Takeshi Kitano (Japanese: 北野 武) or Beat Takeshi (Japanese:ビートたけし) (January 18,1947) was a celebrity contestant on Quiz $ Millionaire, the Japanese version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. On September 18, 2008, in first time he appeared with three standard lifelines, but answered the Top Prize question wrong. On the same day he appeared for the second time where three standard lifelines were replaced by three Phone-a-Friend lifelines (Twice phoned on 14th question). Despite this, the host allowed him to use the Ask the Audience lifeline. He answered the 14th question wrong. In third time, on January 30, 2009, he appeared again and won Top Prize. On January 2, 2013, in fourth time before the game, Kitano asked the host to replace all the lifelines for three Phone-a-Friend lifelines and the host agreed and won ¥100,000 after answering the ¥1,000,000 question wrong. Takeshi Kitano is the only celebrity to appear four times.
He used his winnings to help build four schools in Benin with foreign personality Zomahoun Idossou Rufin (known as Zomahin in Japan). Two of the schools are named after Kitano. Zomahin would later become the Benin ambassador to Japan on August 2, 2012.
Takeshi decides to use the Phone a Friend lifeline and calls his wife, but ends the conversation because it's about personal topics. Instead, he decides to replace one of the lifelines and uses Ask the Audience lifeline.
¥500,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
What social network did Mark Zuckerberg create? "Phone a Friend" and "Phone a Friend" lifelines used
• A: Facebook
• B: Mixi
• C: Twitter
• D: YouTube
Takeshi again uses the Phone a Friend lifeline, this time successfully, and calls the screenwriter and writer Aramat Hiroshi, but he does not have time to answer. He decides to use his last Phone a Friend lifeline; this time on the communication group prompters: they believe that the correct answer is A: Facebook.
¥100,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
What is the official language in Brazil?
• A: Spanish
• B: French
• C: Portuguese
• D: Dutch
¥1,000,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
With whose mediation was the Satti Union of 1866 signed?
• A: Sakamoto Ryoma
• B: Kondo Isami
• C: Katsura Kogoro
• D: Katsu Kayshu
Trivia
He is the first contestant to answer the final question wrong who would return and win the top prize.
He is the only contestant to have two runs on the same day.
He is the first known contestant to have used Phone-a-Friend multiple times on the same question.
