Sonny Chiba, the Japanese martial arts movie star who found late-career renown in Hollywood after outspoken admiration from Quentin Tarantino, has died aged 82 from a Covid-related illness.
By then, Chiba had become a star in Japan, appearing in titles such as the 1970s Street Fighter trilogy (and its spin-off, Sister Street Fighter), Bullet Train and Champion of Death.
(He would also achieve black belts in judo and kendo, among other martial arts.)
Chiba had already embarked on his acting career, acquiring the nickname “Sonny” after the Street Fighter films proved a cult hit in the US.