Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998) was a Japanese painter and filmmaker who directed thirty films over the course of his five-decade career. He is recognized as one of cinema's most significant and influential directors.

Following a brief spell as a painter, Kurosawa entered the Japanese cinema business in 1936. He made his directorial debut during World War II with the popular action picture Sanshiro Sugata, after years of working as an assistant director and playwright on various films. After the war, Kurosawa's position as one of Japan's most prominent young directors was confirmed with the critically praised Drunken Angel (1948), in which he cast the then-unknown actor Toshiro Mifune in a leading role.

Rashomon, which had its world debut in Tokyo, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. Kurosawa received the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1990. He was chosen "Asian of the Century" in the "Arts, Literature, and Culture" category by AsianWeek magazine and CNN after his death, citing him as one of the five persons who most significantly contributed to Asia's progress in the twentieth century. Many retrospectives, critical studies, and biographies in print and television, as well as releases in consumer media, have recognized his work.

Born: March 23, 1910, Shinagawa City, Tokyo, Japan
Died: September 6, 1998, Seijo, Tokyo, Japan