Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese actor Ken Watanabe will postpone his return to Broadway’s The King and I, after undergoing surgery for early stage stomach cancer.
Watanabe was diagnosed in January during a routine medical checkup. According to the 56-year-old star’s Facebook page, he underwent a successful laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumour, and is now recuperating in hospital in Japan.
On Tuesday, Watanabe released a statement through his publicist, saying: “I am preparing myself in earnest for the stage. I would like to ask for your understanding that the start of my performance in New York will be a little delayed.”
Ken has undergone laparoscopic surgery after having been diagnosed with stomach cancer in January. His surgery was successful but his return to Broadway will be postponed.
Posted by Ken Watanabe on Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Watanabe was initially scheduled to return to the stage in March. He made his American stage debut last April in the Tony-winning revival of The King and I, and was subsequently nominated for his first Tony in the show last year, for Best Performance by a Leading Actor.
In the beloved tale, Watanabe plays the leading role King Mongkut of Siam, and the story follows the unlikely relationship he forms with an English teacher during the early 1860s.
This is not Watanabe’s first battle with cancer. In 1989, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and after treatment, returned to acting the following year.
Watanabe is perhaps most recognised for his roles in Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Batman Begins, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 for his turn as Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai.