Hiroyuki Sanada Biography

(Actor & Martial Artist Known for His Role as ‘Genbu’ in the Film ‘Ninja in the Dragon's Den’)

Birthday: October 12, 1960 (Libra)

Born In: Tokyo, Japan

Advanced SearchHiroyuki Sanada, born as Hiroyuki Shimosawa, is a Japanese actor who has acted in a variety of films and dramas till date. He has appeared in the movies ‘The Twilight Samurai’, ‘The Last Samurai’, ‘Ring’, ‘Kaitō Ruby’, ‘The White Countess’, ‘The Promise’, ‘Rush Hour 3’, ‘The City of Your Final Destination’, ‘The Wolverine’ and ‘Mr. Holmes’, to name a few. His TV performances include roles in the dramas ‘The Yagyu Conspiracy’, ‘Chodenshi Bioman’, ‘Dokuganryu Masamune’, ‘Taiheiki’, ‘Hideyoshi’, ‘Lost’, ‘Revenge’, ‘Helix’, ‘Extant’ and ‘The Last Ship’. A graduate of Nihon University, Sanada is also an all-round martial artist. He has a very good friendship with martial art superstar Jackie Chan. Sanada is a talented stage actor as well. His most famous theatre projects were with the popular theatre company, Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Apart from that, the Japanese star has performed in the plays ‘Tenshu Story’, ‘Moonlit Club’, ‘Paper Moon’ and ‘Stuntman Story’. Quick Facts

Also Known As: Hiroyuki Shimozawa

Age: 63 Years, 63 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Satomi Tezuka (ex-wife)

Actors Japanese Men

Height: 5'7" (170 cm), 5'7" Males

Notable Alumni: Nihon University

City: Tokyo, Japan

More Facts

education: Nihon University

awards: Order of the British Empire
2003 · The Twilight Samurai - Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
1982 · Samurai Reincarnation

Roaring Fire; The Kamikaze Adventurers - Japan Academy Award for Newcomer of the Year
2003 · The Twilight Samurai; Sukedachi-ya Sukeroku - Mainichi Film Award for Best Actor
2002 · The Twilight Samurai - Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Actor
2003 · The Twilight Samurai; Sukedachi-ya Sukeroku - Kinema Junpo Award for Best Acto

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Japanese PeopleLibra ActorsJapanese ActorsActors Who Are In Their 60sJapanese Film & Theater Personalities CareerIn 1977, Hiroyuki Sanada guest-starred in the drama ‘J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai’. He then appeared in the series ‘The Yagyu Conspiracy’ and ‘Abarenbo Shogun’ as well as in the movies ‘Shogun's Samurai’ and ‘Message from Space’. Sanada was then cast as Takeda Katsuyori in the flick ‘G.I. Samurai’ in 1979. A year later, he did the movie ‘Tonda Couple’. Soon after this, he was seen in the films ‘Samurai Reincarnation’, ‘Ninja in the Dragon's Den’ and ‘Fall Guy’.The actor then got featured in the 1983 movie ‘Legend of the Eight Samurai’. He acted in the film ‘Sure Death 4: Revenge’ in 1987. The same year, he was cast in the drama series ‘Dokuganryu Masamune’ as well as in the play ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. After this, he performed in the play ‘Big River’ in 1988. A year later, he played the role of Shusuke Kaneko in the flick ‘Who Do I Choose?’ The same year, he also acted in the drama ‘Oda Nobunaga’ and in the play ‘Broadway Bound’.From 1990 to 2009, Sanada appeared in a number of films, such as ‘Tugumi’, ‘Nemuranai Machi: Shinjuku Sam’, ‘Crest of Betrayal’, ‘East Meets West’, ‘Ring’, ‘Rasen’, ‘Murder on D Street’, ‘First Love’, ‘The Twilight Samurai’, ‘The Last Samurai’, ‘The White Countess’, ‘Rush Hour 3’, ‘Sunshine’ and ‘The City of Your Final Destination’. During this time period, he also acted on stage, in plays like ‘Hamlet’ and ‘King Lear.’ In addition, he appeared in many TV projects, such as 'Taiheiki', ‘Koko Kyoshi’, ‘The Reason I Owed to Her’, ‘Hideyoshi’ and ‘Furuhata Ninzaburō’.In 2010, the Japanese star joined the cast of the drama series ‘Lost’. Soon after this, he got the chance to act in the series ‘Revenge’. Sanada then performed in the movies ‘The Wolverine’ and ‘The Railway Man’ in 2013. The following year, he played the roles of Dr. Hiroshi Hatake and Hideki Yasumoto in the series ‘Helix’ and ‘Extant’ respectively. He then appeared as Bill Condon in the flick ‘Mr. Holmes’ and as Takehaya in the drama ‘The Last Ship’. In 2017, Sanada did the movies ‘Life’ and ‘The Catcher Was a Spy’.Recommended Lists:

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Libra MenContinue Reading BelowPersonal LifeHiroyuki Sanada was born as Hiroyuki Shimosawa on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from Nihon University. In 1990, he married Satomi Tezuka and had two children. Unfortunately, the couple broke up in 1997.