Biography
Born Kensaku Watanabe in October 21 in 1959, Koide (now Uonuma), Niigata prefecture, Japan. His mother taught general education & his father taught calligraphy. Fallowing graduating from either high within 1978 Watanabe moved to Tokyo to begin his acting career, incurring his large break sustaining a Tokyo-depending theater company Madoka. When by having a company, he wwhen cast as a hero in the play Shimodani Mannencho Monogatari, under Yukio Ninagawa's direction. A role attracted critical & popular notice.

Inside 1982 he made his 1st TV appearance in Michinaru Hanran (Unknown Rebellion), & his number one appearance around TV as a samurai in Mibu there is no koiuta. He processed his feature-film debut inside 1984 with ''MacArthur's Children.

Ken is mostly known around Japan for swimming samurai, as in the 1987 Dokuganryu Masamune (1 eyed dragon, Masamune) a 50-episode NHK drama for which is now better known. He played a lead character, Matsudaira Kurō, in the television jidaigeki Gokenin Zankuro, which ran for many seasons. A U.s.-produced The Last Samurai is his fourth such depiction, although he has as well played the mobster, the business community & the general inside more works. He hwhen never agawithin in to earn acclamation in such historical dramas as Oda Nobunaga, Chushingura, and a film Bakumatsu Junjo Den''.

Inside 1989, whilst filming Haruki Kadokawa's Ten to Chi to (Heaven and Earth) in Calgary, Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He returned to acting when at the same time undergoing chemotherapy treatments, but within 1994 suffered a reversion.

When his health improved his career picked back higher. He co-starred using Koji Yakusho in the 1998 Kizuna, for which he won a Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Watanabe experienced ignored his finances, allowing the babies totally to his married woman. Around 2001 he announced at a news conference that his ¥170million personal experienced been repossessed & that he was heavy around debt.

Around 2002 he quit a Nut (Enegki-Shudan En) theater class action in which he got got his begin & joined the K-Dash professional. A film Sennen there is no Koi (Thousand-season Love, according to The Tale of Genji) won Watanabe another Japanese Academy Award for Better Supporting Actor. For his performance when Katsumoto in The Last Samurai, he was nominated for the 2003 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Ken is divorced from either his ex-ex, Yumiko, sustaining whom he has 2 kids, an 18 month old girl world health organization is working as the model & a boy [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1073975/ Hiroshi], who is 20 years old.

Ken has done commercial spots for Yakult.

Watanabe played a a share of villain Ra's al Ghul in the 2005 film Batman Begins and will play The Chairman in the film version of the best selling Arthur Golden novel, Memoirs of a Geisha.

Filmography
Memoirs of a Geisha, as A Chair (2005) Batman Begins, as Ra's Al Ghul (2005) The Last Samurai, as Katsumoto (2003) T.R.Y. (2003) Space Traveler (スペーストラベラーズ, Supeisu Toraberaazu) (2000) Rajio There are no Jikan (ラヂオの時間) when Trucker (1998) Violent Zone, when Old Mishima (1989) ''Il Ragazzo dkl Kimono 500'oro (1988) Il Ragazzo decalitre Kimono 500'oro Deuce (1988) Commando Invasion (1987) Umi to Dokuyaku (海と毒薬) when Toda (1986) Tampopo (タンポポ) as Gan (1986) Nina from carolina Deaths of the Ninja, when Sensei (1985) Kekkon Annai Mystery (結婚案内ミステリー) (1985) MacArthur's Youngsters (瀬戸内少年野球団, Setouchi shonen yakyu dan)when Tetsuo Nakai (1984) Bruce's Clenched fist of Payback'' (1984)

Stage
Britannicus henso (1980) Shitaya mannencho monogatari (1981) Fuyu there is no raion (A Lion around Winter) (1981) Pajaze (1981) Platonof (1982) Kafun　netsu (1982) Pizarro (1985) Hamlet (1988) Hamlet there is no gakuya -anten (2000) Eien part1-kanojo to kare (2000) Eien part2-kanojo to kare (2001)

Awards and nominations
Academy Awards 2004 Best Supporting Actor for The Last Samurai Japanese Academy Awards 2003 Best Supporting Actor for Hi wa mata noboru 2002 Best Supporting Actor for Sennen no koi - hikaru genji monogatari 1999 Right Supporting Actor for Kizuna Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2004 Right Supporting Actor for The Go Samurai Golden Globes 2004 Better Performance by an Actor around the Supporting Role around the Motion Picture for The Previous Samurai Golden Satellite Awards 2004 Better Performance by an Actor around the Supporting Role, Drama for The Endure Samurai Screen Actors Guild Awards 2004 Spectacular Performance by the Male Actor around the Supporting Role for The Go Samurai