The founder of the Japan Action Club, Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba (68) announced his retirement from acting during an interview on NHK's SATURDAY STUDIO PARK this past week. The famous action star who appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL, said on the show that after his departure from the cast of the current NHK historical drama FURINKAZAN, for "personal reasons," he's hanging up his acting hat. At one point in the interview, he shed tears, saying that after 50 years in show business, that he'd rather quit while he is still in top form. He stated that this retirement will only be a semi-retirement, and is only taking a year off before embarking on new projects.