Hiroyuki Sanada biography: 25 things about actor born in Tokyo, Japan

Who is Hiroyuki Sanada?

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor, singer and martial artist from Tokyo, Japan. He is a father of two.

Born Hiroyuki Shimozawa (下澤 廣之) in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Sanada went to Horikoshi High School in Nakano, Tokyo and Nihon University in Chiyoda, Tokyo. He released his albums “Movin’ Out” in 1986, “Into the Street” in 1987, “So, I Am…” and “Summer Dream” in 1988, “Faded Town” in 1989 and “Music Box” in 2023.

Sanada is 5’7″ tall. Here are 25 more things about him:

1. In 1965, he joined the Himawari Theatre Group in Ebisunishi, Shibuya, Tokyo.
2. In 1966, he made his acting debut in the film “Game of Chance” and the television shows “Freezing Point” and “JNR Inspector No. 36”.
3. From 1978 to 1979, he played Hayato Gen/Maboroshi in “Message from Space: Galactic Wars” and Sasuke in “The Yagyu Conspiracy”.
4. He played Matahei in “Yagyu Abaretabi” from 1980 to 1981, Hayate Kozō in “Shadow Warriors II” from 1981 to 1982 and Sasuke in “Shadow Warriors III” in 1982.
5. In 1982, he graduated from Nihon University with a bachelor’s degree in film science.
6. In 1985, he played Katsu Rintarō in “Shadow Warriors IV”.
7. From 1990 to 1997, he was married to Satomi Tezuka. They have two children together.
8. He played Takao Hamura in “KokoKyoshi” in 1993, Kunihiko Yamanobe in “The Reason I Owed to Her” in 1994, Hanshichi in “Shin Hanshichi Torimonocho” and Shūichirō Harashima in “A Story of Love” in 1997 and Toshihito Manabe in “Tabloid” in 1998.
9. In 2001, he played Yōsuke Matoba in “Unmarried Family”.
10. He played Ujio in “The Last Samurai” in 2003 and Matsuda in “The White Countess” in 2005.
11. In 2006, he won the Best Actor award in the Asian Film Critics Association Awards for his role in “Bokoku no Ijisu”.
12. He played Kenji in “Rush Hour 3” in 2007 and Mr. Musha in “Speed Racer” in 2008.
13. From 2011 to 2012, he played Satoshi Takeda in “Revenge”.
14. In 2013, he starred in “The Wolverine”, “The Railway Man” and “47 Ronin”.
15. From 2014 to 2015, he played Dr. Hiroshi Hatake in “Helix”.
16. He played Hideki Yasumoto in “Extant” in 2014 and Sho Murakami in “Life” in 2017.
17. In 2018, the Japanese government honored him with the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon.
18. He played Kawabata in “The Catcher Was a Spy” in 2018, Akihiko in “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 and Mitsuo Yamazaki in “Minamata” in 2020.
19. In 2021, he starred in “Mortal Kombat” and “Army of the Dead”.
20. In 2022, he starred in “Bullet Train”.
21. He played Shimazu Koji in “John Wick: Chapter 4”, which was released in March 2023.
22. He was one of the producers of “Shogun”, which premiered on FX on February 27, 2024. He played Lord Yoshii Toranaga in the series.
23. On September 15, 2024, he won Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
24. On October 12, 2024, he turned 64.
25. On December 17, 2024, he attended the Golden Globes first-time nominee celebration at The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California, United States.