Toshiro Mifune
Director Akira Kurosawa was inspired by battle veteran Mifune because of his genuinely intimidating demeanor and harsh voice. Together, the two produced 16 movies, with 1954’s Seven Samurai being the most well-known. Mifune’s fighting technique was appropriately manly and vicious; George Lucas considered casting him as Obi Wan Kenobi and he nearly landed the role of Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid (1984), but he was rejected because he was thought too frightening.
Toshiro Mifune
Cheng Pei-Pei
In the 1966 film Come Drink With Me, the former ballet dancer established herself as the first screen queen of kung fu. She portrayed the swashbuckling warrior Golden Swallow, whose main goal is to rescue her kidnapped brother. Since the movie served as a key inspiration for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, Cheng, who was 54 at the time, was chosen by director Ang Lee to play the cunning Jade Fox.
Cheng Pei Pei
