Hiroyuki Sanada
Hiroyuki Sanada, Order of the British Empire, is a Japanese actor. In Asia, he is most famous for his role in Kirito No Séngyo as the 'Immortal', and Tasogare Seibei 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.
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.
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. 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 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. Sanada received his honorary MBE for his "contribution to spreading British culture in Japan through his performance in a joint Shakespeare production."
Some of Sanada's more famous movies are Tasogare Seibei, Ring, Kaitō Ruby, and The Last Samurai. Sanada played Matsuda 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". In 2013, he appears in 47 Ronin alongside Keanu Reeves, and as Shingen Yashida in The Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman.
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. He also starred in the 2017 movie Life with Ryan Reynolds and played the minor role of Akihiko in the 2019 film . In August 2019, Sanada was cast in the Mortal Kombat reboot as Scorpion.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref. |
| 1966 | Game of Chance | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori | ||
| 1967 | Game of Chance 2 | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori | ||
| 1967 | Game of Chance 3: Lullaby for My Son | Kenichi Endō | Ryūichi Takamori | ||
| 1969 | Abashiri Prison: Drifter at the Edge of the World | Shōichi | Teruo Ishii | ||
| 1970 | Legacy of Honor | Ichiro Kawamata | Shigehiro Ozawa | ||
| 1970 | Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7 | Yasuo Hanada | Masahiro Makino | ||
| 1974 | The Executioner | Young Ryūichi Kōga | Teruo Ishii | ||
| 1978 | Shogun's Samurai | Hayate | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1978 | Message from Space | Shirō Hongō | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1979 | Sanada Yukimura no Bōryaku | Isa Nyūdō Miyoshi | Sadao Nakajima | ||
| 1979 | G.I. Samurai | Takeda Katsuyori | Kōsei Saitō | ||
| 1979 | Tonda Couple | Hoshida | Shinji Sōmai | ||
| 1979 | Shogun's Ninja | Takamaru Momochi | Norifumi Suzuki | ||
| 1981 | Samurai Reincarnation | Iga no Kirimaru | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1981 | Roaring Fire | Jōji Hibiki/Tōru Hinohara | Norifumi Suzuki | ||
| 1981 | The Kamikaze Adventurer | Akira Hoshino | Ryūichi Takamori | ||
| 1981 | The Blazing Valiant | Joe | Toru Dobashi | ||
| 1982 | Lovers Lost | Kunihiko Yasuoka | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1982 | Ninja in the Dragon's Den | Genbu | Corey Yuen | Hong Kong film | |
| 1982 | Fall Guy | Himself | Kinji Fukasaku | Cameo | |
| 1982 | Ninja Wars | Jōtarō | Kōsei Saitō | ||
| 1983 | Kabamaru the Ninja | Shizune Mejiro | Norifumi Suzuki | ||
| 1983 | Legend of the Eight Samurai | Shinbei Inue | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1984 | The Street of Desire | Jōji Tanaka | Haruhiko Mimura | ||
| 1984 | Kōtarō Makaritōru! | Tatsuya Yoshioka | Norifumi Suzuki | ||
| 1984 | Mahjong hōrōki | Tetsu Bōya | Makoto Wada | ||
| 1985 | The Dagger of Kamui | Jiro | Rintaro | Voice | |
| 1986 | House on Fire | Chūya Nakahara | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1986 | Inuji ni Seshi Mono | Shigesa | Kazuyuki Izutsu | ||
| 1986 | Cabaret | Tanokura | Haruki Kadokawa | ||
| 1986 | In the Line of Duty: Royal Warriors | Kenji "Peter" Yamamoto | David Chung | Hong Kong film | |
| 1987 | ' | Ukyōnosuke Okuda | Kinji Fukasaku | ||
| 1988 | Kaitō Ruby | Tōru Hayashi | Makoto Wada | ||
| 1989 | Who Do I Choose? | Jun Yamamoto | Shusuke Kaneko | ||
| 1990 | Yellow Fangs | Eiji | Sonny Chiba | ||
| 1990 | Let's Go to the Hospital | Kōhei Shintani | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 1990 | Tugumi | Kyōichi | Jun Ichikawa | ||
| 1992 | Succession | Masakazu Yoshinari | Kazuki Ōmori | ||
| 1992 | Let's Go to the Hospital 2 | Ichirō Katakura | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 1993 | We Are Not Alone | Keiichi Takahashi | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 1993 | ' | Takashi Samejima | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 1994 | Uneasy Encounters | Man | Makoto Wada | Episode 1 | |
| 1994 | Hero Interview | Jinta Todoroki | Michio Mitsuno | ||
