Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba, the Japanese martial arts expert and actor who appeared in American films like Kill Bill and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, died on Thursday of COVID complications. He was 82.
“Sonny passed away from COVID-19 yesterday,” Chiba’s Timothy Beal told AFP. “Such tragic news. He was a great friend and an awesome client. Such a humble, caring, and friendly man.”
Born Sadaho Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan on January 22nd, 1939, Chiba began training in martial arts in 1959, whilst studying at Nippon Sport Science University. He earned his first-degree black belt in 1965, studying under karate master Msutatsu “Mas” Oyama; who he would go on to portray in a trilogy of films, Champion of Death, Karate Bearfighter, and Karate for Life, in the late 1980s.
Over the course of his martial arts career, he would achieve black belts in judo, kendo and goju-ryu karate.
He started his career in film and television in 1960, adopting the name Shinichi Chiba. He cut his teeth on the Japanese superho show, Seven Color Mask, and Messenger of Allah. His first film roles were in a slew of crime films from director Kinji Fukasaku, who would go on to be a frequent creative collaborator.
His international breakthrough came in 1974, with a role in the cult grindhouse film, The Street Fighter. Chiba would go on to find further international recognition with a role in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1. Chiba portrayed Hattori Hanzo, a retired swordsman who crafts a sword for Uma Thurman’s The Bride. Tarantino was a vocal admirer of Chiba; in the screenplay for True Romance, Christian Slater’s character is a fan of the actor.
He also appeared in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, as Kamata, a Yazuka boss.
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Chiba’s final credited role, in Ryuji Yamakita’s Bond of Justice: Kizuna, is set to be released on October 1st.
