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Best known for his
starring role as reporter Goro Maki in The Return of Godzilla (1984) and as Shinsuke Ibuki in the two Gate of Youth films, Ken Tanaka graduated from the Fukuoka Prefectural Yame Technical High School. Once he got his degree, Tanaka started a musical career under the artist name Ken Blue in 1972. Although popular in his craft, Tanaka felt the need to expand and so went into the world of acting. His debut picture was director Kei Kumai's Sandakan No. 8 (1974). His performance quickly led to other films, mostly at Toho at this point in his career.
In the 1980's, Tanaka was expanding out to other studios. Despite this, he was selected for the lead role in The Return of Godzilla (1984), which relaunched the Godzilla franchise. Following this, Tanaka stared in a few more theatrical productions before ultimately turning toward a career on TV.
Tanaka was previously married to The Makioka Sisters (1983) actress Yuko Kotegawa. The couple divorced in 1999, and Tanaka has since remarried with actress Chikage Kaga.
Although the actor has gone by a variety of names, his most common is Ken Tanaka, a variation of his birth name: Kenichi Tanaka.
Other names: Kenichi Tanaka (田中 研一), Ken Blue (あおい 健), Kenny Taylor Jr (ケニー・テイラーJr) |
