Japanese martial arts movie star dies of Corona

Sony participated in about 125 works. AFP

Martial arts expert and Japanese movie star Sonny Chiba, who was especially prominent in the movie “Kill Bill” directed by Quentin Tarantino, died at the age of 82, due to complications from being infected with the Corona virus, according to his business manager.

Timothy Bell told AFP that Sony died on Wednesday of Covid-19, describing him as "a great friend and a wonderful customer, a very humble and friendly man."

In the 1960s, Sonny Chiba, whose real name was Sadaho Maeda, was born in Fukuoka (southwest of Japan) and became an expert in karate, which was his favorite sport.

Thanks to his mastery of these arts, Sony became a prolific actor in Japanese films and series, participating in about 125 works produced by the famous "Toile" studios, which included him in their ranks after discovering him in a competition for new talents.

In the midst of Bruce Lee's global success, Sonny Chiba emerged outside of Japan as the violent man in the Street Fighter trilogy.

Sony's performance caught the attention of American director Quentin Tarantino in his youth;

In his movie "Kill Bill", he was assigned the role of samurai Hattori Hanzo, who turns into a cook who helps Uma Thurman with his sword in carrying out her revenge.

In 2006, the Japanese actor also played a role in "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift" directed by Justin Lin.

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