About
Yasuaki Kurata
Overview
Yasuaki Kurata (born March 20, 1946), a.k.a David Kurata, is a Japanese actor specializing in action movies. An accomplished martial artist, he has dan ranks in karate (5th degree), judo (3rd degree), and aikido (2nd degree). He is perhaps best known for his extended battle against Jet Li in Fist of Legend and for his villainous role in So Close. He is fluent in Cantonese.
Kurata's home town is Sakura-mura, Niihari District, Ibaraki (now part of Tsukuba). Having studied performing arts at Nihon University and Toei Theater School, he began to work as an actor in the late 1960s. In 1971, Kurata made his Hong Kong debut in the Shaw Brothers Studio kung-fu movie Angry Guest . Since then he has appeared in numerous other films and TV series within the genre. In addition to his work as an actor, Kurata runs the stunt agency Kurata Promotion (established 1976 under the name Kurata Action Club), teaches at a private college (the University of Creation, Art, Music & Social Work), is chief advisor to the All Japan Nunchaku League, and in 2004 published a book, Hong Kong Action Star Kōyūroku.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Yasuaki Kurata, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Acting |
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| 2023 | Enter the Clones of Bruce | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 2021 | Pandora's Box | Actor | Hiroshi Kuroki | N/A N/A |
| 2020 | Warriors Within | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2019 | Black Fox: Age of the Ninja | Actor | Hyoe Isurugi | 59 Average |
| 2019 | Yasuragi no Toki: Michi | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2018 | Iceman: The Time Traveler | Actor | Bei Tiao | 59 Average |
| 2018 | Fat Buddies | Actor | 58 Average |
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| 2018 | Golden Job | Actor | Morimoto | 59 Average |
| 2018 | The Great Adventurer Wesley: Mind Port | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2018 | The Great Adventurer Wesley | Actor | 69 Fair |
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| 2017 | The Brink | Actor | Chen Ding-Kui | 58 Average |
| 2017 | Manhunt | Actor | Hideo Sakaguchi | 58 Average |
| 2017 | The Empty Hands | Actor | Akira Hirakawa | 58 Average |
| 2017 | The One | Actor | 新右卫门大师 | 58 Average |
| 2017 | God of War | Actor | Kumasawa | 59 Average |
| 2015 | KIRI – Profession: Assassin | Actor | Saburi | 58 Average |
| 2013 | The Wrath of Vajra | Actor | Amano Kawao | 58 Average |
| 2012 | The Last Tycoon | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 2011 | Sword of Blood | Actor | Genjiro Mishima | 58 Average |
| 2010 | Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen | Actor | Chikaraishis Vater | 63 Fair |
| 2009 | Blood: The Last Vampire | Actor | Kato Takatora | 58 Average |
| 2009 | Shinjuku Incident | Actor | Taro Watagawa | 61 Fair |
| 2006 | GoGo Sentai Boukenger The Movie: The Greatest Precious | Actor | Kouichi Akashi | 59 Average |
| 2006 | Legend of Seven Monks | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 2005 | Dragon Get Angry | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2005 | Yellow Dragon | Actor | Gouzaburo "Go" Azuma | 59 Average |
| 2005 | The Royal Swordsmen | Actor | 柳生但马守 | 70 Good |
| 2003 | Anna in Kungfu-land | Actor | Sword Shek | 58 Average |
| 2002 | Samouraïs | Actor | Fujiwara Morio | 58 Average |
| 2002 | So Close | Actor | Master | 62 Fair |
| 2001 | Dark War | Actor | Chang | N/A N/A |
| 2000 | Conman in Tokyo | Actor | Tetsuo | 59 Average |
| 2000 | Ginza Midnight Story - Utopia 2 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2000 | Ginza Midnight Story - Utopia | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 2000 | Quiet Don 11 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1999 | Fist Of Hero | Actor | 横山十兵卫 | 70 Good |
| 1996 | Quiet Don 10 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1996 | Quiet Don 9 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1996 | Quiet Don 8 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1995 | Quiet Don 7 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1994 | Fist of Legend | Actor | Fuimo Funakoshi | 67 Fair |
| 1994 | The Fighting King | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1993 | Quiet Don 6 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1993 | Quiet Don 5 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1992 | Violent Island: Dirty Money Hijack | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1992 | Quiet Don 4 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1992 | Quiet Don 3 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1991 | The Devil's Messenger DEATH MESSENGER | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1991 | Zodiac Killers | Actor | Ishikawa (cameo) | 58 Average |
| 1989 | Bloodfight | Actor | Masahiko Kai | 58 Average |
| 1989 | Above the War | Actor | Cook | 59 Average |
