He started his career as an assistant to the comedy band The Drifters, led by Chōsuke Ikariya.
He appeared on shows like Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV (加トちゃんケンちゃんごきげんテレビ), with Cha Katō, a fellow member of the group, Shimura Ken no Daijōbu-dā (志村けんのだいじょうぶだぁ)," and Shimura Ken no Baka Tono-sama (志村けんのバカ殿様), portraying characters like Baka Tono-sama (バカ殿様, Stupid Lord) and Hen na Oji-san (変なおじさん, Strange Older Man).
Some memorable pictures of that time are the mustache dance, in which he starred with Cha Katō and the song Higashimurayama, referring to his homeland.
and is characterized by an all-white face, extremely thick eyebrows and hair tied at the top of the head.
His show, Ken Shimura Daijoubuda, a satire of modern Japanese society, aired from 1987 to 1993.
[5] Following up his previous big hits, Shimura led several shows, mostly on the Fuji TV network.
Shimura's participation in the career of humorists (such as Katsuhiro Higo and Ryuuhei Ueshima, and Haruna Kondou and Haruka Minowa) and other celebrities is notorious.
On July 4, 2020, it was reported that Nippon TV had decided to end the broadcast, citing that it would be painfully difficult and heartbreaking to continue filming in a set filled with memories, that was destined for Shimura's advice.
[7][8] Shimura was hospitalized for severe pneumonia on March 20th 2020; he lost consciousness after being anesthetized and hooked up to a ventilator on the following day.
[3] Shimura died on March 29th 2020 at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine [ja] in Shinjuku, Tokyo.