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

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotesRef.
1966Game of Chance
Kenichi EndōRyūichi Takamori
1967Game of Chance 2
Kenichi EndōRyūichi Takamori
1967Game of Chance 3: Lullaby for My Son
Kenichi EndōRyūichi Takamori
1969Abashiri Prison: Drifter at the Edge of the World
ShōichiTeruo Ishii
1970Legacy of Honor
Ichiro KawamataShigehiro Ozawa
1970Brutal Tales of Chivalry 7
Yasuo HanadaMasahiro Makino
1974The Executioner
Young Ryūichi KōgaTeruo Ishii
1978Shogun's Samurai
HayateKinji Fukasaku
1978Message from Space
Shirō HongōKinji Fukasaku
1979Sanada Yukimura no Bōryaku
Isa Nyūdō MiyoshiSadao Nakajima
1979G.I. Samurai
Takeda KatsuyoriKōsei Saitō
1979Tonda Couple
HoshidaShinji Sōmai
1979Shogun's Ninja
Takamaru MomochiNorifumi Suzuki
1981Samurai Reincarnation
Iga no KirimaruKinji Fukasaku
1981Roaring Fire
Jōji Hibiki/Tōru HinoharaNorifumi Suzuki
1981The Kamikaze Adventurer
Akira HoshinoRyūichi Takamori
1981The Blazing Valiant
JoeToru Dobashi
1982Lovers Lost
Kunihiko YasuokaKinji Fukasaku
1982Ninja in the Dragon's Den
GenbuCorey Yuen
Hong Kong film
1982Fall Guy
HimselfKinji Fukasaku
Cameo
1982Ninja Wars
JōtarōKōsei Saitō
1983Kabamaru the Ninja
Shizune MejiroNorifumi Suzuki
1983Legend of the Eight Samurai
Shinbei InueKinji Fukasaku
1984The Street of Desire
Jōji TanakaHaruhiko Mimura
1984Kōtarō Makaritōru!
Tatsuya YoshiokaNorifumi Suzuki
1984Mahjong hōrōki
Tetsu BōyaMakoto Wada
1985The Dagger of Kamui
JiroRintaro
Voice
1986House on Fire
Chūya NakaharaKinji Fukasaku
1986Inuji ni Seshi Mono
ShigesaKazuyuki Izutsu
1986Cabaret
TanokuraHaruki Kadokawa
1986In the Line of Duty: Royal Warriors
Kenji "Peter" YamamotoDavid ChungHong Kong film
1987'
Ukyōnosuke OkudaKinji Fukasaku
1988Kaitō Ruby
Tōru HayashiMakoto Wada
1989Who Do I Choose?
Jun YamamotoShusuke Kaneko
1990Yellow Fangs
EijiSonny Chiba
1990Let's Go to the Hospital
Kōhei ShintaniYōjirō Takita
1990Tugumi
KyōichiJun Ichikawa
1992Succession
Masakazu YoshinariKazuki Ōmori
1992Let's Go to the Hospital 2
Ichirō KatakuraYōjirō Takita
1993We Are Not AloneKeiichi TakahashiYōjirō Takita
1993'Takashi SamejimaYōjirō Takita
1994Uneasy EncountersManMakoto Wada
Episode 1
1994Hero InterviewJinta TodorokiMichio Mitsuno
1994Crest of BetrayalTakumi-no-kami AsanoKinji Fukasaku
Special appearance
1994119Headquarters memberNaoto Takenaka
1995SharakuTonboMasahiro Shinoda
1995East Meets WestKenkichi KamijōKihachi Okamoto
1995Emergency CallHideyuki HaradaKazuki Ōmori
1998RingRyūji TakayamaHideo Nakata
1998SpiralRyūji TakayamaGeorge Iida
1998Murder on D StreetSeiichirō FukiyaAkio Jissoji
1998Tadon to ChikuwaAsamiJun Ichikawa
1999Ring 2Ryūji TakayamaHideo NakataSpecial appearance
2000First LoveShinichirō FujikiTetsuo Shinohara
2001Minna no IeBartenderKōki Mitani
2001Round About MidnightKōji MoriyamaMakoto Wada
2001OnmyōjiDōsonYōjirō Takita
2002Vengeance for SaleSukeroku SukedachiyaKihachi Okamoto
2002The Twilight SamuraiSeibei IguchiYoji Yamada
2003The Last SamuraiUjioEdward Zwick
2005AegisHisashi SengokuJunji Sakamoto
