Sonny Chiba, legend of martial arts cinema, is dead – franceinfo

Sonny Chiba, martial arts expert and legend of Japanese cinema who appeared in Kill Bill of Quentin Tarantino, died of complications related to Covid-19 at the age of 82, we learned Thursday, August 19 from his agent.

“Sonny passed away yesterday from Covid-19 … He was a great friend and a great customer. Such a humble, caring and friendly man”Timothy Beal told AFP.

Born Sadaho Maeda in 1939 in Fukuoka, in southwestern Japan, Sonny Chiba devoted himself to a large number of martial arts in the 1960s, notably becoming an expert in karate, his favorite discipline.

This science had allowed him to become a very prolific actor in Japanese films and series, with some 125 performances on behalf of the famous Toei studios who had recruited him in a competition for new talents.

The American director Quentin Tarentino had called on Sonny Chiba to play in Kill Bill Hattori Hanzo, the samurai turned cook who forges a sword to help Uma Thurman achieve his revenge. In 2006, the Japanese actor also played a role in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift by Justin Lin.