Shinichi Chiba, best known to fans abroad as ¡°Sonny¡± Chiba, first became famous in the West as Japan¡¯s answer to Bruce Lee. Playing a martial arts master who protects a rich heiress from would-be kidnappers in the 1974 actioner ¡°The Street Fighter,¡± Chiba fought with a coiled style and highly charged intensity that echoed the on-screen moves and persona of the Hong Kong megastar. But his explosive power and hard-edged, dirty-hero performance made him more than just a Bruce Lee imitator.
Distributed abroad by New Line Cinema, ¡°The Street Fighter¡± and its sequels launched Chiba to international stardom. In the process he acquired a new first name, Sonny, bestowed on him by New Line founder Robert Shaye, and an overseas cult following that proved as enduring as Lee¡¯s, though Chiba never acquired Lee¡¯s ¡°dead legend¡± status.
After Chiba died in a hospital near Tokyo on Aug. 19 at age 82 from pneumonia associated with COVID-19, there was a rush of tributes from fans and industry friends and colleagues around the world. One reason for the outpouring: Chiba had amassed a staggering number of film, TV and stage credits in his six-decade career, while generating well-remembered hits in a range of genres, from sci-fi to period dramas. Also, Chiba¡¯s big personality and martial arts mastery overcame bad dubbing, formulaic scripts and hack directors. Even in cheesy ¡°chop-socky¡± flicks that were otherwise laughable, Chiba¡¯s riveting presence and macho panache sent fans swaggering out of the theaters ¡ª and kept his memory alive decades after their release.
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