TOSHIRO MIFUNE

"Mifune had a kind of talent I had never encountered before in the Japanese film world. It was, above all, the speed with which he expressed himself that was astounding. The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression; Mifune needed only three. The speed of his movements was such that he said in a single action what took ordinary actors three separate movements to express. He put forth everything directly and boldly, and his sense of timing was the keenest I had ever seen in a Japanese actor. And yet with all his quickness, he also had surprisingly fine sensibilities." – Akira Kurosawa, Something Like an Autobiography.

Videos:
Actions speak louder than words
A Fistful of Yojimbo

Links:
www.mifuneproductions.co.jp
Wikipedia
Criterion Collection