Who plays Lieutenant Tanaka in Return from the River Kwai?

Lieutenant Tanaka is played by George Takei.

How is Lieutenant Tanaka connected to other characters?

Lieutenant Tanaka has 2 mapped relationships in Return from the River Kwai. Explore the interactive relationship map for details.

Lieutenant Tanaka — Return from the River Kwai Character Profile

About Lieutenant Tanaka

Cruel Japanese lieutenant and second-in-command under Major Harada. Known for brutal executions and strict violent discipline over the POWs, he is ultimately killed during the Brazil Maru disaster.

Lieutenant Tanaka — Character Profile

Character Facts

Played by: George Takei
Appears in: Return from the River Kwai (1989)
Role: Protagonist

Relationships (2)

Lieutenant Tanaka — Conflict Enemy — Colonel Grayson (Denholm Elliott)
Adversarial relationship driven by opposing military objectives.
Lieutenant Tanaka — Power Captor — Lieutenant Crawford (Chris Penn)
Oppressive captor-captive dynamic established after Crawford's capture.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Return from the River Kwai

More characters from Return from the River Kwai

Major Benford (Edward Fox)
Lieutenant Crawford (Chris Penn)
Colonel Grayson (Denholm Elliott)
Meo Girl (Anna Maria Tirol)
Seaman Miller (Timothy Bottoms)
Lt. Commander Hunt (Nick Tate)
Anon (Andres Tepongco)
Lieutenant Yamashita (Masato Nagamori)
Frenchman in Saigon (Pierre Valderon)
Lady in Saigon (Patricia Edmondson)
Sergeant Perry (Richard Graham)
Benford's Patient (Paul Holme)