| 1988 | Seven Days War | Actor | Sakai | 58 Average |
| 1988 | Carry on Hotel | Actor | Tomohara | 58 Average |
| 1987 | Eastern Condors | Actor | Vietnamese Captain | 61 Fair |
| 1986 | The Seventh Curse | Actor | Captain Ho | 59 Average |
| 1986 | A Book of Heroes | Actor | Yamashita sensei | 59 Average |
| 1986 | Millionaires' Express | Actor | Japanese Ninja | 59 Average |
| 1985 | Police Story | Actor | Passerby (uncredited) | 69 Fair |
| 1985 | Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters | Actor | Takei (segment "Kyoko's House") | 65 Fair |
| 1985 | Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars | Actor | Parachute Assassin | 60 Fair |
| 1984 | To Catch a Thief | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1984 | Ninja Thunderbolt | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1983 | Aces Go Places II | Actor | Bull | 59 Average |
| 1983 | Kanei Command Performance | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1983 | Impossible Woman | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1983 | Deadly Life of a Ninja | Actor | Iga Ninja Leader | 58 Average |
| 1983 | Crisis | Actor | Chairman Sun Shao Hung | 59 Average |
| 1982 | Gメン'82 | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1982 | Legend of a Fighter | Actor | Teacher Kong Ho San | 58 Average |
| 1981 | The Legend of the Owl | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1981 | Seed of Evil | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1981 | Shaolin Fighters vs. Ninja | Actor | Lonely Winner | 58 Average |
| 1981 | Why Not? | Actor | Hanjiro | 59 Average |
| 1981 | Ninja In The Deadly Trap | Actor | Shi Ping-Wei, the Ninja Leader | 58 Average |
| 1980 | The Magnificent 3 | Actor | Japanese tourist | 59 Average |
| 1978 | Heroes of the East | Actor | Takeno | 60 Fair |
| 1978 | Edge of Fury | Actor | Mr King | 58 Average |
| 1977 | Secret of the Shaolin Poles | Actor | Tiger Lei (as Shoji Kurada) | 58 Average |
| 1977 | V.I.P. | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1976 | Which Is Stronger, Karate or the Tiger? | Actor | Ryuzaki Tetsuji | 59 Average |
| 1976 | Young Hero of Shaolin | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1976 | Dragon Princess | Actor | Masahiko Okizaki | 59 Average |
| 1975 | The Return of Sister Street Fighter | Actor | Go Kurosaki | 59 Average |
| 1975 | Fists for Revenge | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1975 | The Golden Triangle | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1975 | Fighting Dragon | Actor | Lung Yen Fei (Dragon) | N/A N/A |
| 1974 | Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread | Actor | Shunsuke Tsubaki | 59 Average |
| 1974 | The Executioner | Actor | Karate teacher | 59 Average |
| 1974 | Fight! Dragon! | Actor | Dragon | 69 Fair |
| 1974 | Little Godfather from Hong Kong | Actor | Sakada (Chong) | 59 Average |
| 1974 | Call Me Dragon | Actor | Panther / Leopard Head | 58 Average |
| 1974 | Fatal Strike | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1974 | The Fists of Vengeance | Actor | Kiro-san | 59 Average |
| 1973 | Ferocious to Ferocious | Actor | Yamada | N/A N/A |
| 1973 | Gold Snatchers | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1973 | The Black Panther | Actor | Chang Hui-Feng | 58 Average |
| 1973 | The Unsubdued Furies | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1973 | Seven to One | Actor | Nightclub Singer / Killer | 59 Average |
| 1973 | Win Them All | Actor | Iron Fingers | 59 Average |
| 1973 | A Gathering of Heroes | Actor | 59 Average |
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| 1973 | Knight Errant | Actor | Tetsuro | 59 Average |
| 1973 | Fist of Unicorn | Actor | Sun | 58 Average |
| 1973 | Rage of Wind | Actor | 58 Average |
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| 1973 | A Girl Called Tigress | Actor | Chiau Kung | 59 Average |
| 1973 | Kung Fu Inferno | Actor | Chiang Hung | 58 Average |
| 1973 | Fists of Vengeance | Actor | N/A N/A |
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| 1973 | Kung Fu Powerhouse | Actor | Tiger | N/A N/A |
| 1972 | Four Riders | Actor | Lei Tai | 58 Average |
| 1972 | Kung Fu: The Invisible Fist | Actor | 58 Average |
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| 1972 | The King of Boxers | Actor | Tu Pien | 59 Average |
| 1972 | The Prodigal Boxer | Actor | Iron Hand Tan | 58 Average |
| 1972 | The Angry Guest | Actor | Katsu | 58 Average |
| 1972 | Tiger | Actor | Tze Chiang | N/A N/A |
| Fight! Dragon (TV Pilot) - Dragon Flies to Hong Kong. | Actor | Ryuma Shiranui (Dragon) | N/A N/A |
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Writing |
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| 2005 | Yellow Dragon | Writing | Writer | 59 Average |
Production |
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| 2006 | Origin: Spirits of the Past | Production | Producer | 62 Fair |
| 2005 | Yellow Dragon | Production | Executive Producer | 59 Average |