Jun Kunimura

Jun Kunimura (國村 隼, Kunimura Jun, born Yoshihiro Yonemura (米村 喜洋, Yonemura Yoshihiro); 16 November 1955) is a Japanese actor who has performed in Japan, Hollywood, and Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in the South Korean horror film The Wailing, directed by Na Hong-jin.

Jun Kunimura
國村隼
Born
Yoshihiro Yonemura

(1955-11-16) November 16, 1955
Kumamoto, Japan
NationalityJapanese
OccupationActor
Years active1976–present
Japanese name
Kanji國村 隼
Hiraganaくにむら しゅん
Japanese name
Kanji米村 喜洋

Early life and education

Kunimura was born Yoshihiro Yonemura (米村 喜洋 Yonemura Yoshihiro) in Kumamoto Prefecture, but his family moved to Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture soon after, before moving again to Osaka when he was two years old. He graduated from a theatre program operated by the Osaka Broadcasting Corporation, a theatre company owned and operated by a local NHK affiliate. He has cited actor Yūsaku Matsuda as an influence.

Career

Kunimura began his acting career with a bit part in Shirō Moritani's 1973 disaster film Tidal Wave. He went on to appear in the TV dramas Ayu no Uta and Yôi don, before holding his first starring role in Kazuyuki Izutsu's Gaki Teikoku.[1] Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, he appeared in a number of Hong Kong-produced films, including a prominent cameo role in John Woo's Hard Boiled, as a Triad gunman in the film's opening teahouse shootout. In 1989, he starred in his first American film, Black Rain. The Ridley Scott-helmed Yakuza action film was shot on-location in Kunimura's hometown of Osaka, and starred his mentor Yūsaku Matsuda.

