo has been bringing his unique energy and passion for musical theater to Peloton members since he joined the team as an instructor in 2019. For Peloton members familiar with Sam, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he was every bit as enthusiastic, genuine, and warm in this interview as he seems on the bike. On the heels of his special Andrew Lloyd Webber Peloton Broadway ride last week, I connected with Sam about inviting Peloton members back into the studio for the first time since 2020, some insider secrets on how he programs his Broadway rides, and how his background as an actor informs the immense presence he brings as an instructor.
HBO Max Renews Drama Series TOKYO VICE For A Second Season Photo
HBO Max Renews Drama Series TOKYO VICE For A Second Season
by Michael Major - Jun 7, 2022

Loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein's non-fiction, first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat, the crime drama series, filmed on location in Tokyo, captures Adelstein's (played by Ansel Elgort) daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late 90s, where nothing and no one is what or who they seem.
BWW Interview: Bartlett Sher Talks MY FAIR LADY at the London Coliseum Photo
BWW Interview: Bartlett Sher Talks MY FAIR LADY at the London Coliseum
by Fiona Scott - Nov 19, 2021

Bartlett Sher is a multi-award-winning director of productions including The Light in the Piazza and the recent revival of The King & I. Sher’s Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center production of My Fair Lady will transfer to the London Coliseum for a limited summer engagement in May 2022. We spoke with Sher about bringing the show to the West End.
VIDEO: On This Day, April 16- THE KING & I Returns to Broadway Starring Kelli O'Hara Photo
VIDEO: On This Day, April 16- THE KING & I Returns to Broadway Starring Kelli O'Hara
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 16, 2021

On this day in 2015, Lincoln Center's lush revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King & I opened starring Tony Award-winner Kelli O'Hara. 
BWW Flashback: Getting to Know the Many Versions of THE KING AND I Photo
BWW Flashback: Getting to Know the Many Versions of THE KING AND I
by Nicole Rosky - Feb 16, 2021

Paramount Pictures will remake Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical, The King and I. Paramount reportedly intends to 'reimagine this classic story with a contemporary perspective that explores diversity and the contrasting worldviews of the characters by drawing from real history and the musical.' Before that happens, we're recapping the earlier versions!
Reimagined THE KING AND I Film Is in the Works Photo
Reimagined THE KING AND I Film Is in the Works
by Nicole Rosky - Feb 12, 2021

This news is something wonderful! Paramount Pictures will remake Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical, The King and I. Paramount reportedly intends to 'reimagine this classic story with a contemporary perspective that explores diversity and the contrasting worldviews of the characters by drawing from real history and the musical.'
VIDEO: EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! A Look Back at 'Shall We Dance?' From THE KING AND I Photo
VIDEO: EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! A Look Back at 'Shall We Dance?' From THE KING AND I
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 26, 2020

In this time of social distancing and remaining responsibly indoors, we are all looking for ways to brighten our days and get moving any way we can! In the spirit of celebrating theater and providing motivation to get up and get shakin', we're taking a look back and paying tribute to some of the greatest dance numbers in musical theater history!
R&H Movie Night Returns With Lincoln Center Theater's THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O Photo
R&H Movie Night Returns With Lincoln Center Theater's THE KING AND I Starring Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 1, 2020

R&H Movie Night returns on Friday, May 8th at 8PM ET with a live viewing party of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, starring Tony Award-winner Kelli O'Hara (Anna Leonowens), Ken Watanabe (The King),Tony Award-winner Ruthie Ann Miles (Lady Thiang), Dean John-Wilson (Lun Tha) and Na-Young Jeon (Tuptim).
The 101 Greatest Musical Theatre Characters (1940-2020) Photo
The 101 Greatest Musical Theatre Characters (1940-2020)
by Peter Nason - Apr 30, 2020

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at Olney Theatre Center is Toe Tapping Terrific! Photo
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at Olney Theatre Center is Toe Tapping Terrific!
by Charles Shubow - Nov 25, 2019

It's great there is a family-friendly musical ready for the holidays.
A CHORUS LINE at the Signature Theatre - Dance: 10, Looks, 10, Show: 10 !!!!!!! Photo
A CHORUS LINE at the Signature Theatre - Dance: 10, Looks, 10, Show: 10 !!!!!!!
by Charles Shubow - Nov 8, 2019

Do not miss this superb rendition of a classic musical.
Michael Mann Will Direct TOKYO VICE Pilot Photo
Michael Mann Will Direct TOKYO VICE Pilot
by Sarah Jae Leiber - Oct 22, 2019

Deadline reports that director Michael Mann will helm HBO Max's upcoming pilot, 'Tokyo Vice.'
More News

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Ken Watanabe been in?

Ken Watanabe has appeared on Broadway in 1 shows.

How many West End shows has Ken Watanabe been in?

Ken Watanabe has appeared on London's West End in 1 shows.

What was Ken Watanabe's first West End show?

Ken Watanabe's first West End show was The King and I which opened in 2018

What awards has Ken Watanabe been nominated for?

and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Tony Awards) for The King and I.

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