Sonny Chiba, who starred in “Kill Bill,” is dead – The HuffPost

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DEATH – 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 this 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.

Ultra-violent henchman in the trilogy The Street Fighter

In the wake of Bruce Lee’s worldwide success, Sonny Chiba had distinguished himself outside of Japan with an ultra-violent henchman character in the trilogy The Street Fighter.

The performance had marked Quentin Tarantino in his youth and the American director had called on Sonny Chiba to embody in Kill Bill Hattori Hanzo, the samurai turned cook who forges a sword to help Uma Thurman to accomplish his revenge (see the video extract below).

In 2006, the Japanese actor also played a role in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift by Justin Lin.

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