TOKYO ꟷ Japanese actor Shinichi Chiba, known abroad as Sonny Chiba, who dazzled action movie fans in Japan and overseas with karate and other martial arts techniques, died Thursday (Aug 19) at a hospital near Tokyo due to pneumonia associated with Covid-19, his office said. He was 82.

Chiba, a Fukuoka Prefecture native whose real name was Sadaho Maeda, gained nationwide popularity through his role in the television drama series Key Hunter, which began in the late 1960s.

The 1974 karate movie Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken (The Street Fighter) featuring his action-packed performance became a hit in the United States and remains popular outside Japan.

The appeal of his work has endured among overseas audiences, film directors and actors such as Mr Keanu Reeves, who hailed Chiba’s action films when the two met during a promotional event in the past.

Chiba appeared in filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 movie Kill Bill: Vol. 1, also serving as the instructor for its fighting scenes.

While attending Nippon Sport Science University in the late 1950s, Chiba suffered an injury that prevented him from pursuing Olympic competition in gymnastics. He later earned a black belt in the Kyokushin school of Japanese full-contact karate and began his acting career.

In his early movies, filmed before the days of computer-generated special effects, Chiba made the rare move of performing many of his own action sequences rather than relying on stunt doubles.

In 1970, he created the “Japan Action Club” training facility which produced young action stars including Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada and actress Etsuko Shiomi, who appeared alongside Chiba in many films and television shows.

Apart from his film work, Chiba also appeared in a number of Japanese samurai films and television drama series. In the series Yagyu Ichizoku no Inbo (Yagyu Clan Conspiracy), Chiba portrayed the one-eyed swordsman Yagyu Jubei, which became his signature role.

According to his office, Chiba was infected with the novel coronavirus in late July and initially stayed at home. As his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to a hospital in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo on Aug 8 and received an oxygen supply.

Chiba was not vaccinated, the office said. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST