Death Of A Samurai

Japanese film star Toshiro Mifune died Wednesday of organ failure at a Tokyo hospital. He was 77. Mifune was beloved around the world as a swashbuckling samurai in half of his nearly 250 movies, leading some fans to brand him the Japanese John Wayne. Above, Mifune is shown with actress Machiko Kyo in a scene from “Roshomon,” directed by the great Akira Kurosawa in 1950.