Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada, MBE (真田 広之, Sanada Hiroyuki, born Hiroyuki Shimosawa (下澤 廣之, Shimosawa Hiroyuki); 12 October 1960),[1] is a Japanese actor. In Asia, he is most famous for his role in Kirito No Séngyo as the 'Immortal', and Tasogare Seibei (The Twilight Samurai) and his role as 'The Fool' in the Shakespeare play King Lear gave him notable theatrical notice in the UK. Sanada is also known as a recording artist in Japan. He also is a stage actor, working in Japanese and British plays and theatre.
Hiroyuki Sanada MBE | |||||
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真田 広之 | |||||
.jpg) Sanada in October 2013 | |||||
| Born | Hiroyuki Shimosawa October 12, 1960 Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||
| Occupation | Actor | ||||
| Years active | 1965–present | ||||
| Spouse(s) | Satomi Tezuka (1990–1997) | ||||
| Children | 2 | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 真田 広之 | ||||
| Hiragana | さなだ ひろゆき | ||||
| Katakana | サナダ ヒロユキ | ||||
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 下澤 廣之 | ||||
| Hiragana | しもさわ ひろゆき | ||||
| Katakana | シモサワ ヒロユキ | ||||
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He made his first major Hollywood appearance portraying Ujio in 2003's The Last Samurai, later also appearing in 2013's The Wolverine and 47 Ronin. Additionally, he is currently set to portray the Mortal Kombat character Scorpion in the 2021 reboot film of the same name.[2][3]
Life and career
Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally planning to be an action star, he studied Shorinji Kempo and later took up Kyokushin kaikan karate.[4] Sanada began training at the age of 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club, where he developed good all-round martial arts ability, and soon became Chiba's protégé. Sanada's martial arts film career introduced him to Michelle Yeoh, with whom he co-starred in Royal Warriors, and then later in Danny Boyle's Sunshine. He has a long-standing friendship with Jackie Chan. Outside of Japan, Sanada was often credited in his younger days as Henry Sanada, Harry Sanada, or Duke Sanada.
Sanada received a Bachelor of Arts from Nihon University. From 1980 to 1991, Sanada released a series of albums and singles in Japan as a singer; several of these were tied to films, TV shows, or stage productions he was starring in. In 2010 and 2011, compilations were released covering his songs for movies and pop hits respectively.
Sanada has established himself as a character actor who is adept at playing a variety of roles. He was first noticed as a serious actor in the movie Mahjong Hourouki directed by Makoto Wada. Since then he has acted in Wada's movies — works filled with humor and a nostalgia for classic films.
In 1999 and 2000, he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in their production of King Lear, which earned him an honorary MBE in 2002. Many media reports erroneously stated that Sanada received the honorary MBE for being the first Japanese actor to perform with the RSC. This is not correct; Japanese actor Togo Igawa performed with the RSC in 1985 and joined them in 1986.[5] Sanada received his honorary MBE for his "contribution to spreading British culture in Japan through his performance in a joint Shakespeare production."[6]
Some of Sanada's more famous movies are Tasogare Seibei (The Twilight Samurai), Ring, Kaitō Ruby, and The Last Samurai. Sanada played Matsuda (the Japanese imperialist who befriends Ralph Fiennes' character Todd Jackson) in the 2005 film The White Countess directed by James Ivory. He starred in the Chinese film The Promise directed by Chen Kaige as General Guangming. Sanada has appeared in Rush Hour 3 in 2007 with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and in The City of Your Final Destination in 2009 in which he plays the younger lover of Anthony Hopkins' character Adam Gund.