| 1994 | Crest of Betrayal | Takumi-no-kami Asano | Kinji Fukasaku | Special appearance | |
| 1994 | 119 | Headquarters member | Naoto Takenaka | ||
| 1995 | Sharaku | Tonbo | Masahiro Shinoda | ||
| 1995 | East Meets West | Kenkichi Kamijō | Kihachi Okamoto | ||
| 1995 | Emergency Call | Hideyuki Harada | Kazuki Ōmori | ||
| 1998 | Ring | Ryūji Takayama | Hideo Nakata | ||
| 1998 | Spiral | Ryūji Takayama | George Iida | ||
| 1998 | Murder on D Street | Seiichirō Fukiya | Akio Jissoji | ||
| 1998 | 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 | ||
| 2001 | Round About Midnight | Kōji Moriyama | Makoto Wada | ||
| 2001 | Onmyōji | Dōson | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 2002 | Vengeance for Sale | Sukeroku Sukedachiya | Kihachi Okamoto | ||
| 2002 | The Twilight Samurai | Seibei Iguchi | Yoji Yamada | ||
| 2003 | The Last Samurai | Ujio | Edward Zwick | ||
| 2005 | Aegis | Hisashi Sengoku | Junji Sakamoto | ||
| 2005 | The White Countess | Matsuda | James Ivory | ||
| 2005 | The Promise | General Guangming | Chen Kaige | Chinese film | |
| 2007 | Sunshine | Kaneda | Danny Boyle | ||
| 2007 | Rush Hour 3 | Kenji | Brett Ratner | ||
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Mr. Musha | The Wachowskis | ||
| 2009 | The City of Your Final Destination | Pete | James Ivory | ||
| 2012 | ' | Narrator | Yōjirō Takita | ||
| 2013 | The Wolverine | Shingen Yashida | James Mangold | ||
| 2013 | The Railway Man | Takashi Nagase | Jonathan Teplitzky | ||
| 2013 | 47 Ronin | Ōishi Yoshio | Carl Rinsch | ||
| 2015 | Mr. Holmes | Tamiki Umezaki | Bill Condon | ||
| 2015 | 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 | ' | Akihiko | Russo brothers | ||
| 2020 | Minamata | 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 | |||
| 1966 | JNR Inspector No. 36 | |||
| 1967 | Special Tactical Police | |||
| 1968 | Ahirugaoka 77 | Tahei Danno | ||
| 1970 | Mito Kōmon | Kanta | ||
| 1970 | Key Hunter | |||
| 1975 | The Gorilla Seven | |||
| 1977 | J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai | Katsuya Nakayama | ||
| 1977 | Shinkansen Kōankan | Yasuo | ||
| 1978 | Hayato Gen/Maboroshi | |||
| 1978 | The Yagyu Conspiracy | Hyōma Hattori | ||
| 1978 | Seven Detectives | |||
| 1979 | The Unfettered Shogun | Otome Moroki | ||
| 1980 | Roar! Doberman Cop | Hiroshi Sawaki | ||
| 1980 | Yagyu Abaretabi | Matahei | ||
| 1981 | Shadow Warriors II | Hayate Kozō | ||
| 1982 | Shadow Warriors III | Sasuke | ||
| 1982 | Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi | Matahei | ||
| 1984 | Wonderful Circus Guy | Tsuyoshi Satomi | TV film | |
| 1984 | Chōdenshi Bioman | Ken Hayase | Special guest | |
| 1985 | Shadow Warriors IV | Katsu Rintarō | ||
| 1985 | And Then the War is Over | Tetsutarō Suzuki | TV film | |
| 1985 | Kamen no Ninja Akakage | Genji | TV film | |
| 1985 | 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 | ||
| 1987 | Dokuganryu Masamune | Matsudaira Tadateru | ||
| 1987 | Sweet Memories | Kiyoshi Ishihara | TV film | |
| 1987 | Me and Sister | TV film | ||
| 1988 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | Ishida Mitsunari | TV film | |
| 1988 | Love Story in New York | Masahiro Sakairi | ||
| 1988 | I Love You So Much | Seiichi | TV film | |
| 1989 | Oda Nobunaga | Tokugawa Ieyasu | TV film | |
| 1989 | Ryoma Sakamoto | Sakamoto Ryōma | TV film | |
| 1990 | Shingo's Ten Duels | Shingo Aoi | TV film | |
| 1991 | Taiheiki | Ashikaga Takauji | ||
| 1991 | Fall Guy: Gin-chan Goes | TV film | ||
| 1992 | Seiteki Mokushi Roku | Mitsuo Wada | TV film | |
| 1992 | Seizoroi Shimizu Ikka: Jirocho Uridasu | Shinya no Asakichi | TV film | |
| 1993 | Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Conqueror of a Nation | Azai Nagamasa | TV film | |
| 1993 | High School Teacher | Takao Hamura | ||
| 1994 | The Reason I Owed to Her | Kunihiko Yamanobe | ||
| 1995 | The Abe Clan | Matashichirō Emoto | TV film | |
| 1995 | 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 | ||
| 1997 | Konna Koi no Hanashi | Shūichirō Harashima | ||
| 1998 | That Man's Fear | Keisuke Kishikawa | TV film | |
| 1998 | Tabloid | Toshihito Manabe | ||
| 1999 | Summer of Detectives | Kazuki Kurokawa | TV film | |
| 1999 | Furuhata Ninzaburō | Kazuo Yura | Episode 29 | |
| 1999 | 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 | ||
| 2014 | Extant | Hideki Yasumoto | ||
| 2016 | The Last Ship | Takehaya | ||
| 2018-2020 | Westworld | Musashi |