Minoru Chiaki Dies at 82

[Stuart Galbraith IV]

Subject: actor Minoru Chiaki
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Date: 01 Nov 1999 13:58:11 GMTOrganization: AOL http://www.aol.com
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TOKYO, Nov. 1 (Kyodo) - Actor Minoru Chiaki, known for his appearances in the
films of legendary film director Akira Kurosawa, died Monday of acute
respiratory and coronary failure, his family said. He was 82. 
Chiaki, whose real name was Katsuji Sasaki, died at 12:12 p.m. at a hospital in
Fuchu in western Tokyo, they said. 
Chiaki is perhaps best known overseas for his role as Tahei, one of the two
army deserters who became involved in the rescue of a princess in Kurosawa's
''Hidden Fortress.'' 
Tahei and the other soldier, Matashichi, were the inspiration for C3PO and
R2D2, characters in George Lucas' ''Star Wars'' series of films. 
With Chiaki's death, the last of the seven actors who played the title
characters in the 1954 masterpiece ''Seven Samurai,'' including other Kurosawa
favorites Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, passed away. 
Chiaki also appeared in nine other Kurosawa films, including ''Rashomon,'' the
''Throne of Blood,'' ''The Lower Depths'' and ''Ikiru.'' 
In 1975, Chiaki collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage but he recovered,
eventually playing a senile old man in Shunya Ito's ''Hana Ichimonme'' in 1985,
for which he was awarded the Japan Academy Prize for best actor. He was also
active in television and on stage. AP-NY-11-01-99 0237EST


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