Hiroyuki
Sanada was born Hiroyuki Shimozawa in Japan on 12th October 1960. His father
came from an agricultural background, farming deep in the mountains, while
his mother's family were fishermen from a small island in Japan.
He
started his acting career very young, joining the Himawari Drama
Company and becoming a magazine model at just five years of age.
He also started his acting career when he was only 5 years old in
the Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba film Game of Chance, but shortly
after stopped everything to go to school.
.
Sadly,
at the age of 11, he lost his
father. That same year he started to learn
karate. At 13, he joined the Japan Action Club theater group and
started to learn jazz dance. This awesome super-kicker
also
learned horse riding and graduated from the Horikoshi Gakuen high
school, a
school that specializes in young "talento."
.
Hiroyuki
Sanada made his second movie debut, and his first big impression
at the age of 18 under the name Hiroyuki Sanada in Yagyu
Ichizoku no Inbo(Shogun Samurai), another Shinichi
'Sonny'
Chiba film.
Even
though he started his career as an action star, he was later
recognized for his acting talents as his fame increased.
Apparently, Hiroyuki Sanada is a rare animal in the Japanese
entertainment world - an "engi-ha" or actor who can
really act. This is probably the greatest compliment that an actor
can be paid in Japan, superfluous though it would seem elsewhere.
And Sanada san is one of the very few who have had the courage to
prove this outside Japan. Like the late Toshiro Mifune or Ken
Takakura who have proved themselves abroad, Sanada-san is
much in
demand for serious films.
The
early years of his acting career were spent mostly in similarly
low-budget samurai and ninja movies. He became quite popular as a
martial artist abroad and used the nicknames "Henry" or
"Duke" Sanada. After graduating in Film Science from the
Nihon University College of Art in 1982, he appeared in the
historic action film Shogun's Ninja, performing his
own stunts, a feat that earned him acclaim. In 1984, his
groundbreaking work in Mahjong Vagrant Life (Mahjong
Horoki) boosted him to stardom.
.
While
working with Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba, Hiroyuki Sanada began a small career in
Hong Kong, with the 1982 flick Ninja in the Dragon's Den.
Working with Corey Yuen as director and Conan Lee as co-star, he
was able to show off some of the skills he learned with Chiba-san. In
1986, Royal Warriors was the last Hong Kong movie
that he worked on to date. He even trained Michelle Yeoh in a leg
scissor takedown move in the opening sequence.
Hiroyuki
Sanada is nothing if not extremely versatile. He starred in the Ringu/Ringu
2/Rasen
(Ring/Spiral, 1998)horror series that was so successful
as to be remade in Hollywood in 2002.
In
2000, he became the first Japanese actor to ever appear with the
Royal Shakespeare Company, putting in a creditable English
performance in London as King Lear's Fool.
He was honoured for his
outstanding work in this with the Member of the British Empire (MBE),
awarded by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1987, he won the Golden Arrow
award for Best Newcomer for his performance on stage in Little
Shop of Horrors. His movie accolades are even more
impressive - he's won the Best Actor prize at the Japan Academy
Awards no less than five times. Most recent was for his lead role
in the critically acclaimed Tasogare Seibei aka The
Twilight Samurai, 2002, which was directed by Yoji Yamada,
and was
also nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Foreign Film
Category. At the time of the
Japanese awards show,
he was in New Zealand filming the Tom Cruise movie, The Last
Samurai.
On working with the
Hollywood star he said:
"When I first met him, he'd
already learned Japanese fighting for eight months. But some parts
looked western, so I gave him some pointers on grip or stance or
how to use his eyes. We trained a lot together. I taught him some
forms to make his movement more authentic Japanese. And he was a
good learner and a hard worker. Quick learner. Every day he
improved, more authentic. So we had a good relationship and we've
enjoy rehearsal on the set."
Commenting
on the scene in the The Last Samurai where Ujio nearly beheads
Captain Algren, Hiroyuki Sanada said -
“I play Ujio, I’m
a master swordsman. I’ve learned martial arts including Kendo
sword fighting for over 30 years in Japan. One time when I attack
Tom; when I start swinging, Tom’s neck was here…” he laughs,
as he shows how close it was. “Argh! and everybody was screaming
on set, you know, and I managed to stop just an inch from his
neck. He
has a poker face and just says ‘I believed you’.”
He
has also starred in a host of other TV series, over 50 movie
productions and has even released several albums.
In
1990, he married actress Tezuka Satomi. The couple had two sons
but they divorced in 1997.
Throughout
his career he has won many awards and international critical acclaim for his work,
and today, he continues to work in films and television in Japan,
as well as his latest 'Hollywood' venture in The Last Samurai, where
he made quite an impact... and not just on me!
Even
more recently he has finished working on the British production of The
White Countess, with Ralph Fiennes, and also on Aegis
or Bokoku
no Aegis aka Aimless Aegis, (recently
released in Japan) and Wu-Ji aka The Promise - another Samurai
movie, where he plays the part of a Samurai General. Wu-Ji returns him to the warrior role, very much as he
had been
cast in his younger days in martial arts movies. Sanada san
worked on the recently released on DVD sci-fi movie "Sunshine", where he played the part of the Captain of the spacecraft. He also starred in the popular sequel Rush Hour 3 with Jackie Chan and Chris Rock. He is currently working on "Speed Racer" and "City of Your Final Destination" - both are currently in Post Production.
As
General Guang Ming in Wu-Ji aka The Promise.
I
truly hope that he
continues to make many more movies throughout the world, so that more people worldwide will discover what a truly great actor he is.
For a filmography, and a photo
gallery of the great
Hiroyuki Sanada, click
the above buttons.
.
Background designed by Lyn, using
some buttons from Sage's Page, where you will find hundreds of great
buttons and more.
Japanese characters prepared
for me by:-
Photographs on this page have
come from my own Hiroyuki Sanada collection, and from a couple of
magazines. The information for the biography has been acquired from
browsing through several sites. I have written to a few to ask permission to use bits of
their work, but have had no reply! Therefore my apologies if I have not
linked to your site, I will gladly give you credit and link to your pages
if you let me know who you are.
Please
note that this site has not been officially endorsed, so I unfortunately
have no contact with Hiroyuki Sanada or his representatives, so it is
pointless anyone sending me mail to forward to him, as it will not reach
him. Thank you for your interest.