Sanada joined the cast of the ABC TV series Lost in 2010 during its sixth and final season. He portrayed Dogen, a high-ranking member of "The Others".[7] In 2013, he appears in 47 Ronin (the first English-language adaptation of the Chushingura legend, Japan's most famous tale of samurai loyalty and revenge) alongside Keanu Reeves,[8] and as Shingen Yashida in The Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman.[9]
Sanada was a guest star as Takehaya, a former Japanese Navy officer and legendary pirate captain in post-plague Asia, in the apocalyptic drama series The Last Ship.[10] He also starred in the 2017 movie Life with Ryan Reynolds and played the minor role of Akihiko in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame. In August 2019, Sanada was cast in the Mortal Kombat reboot as Scorpion.[11]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Game of Chance (浪曲子守唄) | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori (鷹森立一) | ||
| 1967 | Game of Chance 2 (続 浪曲子守唄) | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori (鷹森立一) | ||
| Game of Chance 3: Lullaby for My Son (出世子守唄) | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori (鷹森立一) | |||
| 1969 | Abashiri Prison: Drifter at the Edge of the World (新網走番外地 さいはての流れ者) | Shōichi | Teruo Ishii (石井輝男) | ||
| 1970 | Legacy of Honor (遊侠列伝) | Ichiro Kawamata | Shigehiro Ozawa ((小沢 茂弘) | [12] | |
| Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7 (昭和残侠伝 死んで貰います) | Yasuo Hanada | Masahiro Makino (マキノ雅弘) | |||
| 1974 | The Executioner (直撃! 地獄拳) | Young Ryūichi Kōga | Teruo Ishii (石井輝男) | ||
| 1978 | Shogun's Samurai (柳生一族の陰謀) | Hayate | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | ||
| Message from Space (宇宙からのメッセージ) | Shirō Hongō | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | |||
| 1979 | Sanada Yukimura no Bōryaku (真田幸村の謀略) | Isa Nyūdō Miyoshi | Sadao Nakajima (中島貞夫) | ||
| G.I. Samurai (戦国自衛隊) | Takeda Katsuyori | Kōsei Saitō (斎藤光正) | |||
| Tonda Couple (翔んだカップル) | Hoshida | Shinji Sōmai (相米慎二) | |||
| Shogun's Ninja (忍者武芸帖 百地三太夫) | Takamaru Momochi | Norifumi Suzuki (鈴木則文) | |||
| 1981 | Samurai Reincarnation (魔界転生) | Iga no Kirimaru | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | ||
| Roaring Fire (吼えろ鉄拳) | Jōji Hibiki/Tōru Hinohara | Norifumi Suzuki (鈴木則文) | |||
| The Kamikaze Adventurer (冒険者カミカゼ -ADVENTURER KAMIKAZE-) | Akira Hoshino | Ryūichi Takamori (鷹森立一) | |||
| The Blazing Valiant (燃える勇者) | Joe | Toru Dobashi (土橋亨) | |||
| 1982 | Lovers Lost (道頓堀川) | Kunihiko Yasuoka | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | ||
| Ninja in the Dragon's Den (Chinese: 龍之忍者) | Genbu | Corey Yuen (Chinese: 元奎) | Hong Kong film | ||
| Fall Guy (蒲田行進曲) | Himself | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | Cameo | ||
| Ninja Wars (伊賀忍法帖) | Jōtarō | Kōsei Saitō (斎藤光正) | |||
| 1983 | Kabamaru the Ninja (伊賀野カバ丸) | Shizune Mejiro | Norifumi Suzuki (鈴木則文) | ||
| Legend of the Eight Samurai (里見八犬伝) | Shinbei Inue | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | |||
| 1984 | The Street of Desire (彩り河) | Jōji Tanaka | Haruhiko Mimura (三村晴彦) | ||
| Kōtarō Makaritōru! (コータローまかりとおる！) | Tatsuya Yoshioka | Norifumi Suzuki (鈴木則文) | |||
| Mahjong hōrōki (麻雀放浪記) | Tetsu Bōya | Makoto Wada (和田誠) | |||
| 1985 | The Dagger of Kamui (カムイの剣) | Jiro | Rintaro (りんたろう) | Voice | |
| 1986 | House on Fire (火宅の人) | Chūya Nakahara | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | ||
| Inuji ni Seshi Mono (犬死にせしもの) | Shigesa | Kazuyuki Izutsu (井筒和幸) | |||
| Cabaret (キャバレー) | Tanokura | Haruki Kadokawa (角川春樹) | |||
| In the Line of Duty: Royal Warriors (Chinese: 皇家戰士) | Kenji "Peter" Yamamoto | David Chung | Hong Kong film | ||
| 1987 | Sure Death 4: Revenge (必殺ＩＶ 恨みはらします) | Ukyōnosuke Okuda | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | ||
| 1988 | Kaitō Ruby (快盗ルビイ) | Tōru Hayashi | Makoto Wada (和田誠) | ||
| 1989 | Who Do I Choose? (どっちにするの。) | Jun Yamamoto | Shusuke Kaneko (金子修介) | ||
| 1990 | Yellow Fangs (リメインズ_美しき勇者たち) | Eiji | Sonny Chiba (千葉真一) | ||
| Let's Go to the Hospital (病院へ行こう) | Kōhei Shintani | Yōjirō Takita (滝田洋二郎) | |||
| Tugumi (つぐみ) | Kyōichi | Jun Ichikawa (市川準) | |||
| 1992 | Succession (継承盃) | Masakazu Yoshinari | Kazuki Ōmori (大森一樹) | ||
| Let's Go to the Hospital 2 (病は気から 病院へ行こう２) | Ichirō Katakura | Yōjirō Takita (滝田洋二郎) | |||
| 1993 | We Are Not Alone | Keiichi Takahashi | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| Nemuranai Machi: Shinjuku Same | Takashi Samejima | Yōjirō Takita | |||
| 1994 | Uneasy Encounters | Man | Makoto Wada (和田誠) | Episode 1 | |
| Hero Interview | Jinta Todoroki | Michio Mitsuno | |||
| Crest of Betrayal | Takumi-no-kami Asano | Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二) | Special appearance | ||
| 119 | Headquarters member | Naoto Takenaka | |||
| 1995 | Sharaku | Tonbo | Masahiro Shinoda | ||
| East Meets West | Kenkichi Kamijō | Kihachi Okamoto | |||
| Emergency Call | Hideyuki Harada | Kazuki Ōmori | |||
| 1998 | Ring | Ryūji Takayama | Hideo Nakata | ||
| Spiral | Ryūji Takayama | George Iida | |||
| Murder on D Street | Seiichirō Fukiya | Akio Jissoji | |||
| Tadon to Chikuwa | Asami | Jun Ichikawa | |||
| 1999 | Ring 2 | Ryūji Takayama | Hideo Nakata | Special appearance | |
| 2000 | First Love | Shinichirō Fujiki | Tetsuo Shinohara | ||
| 2001 | Minna no Ie | Bartender | Kōki Mitani | ||
| Round About Midnight | Kōji Moriyama | Makoto Wada (和田誠) | |||
| Onmyōji | Dōson | Yōjirō Takita | |||
| 2002 | Vengeance for Sale | Sukeroku Sukedachiya | Kihachi Okamoto | ||
| The Twilight Samurai | Seibei Iguchi | Yoji Yamada | |||
| 2003 | The Last Samurai | Ujio | Edward Zwick | ||
| 2005 | Aegis | Hisashi Sengoku | Junji Sakamoto | ||
| The White Countess | Matsuda | James Ivory | |||
| The Promise | General Guangming | Chen Kaige | Chinese film | ||
| 2007 | Sunshine | Kaneda | Danny Boyle | ||
| Rush Hour 3 | Kenji | Brett Ratner | |||
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Mr. Musha | The Wachowskis | ||
| 2009 | The City of Your Final Destination | Pete | James Ivory | ||
| 2012 | Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer | Narrator | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 2013 | The Wolverine | Shingen Yashida | James Mangold | ||
| The Railway Man | Takashi Nagase | Jonathan Teplitzky | |||
| 47 Ronin | Ōishi Yoshio | Carl Rinsch | |||
| 2015 | Mr. Holmes | Tamiki Umezaki | Bill Condon | ||
| Minions | Dumo the Sumo | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda | Voice | ||
| 2017 | Life | Sho Murakami | Daniel Espinosa | ||
| 2018 | The Catcher Was a Spy | Kawabata | Ben Lewin | ||
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Akihiko | Russo brothers | ||
| 2020 | Minamata | Mitsuo Yamazaki | Andrew Levitas | ||
| 2021 | Mortal Kombat | Scorpion | Simon McQuoid | Post-production | |
| TBA | Army of the Dead | Hunter Bly | Zack Snyder | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Freezing Point | |||
| JNR Inspector No. 36 | ||||
| 1967 | Special Tactical Police | |||
| 1968 | Ahirugaoka 77 | Tahei Danno | ||
| 1970 | Mito Kōmon | Kanta | ||
| Key Hunter | ||||
| 1975 | The Gorilla Seven | |||
| 1977 | J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai | Katsuya Nakayama | ||
| Shinkansen Kōankan | Yasuo | |||
| 1978 | Message from Space: Galactic Wars | Hayato Gen/Maboroshi | ||
| The Yagyu Conspiracy | Hyōma Hattori | |||
| Seven Detectives | ||||
| 1979 | The Unfettered Shogun | Otome Moroki | ||
| 1980 | Roar! Doberman Cop | Hiroshi Sawaki | ||
| Yagyu Abaretabi | Matahei | |||
| 1981 | Shadow Warriors II | Hayate Kozō | ||
| 1982 | Shadow Warriors III | Sasuke | ||
| Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi | Matahei | |||
| 1984 | Wonderful Circus Guy | Tsuyoshi Satomi | TV film | |
| Chōdenshi Bioman | Ken Hayase | Special guest | ||
| 1985 | Shadow Warriors IV | Katsu Rintarō | ||
| And Then the War is Over | Tetsutarō Suzuki | TV film | ||
| Kamen no Ninja Akakage | Genji | TV film | ||
| Shadow Warriors: The End of An Era | Katsu Rintarō | |||
| 1986 | Interviewer Saeko: A Returnless Journey | TV film | ||
| 1987 | Classmate is 13-years-old | Kenkō Inawashiro | ||
| Dokuganryu Masamune | Matsudaira Tadateru | |||
| Sweet Memories | Kiyoshi Ishihara | TV film | ||
| Me and Sister | TV film | |||
| 1988 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | Ishida Mitsunari | TV film | |
| Love Story in New York | Masahiro Sakairi | |||
| I Love You So Much | Seiichi | TV film | ||
| 1989 | Oda Nobunaga | Tokugawa Ieyasu | TV film | |
| Ryoma Sakamoto | Sakamoto Ryōma | TV film | ||
| 1990 | Shingo's Ten Duels | Shingo Aoi | TV film | |
| 1991 | Taiheiki | Ashikaga Takauji | ||
| Fall Guy: Gin-chan Goes | TV film | |||
| 1992 | Seiteki Mokushi Roku | Mitsuo Wada | TV film | |
| Seizoroi Shimizu Ikka: Jirocho Uridasu | Shinya no Asakichi | TV film | ||
| 1993 | Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Conqueror of a Nation | Azai Nagamasa | TV film | |
| High School Teacher | Takao Hamura | [13] | ||
| 1994 | The Reason I Owed to Her | Kunihiko Yamanobe | ||
| 1995 | The Abe Clan | Matashichirō Emoto | TV film | |
| Miracles in the Holy Night: Santa Claus is Coming to Town | Yūji Nonomura | Episode 2, TV film | ||
| 1996 | Hideyoshi | Ishida Mitsunari | ||
| 1997 | Shin Hanshichi Torimonocho | Hanshichi | ||
| Konna Koi no Hanashi | Shūichirō Harashima | |||
| 1998 | That Man's Fear | Keisuke Kishikawa | TV film | |
| Tabloid | Toshihito Manabe | |||
| 1999 | Summer of Detectives | Kazuki Kurokawa | TV film | |
| Furuhata Ninzaburō | Kazuo Yura | Episode 29 | [14] | |
| Kujira o Mita hi | Tamio Ōba | TV film | ||
| 2001 | Unmarried Family | Yōsuke Matoba | ||
| 2004 | Locked-in Syndrome | Shunsuke Kōsaka | TV film | |
| 2010 | Lost | Dogen | ||
| 2011-2012 | Revenge | Satoshi Takeda | ||
| 2014 | Helix | Dr. Hiroshi Hatake | ||
| Extant | Hideki Yasumoto | |||
| 2016 | The Last Ship | Takehaya | ||
| 2018-2020 | Westworld | Musashi |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Yagyu Jubei Makai Tensho | Iga no Kirimaru | |
| Stuntman Story | Hiroyuki | ||
| 1982-1984 | The Big Adventure of The Fantastic Pirates | Icarus (Young Pirate)/Eagle Spirit | |
| 1984 | Little Shop of Horrors | ||
| 1985 | The Drunken Duke | Napoleon Bonaparte | |
| Tenshu Story | |||
| 1986 | Adventure Youth Departure | ||
| Stuntman Love Story | |||
| Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | ||
| 1987 | Biloxi Blues | Eugene | |
| 1988 | Big River | Huckleberry | |
| 1989-1990 | Broadway Bound | Eugene | |
| 1993 | Moonlit Club | ||
| 1995-1998 | Hamlet | Hamlet | |
| 1999-2000 | King Lear | The Fool | |
| 2000 | The Orchestra Pit | Conductor |
References
- "Hiroyuki Sanada Profile axon entertainment inc". March 5, 2018.
- Kroll, Justin; Kroll, Justin (2019-08-27). "'Mortal Kombat' Reboot Finds Its Shang Tsung and Scorpion (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Chin Han & Hiroyuki Sanada join Mortal Kombat as Shang Tsung and Scorpion". www.joblo.com. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- HIROYUKI SANADA: "PROMISES" FOR PEACE THROUGH FILM. kungfumagazine.com. Kung Fu Magazine Retrieved on 2011-11-21.
- "Togo Igawa's biography". Archived from the original on 2012-01-31.
- "Japanese actor gets British award for Shakespeare performance". September 5, 2011.
- "Hiroyuki Sanada to appear in final season of 'Lost'". Japan Today. October 19, 2009.
- "Keanu's "47 Ronin" has A-List Japanese Cast". japan-zone.com. March 2, 2011.
- Hoare, James. "THE WOLVERINE'S HIROYUKI SANADA ON SHINGEN AND SAMURAI". Movies. SciFiNow UK. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- Wagner, Curt (August 9, 2016). "BRIDGET REGAN: 'LAST SHIP' GETS MORE INTENSE". TVShowPatrol. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- Kroll, Justin (August 27, 2019). "'Mortal Kombat' Reboot Finds Its Shang Tsung and Scorpion (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- "遊侠列伝". Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- "高校教師（真田広之、桜井幸子". TBS. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- "EPISODE29／その男、多忙につき （放映タイトル：忙しすぎる殺人者）". Furuhata Ninzaburo Jiken Files. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
External links
- Hiroyuki Sanada on IMDb
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/5373743-Hiroyuki-Sanada-2
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