Kunimura is known internationally for his work with Western director such as Scott, Quentin Tarantino, and Roland Emmerich.[2] He has collaborated with prominent Japanese filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Lee Sang-il, Hideaki Anno, and Ryuhei Kitamura. In 2016, he starred in Na Hong-jin's Korean horror film The Wailing, which earned him critical and popular acclaim. It earned him the Best Supporting Actor and Popular Star Awards at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards, making him the first-ever non-Korean and Japanese actor to be nominated for the former accolade.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Tidal Wave Shoichi
1981 Gaki Teikoku Choi
1989 Black Rain Yashimoto 1st non-Japanese film
1991 Au Revoir, Mon Amour Keiji
The Blue Jean Monster Kai
Ōte Emisu
1992 Hard Boiled Teahouse Gunman
1993 All Under the Moon Tada
1994 Treasure Hunt Yamamoto
Tokarefu Det. Takahashi
1995 Heisei musekinin-ikka: Tokyo de luxe Yoichi
1996 Somebody Up There Likes Me Japanese Trainer
1997 Suzaku Kōzō Tahara
Wild Life Ijima
Ningen isu Shoichiro Shimizu
1998 Begging for Love Saburo Wachi
The Story of PuPu Kijima
1999 Keiho Shibata Toshimitsu
Audition Yasuhisa Yoshikawa
Mayonaka made Noriyuki
2000 Ryûsei Kirishima
Dokuritsu shônen gasshô-dan Michio's Father
Chaos Inspector Hamaguchi
Face Kenta Kariyama
Gojoe Suzaku-hougan
2001 Desert Moon Kosugi
Ichi the Killer Funaki
Ye long The Contractor
2002 Misutâ rûkî Yang
Hi wa mata noboru Koide
Tomie: Forbidden Fruit Kazuhiko Hashimoto
The Laughing Frog Akio Yoshizumi
Alive Kojima
Sorry Sei's Father
2003 Hoshi ni negaio Jin Kirishima
Samurai Resurrection Saemon Jinno
9 Souls Yamamoto
Tsuribaka Nisshi 14 Kawashima
Kill Bill: Volume 1 Boss Tanaka
Dead End Run Jun
2004 Half a Confession Manabu Uemura
Kill Bill: Volume 2 Boss Tanaka
Umizaru Admiral Masaki Igarashi
69 Sasaki
Vital Hideyoshi Ooyama
Blood and Bones Yong-sang Jo
Lady Joker Satoru Hirase
Godzilla: Final Wars Major Komuro
2005 Fuyu no Undoukai Kitazawa Ryousuke
Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean Matoi Tokioka
Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi Kataoka
Hanging Garden Dan Kyobashi
2006 Limit of Love: Umizaru Masaki Igarashi
Hana Isekan
Baruto no Gakuen Takagi
Sinking of Japan Kyosuke Nozaki
Children Shugoro Kihara
Tsubakiyama Kacho no Nanokakan Daisuke Ichikawa
2007 Three for the Road Rental Salesman
Silk Umon
2008 Team Batista no Eikō Gonta Takashina
Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess Nagakura
God's Puzzle Murakami
Paco and the Magical Book Kinomoto
Yesterdays Akihiko Yanagida
K-20: Legend of the Mask Genji
Miyagino Sharaku
2009 King of the Escape Kanemura
Mt. Tsurugidake Seiichiro Yaguchi
2010 Saru Lock the Movie Ogasawara
After the Flowers Jinzaemon Terat
My Darling Is a Foreigner Noriyuki Oguri
Sunshine Ahead Tatsuhei Hiki
Outrage Ikemoto
Here Comes the Bride, My Mom! Akira Murakami
Saya Zamurai The Lord
Aibou: The Movie II Muneo Hasegawa
2011 Synchronicity Shinju Tenshi Ai's Father
Moonlight Mask The Impresario
Monsters Club Mr. Kakiuchi
2012 Reunion Yoshito Shibata
2013 A Story of Yonosuke Mr. Yosano
The Incredible Truth Sato Tsuyoshi
Like Father, Like Son Kazushi Kamiyama
The Wind Rises Hattori Japanese-language version
A Boy Called H Yoshimura
Why Don't You Play in Hell? Muto
Unforgiven Masaharu Kitaoji
Asa Hiru Ban Asamoto
2014 Dakishimetai: Shinjitsu no Monogatari Toshiro
The World of Kanako Dr. Tsujimura
Parasyte: Part 1 Det. Hirama
2015 Attack on Titan Kubal / Colossal Titan
At Home Genji
Parasyte: Part 2 Det. Hirama
The Big Bee Nakatsuka
2016 Kokoro Daisuke
Chihayafuru Part 1 Hideo Harada
Chihayafuru Part 2
The Wailing The Japanese Man Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
Blue Dragon Film Award for Most Popular Star
Nominated- Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated- Buil Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
Shin Godzilla Chief of Staff Masao Zaizen
Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate Takumi Ukawa
2017 Hamon: Yakuza Boogie Katsuji Shimada
Mumon: The Land of Stealth Kitabatake Tomonori
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I Ryohei Higashikata
Manhunt Yoshihiro Sakai
Fullmetal Alchemist Tim Marcoh
Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura Chief Daibutsu
2018 Punk Samurai Slash Down Shuzen Oura
The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan Toshio
Our Departures Setsuo Okuzono
Chihayafuru Part 3 Hideo Harada
Jû-nen: Ten Years Japan Shigeta Segment: "Itazura dômei"
2019 The Great War of Archimedes Marshal Admiral Osami Nagano
Taro the Fool Oda
The Witness Takashi Hirayama
Midway Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo
2020 Step
Minamata Junichi Nojima
2021 Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction Daisaku Nikaidō
TBA Kate Post-production

Television
Year Title Role Network Notes
2000 Aikotoba wa Yūki Fuji TV
2008 Andō Natsu Umekichi Yasuda TBS
2009 Saka no Ue no Kumo Kawakami Soroku NHK
2012 Carnation Kiichi Hanamura NHK Asadora
Taira no Kiyomori Fujiwara no Tadazane NHK Taiga drama
2014 Alice no Toge TBS
2015 Keisei Saimin no Otoko Part 3 Takashi Miki NHK TV movie
2016 Shizumanu Taiyō Wowow
Ishikawa Goemon Toyotomi Hideyoshi TV Tokyo
2017 Hello, Detective Hedgehog TBS
2019 The Naked Director Netflix
2020 Taiyō no Ko NHK TV movie

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2016 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Supporting Actor
The Wailing
 Won [3]
Popular Star Award Won [4]
2017 11th Asian Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated
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gollark: I really think you should rewrite it as a typed lambda calculus evaluator, which is more principled.
gollark: Troubling.
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References
  1. "Akumade hishatai de aritai". Dōraku. Asahi Shinbun. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  2. "Konkai no "Gokujō Kūkan"". BS Asahi. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  3. "'Inside Men,' 'The Wailing' Top Korea's Blue Dragon Awards". Variety. November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  4. "'Inside Men,' 'The Wailing' Top Korea's Blue Dragon Awards". Variety. November 25, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
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