Sonny Chiba, Martial Arts Legend and 'Kill Bill' Actor, Dies at 82 of COVID Complications

[Carlitos Brigante]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sonny-chiba-martial-arts-legend-143909260.html

Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba, the Japanese actor and martial arts legend who had roles in American films like “Kill Bill” and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” died on Thursday of COVID complications, his agent and manager confirmed to Variety. He was 82.

Chiba’s career in film and television spanned five decades — from the 1960s through the 2010s — and he appeared in countless Japanese titles, in addition to some popular American movies. In many of his projects, he showcased his expert martial arts skills, and he went on to choreograph fight scenes later in his career.

Born Sadaho Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan, on Jan. 22, 1939, he began learning martial arts while at Nippon Sport Science University in 1957. He studied under karate master Masutatsu “Mas” Oyama and earned a first-degree black belt in 1965. He later played Oyama in a trilogy of films, “Champion of Death,” “Karate Bearfighter” and “Karate for Life,” in the late 1970s. In 1984, he received a fourth-degree black belt. He also held black belts in ninjutsu, shorinji kempo, judo, kendo and goju-ryu karate.

He began his career in film and TV in 1960, taking on the name Shinichi Chiba. His first roles came on Japanese superhero shows “Seven Color Mask,” where he replaced the lead actor, and “Messenger of Allah,” in which he played the main character. His first movie roles were in a series of crime thrillers from Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, who he collaborated with frequently, and the sci-fi pic “Invasion of the Neptune Men” in 1961.

[TheBlackAdder]

1. That sucks. 😞

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. Terrible news.

Sonny was a legend.

The Street Fighter series is classic.

[Grokenstein]

3. Rest in peace, Space Chef...Chief.

[MisterNiceKitty]

5. +1

Karate for Life

[Ms. Toad]

4. He was NOT vaccinated.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. That's good to know.