2005The White CountessMatsudaJames Ivory
2005The PromiseGeneral GuangmingChen KaigeChinese film
2007SunshineKanedaDanny Boyle
2007Rush Hour 3KenjiBrett Ratner
2008Speed RacerMr. MushaThe Wachowskis
2009The City of Your Final DestinationPeteJames Ivory
2012'NarratorYōjirō Takita
2013The WolverineShingen YashidaJames Mangold
2013The Railway ManTakashi NagaseJonathan Teplitzky
201347 RoninŌishi Yoshio Carl Rinsch
2015Mr. HolmesTamiki UmezakiBill Condon
2015MinionsDumo the SumoPierre Coffin and Kyle BaldaVoice
2017LifeSho MurakamiDaniel Espinosa
2018The Catcher Was a SpyKawabataBen Lewin
2019'AkihikoRusso brothers
2020MinamataAndrew Levitas
2021Mortal KombatScorpionSimon McQuoidPost-production
TBAArmy of the DeadHunter BlyZack SnyderPost-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1966Freezing Point
1966JNR Inspector No. 36
1967Special Tactical Police
1968Ahirugaoka 77Tahei Danno
1970Mito KōmonKanta
1970Key Hunter
1975The Gorilla Seven
1977J.A.K.Q. DengekitaiKatsuya Nakayama
1977Shinkansen KōankanYasuo
1978Hayato Gen/Maboroshi
1978The Yagyu ConspiracyHyōma Hattori
1978Seven Detectives
1979The Unfettered ShogunOtome Moroki
1980Roar! Doberman CopHiroshi Sawaki
1980Yagyu AbaretabiMatahei
1981Shadow Warriors IIHayate Kozō
1982Shadow Warriors IIISasuke
1982Yagyu Jubei AbaretabiMatahei
1984Wonderful Circus GuyTsuyoshi SatomiTV film
1984Chōdenshi BiomanKen HayaseSpecial guest
1985Shadow Warriors IVKatsu Rintarō
1985And Then the War is OverTetsutarō SuzukiTV film
1985Kamen no Ninja AkakageGenjiTV film
1985Shadow Warriors: The End of An EraKatsu Rintarō
1986Interviewer Saeko: A Returnless JourneyTV film
1987Classmate is 13-years-oldKenkō Inawashiro
1987Dokuganryu MasamuneMatsudaira Tadateru
1987Sweet MemoriesKiyoshi IshiharaTV film
1987Me and SisterTV film
1988Tokugawa IeyasuIshida MitsunariTV film
1988Love Story in New YorkMasahiro Sakairi
1988I Love You So MuchSeiichiTV film
1989Oda NobunagaTokugawa IeyasuTV film
1989Ryoma SakamotoSakamoto RyōmaTV film
1990Shingo's Ten DuelsShingo AoiTV film
1991TaiheikiAshikaga Takauji
1991Fall Guy: Gin-chan GoesTV film
1992Seiteki Mokushi RokuMitsuo WadaTV film
1992Seizoroi Shimizu Ikka: Jirocho UridasuShinya no AsakichiTV film
1993Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Conqueror of a NationAzai NagamasaTV film
1993High School TeacherTakao Hamura
1994The Reason I Owed to HerKunihiko Yamanobe
1995The Abe ClanMatashichirō EmotoTV film
1995Miracles in the Holy Night:
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Yūji NonomuraEpisode 2, TV film
1996HideyoshiIshida Mitsunari
1997Shin Hanshichi TorimonochoHanshichi
1997Konna Koi no HanashiShūichirō Harashima
1998That Man's FearKeisuke KishikawaTV film
1998TabloidToshihito Manabe
1999Summer of DetectivesKazuki KurokawaTV film
1999Furuhata NinzaburōKazuo YuraEpisode 29
1999Kujira o Mita hiTamio ŌbaTV film
2001Unmarried FamilyYōsuke Matoba
2004Locked-in SyndromeShunsuke KōsakaTV film
2010LostDogen
2011-2012RevengeSatoshi Takeda
2014HelixDr. Hiroshi Hatake
2014ExtantHideki Yasumoto
2016The Last ShipTakehaya
2018-2020WestworldMusashi

Theater