Rentaro Mikuni, movie actor and director, dies at 90

Actor Rentaro Mikuni died Sunday of acute cardiac failure, his family said Monday. He was 90.

Mikuni, whose real name was Masao Sato, was renowned for his screen appearances and rose to stardom after making his debut in "Zenma" ("Eudemon") in 1951, adopting his character's name in that film as his stage name.

He established himself as a leading actor with his serial murderer role in "Kigakaikyo" ("A Fugitive from the Past") in 1965.

Gunma-born Mikuni blazed a new trail in 1988 as a humorous figure in the "Tsuribaka Nisshi" ("Fishing Fool's Diary") series.

Winning the Medal of the Purple Ribbon in 1984 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 1993, he played the father of the main character in "Waga Haha no Ki" ("Chronicle of My Mother"), which won the Special Grand Prix of the jury at the 2011 Montreal World Film Festival.