Film director Miike Takashi was born on August 24, 1960, in Osaka Prefecture.

After graduating from Yokohama Broadcasting and Film College (now Japan Institute of the Moving Image), he studied under directors Shohei Imamura and Hideo Onchi. He made his directorial debut in 1991 with the V-cinema "Gust of Wind! Minipatrol Squad," and directed his first original theatrical film in 1995 with "Shinjuku Underworld: China Mafia War."

His vivid depictions of violence have garnered popularity not only in Japan but around the world, and his films have been shown at numerous film festivals, but their provocative depictions and themes have also sometimes sparked controversy. His films "Sukiyaki Western Django" (2007) were screened at the 64th Venice Film Festival, "13 Assassins" (2010) at the 67th Venice Film Festival, "One Life" (2011) at the 64th, "Love and Sincerity" (2012) at the 65th, and "The Paper Shield" (2013) at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. At formal events like film festivals, he wears all-black suits with red accents. From horror films like "Audition" (2000) and "One Missed Call" (2004) to works based on children's anime like "Yatterman" (2009) and "Nintama Rantarou" (2011), his stance is to "take jobs on a first-come, first-served basis," regardless of genre. Another characteristic of his work is that he can complete each piece in a short period of time, and in the last 20 years he has worked on over 60 films alone.