Claude Gagnon
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Claude Gagnon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 December 1949 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter, editor, actor |
| Spouse | Yuri Yoshimura-Gagnon |
Claude Gagnon (born 18 December 1949) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor, who frequently works in both Canada and Japan.[1][2]
A Quebec native, Gagnon first came to Japan in 1970 as photojournalist covering Expo '70 in Osaka. He met his wife, ballerina-turned-filmmaker Yuri Yoshimura, whom he married in 1973.
"My original plan was to spend six months in Japan, and then to go to Indonesia before heading to Europe. I thought I’d do my little trip like everyone else did in those days. But after six months I still didn’t understand a thing. There were very few foreigners living in Japan in those days, and I remember that if you saw a Westerner in Kyoto, you’d crossed the road to say hi and trade phone numbers. It was the era of “Peace and Love”‒‒euphoric and stimulating."[2]
Career
Gagnon's introduction to the film industry was as an actor, notably playing a villain in the Sonny Chiba martial arts film Return of the Street Fighter (1974).
He made his directorial debut with 1979's Keiko, a neorealist-inspired lesbian-themed drama. The film was a popular success and earned Gagnon the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award,[3] the first foreign-born filmmaker to do so.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Keiko | |
| 1982 | Larose, Pierrot and Luce | |
| 1985 | Pale Face | |
| 1988 | Kenny | |
| 1991 | The Pianist | |
| 1995 | Pour l'amour de Thomas | |
| 2004 | Revival Blues | |
| 2005 | Kamataki | |
| 2012 | Karakara | [4] |
| 2020 | Old Buddies | [5] |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Return of the Street Fighter | Don Costello | |
| 1976 | Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist | Joe Spencer | |
| 1977 | Rashamen | Smith |
