Mifune Toshirō, a World-Class Act

A typical shot of the actor on set during a break in the shooting. Mifune was a lifelong smoker.

Mifune as a young conscript in the 7th Air Brigade of the Imperial Army Air Service (Manchuria). Because of his photographic skills, he was assigned to work on aerial reconnaissance photographs.

In 1946, the 26-year-old Mifune visited the Tōhō motion picture studio seeking work as a cameraman but ended up as an alternate selection in the studio’s talent search.

Mifune at Tōhō’s Kinuta studio during the filming of Yōjimbō (1961).

Mifune with French actor Alain Delon on the set of Red Sun (Soleil Rouge; 1971), an eclectic western featuring an international cast, including US actor Charles Bronson and Swiss actress Ursula Andress.

Mifune on the set of John Frankenheimer’s 1966 Grand Prix (left) and reading about himself in a cover article of Life magazine (right).

Mifune with Stephen Spielberg, who directed him in 1941 (1979) and stayed in touch with him for years thereafter.