Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada Headshot

Actor • Martial Artist

Birth Name: Hiroyuki Shimosawa

Birth Date: October 12, 1960

Age: 64 years old

Birth Place: Tokyo, Japan

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor who starred in the internationally popular horror film "Ringu" (1998) and appeared in several American films such as "The Last Samurai" (2003), "The Wolverine" (2013), and "47 Ronin" (2013). He was born Hiroyuki Shimosawa on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. Growing up in the 1970s, when Asian-made martial arts movies were all the rage, he aspired to become an action star.

At the age of 11, he joined Japan Action Club, a training school for aspiring martial arts film actors and stunt performers started by legendary Japanese film actor Sonny Chiba. He made his feature film debut in a Sonny Chiba karate movie, "Chokugeki! Jigoku-hen" (1974) and subsequently appeared in many more martial arts films during his early acting career. It wasn't until the early 1980s that Japanese audiences outside of that subgenre took notice of Sanada, most notably with his co-starring role in the critically-acclaimed "Mahjong Hourouki" (1984).

As his popularity grew, he began starring in bigger movies, including the influential Japanese horror film "Ringu" and "Tasogare Seibei" (2002), for which he won Best Actor at the 2003 Japanese Academy Awards. For his international breakthrough, Sanada was cast alongside Tom Cruise in "The Last Samurai" (2003), which led to more roles in American films and television shows. He traded blows with iconic Asian action star Jackie Chan in the action comedy "Rush Hour 3" (2007), and later joined the casts of two popular TV dramas, the fantasy thriller "Lost' (ABC 2004-2010) and the soap "Revenge" (ABC 2011-).

Western audiences saw even more of Sanada in 2013 as a key supporting player opposite Hugh Jackman in the Marvel comic book movie "The Wolverine," Keanu Reves' fantasy action movie "47 Ronin," the post-World War II drama "The Railway Man," starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. In the following year, Sanada was cast in executive producer Steven Spielberg's science fiction TV series "Extant" (CBS 2014-) alongside Halle Berry.

Credits

The 76th Emmys: A Night of Firsts

Self
Show
2024

ShōgunStream

Actor
Lord Yoshii Toranaga
Miniseries
2024
99%

Live with Kelly and MarkStream

Guest
Talk
2023

John Wick: Chapter 4Stream

Actor
Shimazu
Movie
2023
94%

Bullet TrainStream

Actor
The Elder
Movie
2022
53%

Mortal KombatStream

Actor
Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion
Movie
2021
55%

Army of the DeadStream

Actor
Bly Tanaka
Movie
2021
67%

GMA3: What You Need to Know

Guest
Show
2020

Minamata

Actor
Mitsuo Yamazaki
Movie
2020

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Guest
Talk
2019

The Catcher Was a SpyStream

Actor
Kawabata
Movie
2018
33%

LifeStream

Actor
Sho Murakami
Movie
2017
68%

Westworld: Extras

Self
Show
2016

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

Guest
Talk
2015

Mr. HolmesStream

Actor
Mr. Umezaki
Movie
2015
88%

Extant: Extras

Actor
Show
2014

ExtantStream

Actor
Hideki Yasumoto
Series
2014
77%

HelixStream

Actor
Dr. Hiroshi Hatake
Series
2014
81%

The Railway Man

Actor
Nagase
Movie
2013

47 RoninStream

Actor
Oishi
Movie
2013
16%

The WolverineStream

Actor
Shingen Yashida
Movie
2013
71%

RevengeStream

Guest Star
Series
2011
69%

Speed RacerStream

Actor
Mr. Musha
Movie
2008
42%

Sunshine

Actor
Kaneda
Movie
2007

Rush Hour 3Stream

Actor
Kenji
Movie
2007
17%

The City of Your Final Destination

Actor
Pete
Movie
2007

The White Countess

Actor
Matsuda
Movie
2005

Master of the Crimson Armor

Actor
Gen. Guangming
Movie
2005

Aegis

Actor
Hisashi Sengoku
Movie
2005

LostStream

Guest Star
Dogen
Series
2004
86%

The Last SamuraiStream

Actor
Ujio
Movie
2003
66%

Vengeance for Sale

Actor
Sukeroku Sukedachiya
Movie
2002

The Twilight Samurai

Actor
Seibei Iguchi
Movie
2002

Onmyoji

Actor
Douson
Movie
2001

真夜中まで

Actor
Movie
2001

はつ恋

Actor
Movie
2000

The Ring 2

Actor
Ryûji Takayama
Movie
1999

Ringu 2

Guest Star
Ryûji Takayama
Movie
1999

たどんとちくわ

Actor
Movie
1998

The Ring

Actor
Ryuji Takayama
Movie
1998

阿部一族

Actor
Show
1995

Sharaku

Actor
Tonbo
Movie
1995

East Meets West

Actor
Kamijo Kenkichi
Movie
1995

ヒーローインタビュー

Actor
Movie
1994

忠臣蔵外伝 四谷怪談

Actor
Movie
1994

怖がる人々

Actor
Movie
1994

119

Actor
Movie
1994

高校教師

Actor
Show
1993

僕らはみんな生きている

Actor
Keiichi Takahashi
Movie
1993

眠らない街 新宿鮫

Actor
Movie
1993

病は気から 病院へ行こう 2

Actor
Movie
1992

Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki yuusha-tachi

Actor
Haiyaku Eiji
Movie
1990

つぐみ

Actor
Kyoichi
Movie
1990

病院へ行こう

Actor
Movie
1990

どっちにするの。

Actor
Movie
1989

織田信長

Actor
Ieyasu Tokugawa
Movie
1989

快盗ルビイ

Actor
Movie
1988

必殺 4 恨みはらします

Actor
Movie
1987

犬死にせしもの

Actor
Shigesa
Movie
1986

キャバレー

Actor
Movie
1986

Royal Warriors

Actor
Peter Yamamoto
Movie
1986

彩り河

Actor
Jyoji Tanaka
Movie
1984

Death of a Ninja

Actor
Tatsuya Yoshioka
Movie
1984

Mahjong Horoki

Actor
Bouya Tetsu
Movie
1984

道頓堀川

Actor
Kunihiko Yasuoka
Movie
1982

Ninja in the Dragon's Den

Actor
Genbu
Movie
1982

Ninja Wars

Actor
Jotaro Fuefuki
Movie
1982

Fall Guy

Actor
Actor
Movie
1982

Bokensha Kamikaze

Actor
Movie
1981

Makai Tenshô

Actor
Kirimaru Iga
Movie
1981

Roaring Fire

Actor
Joji Hibiki / Toru Hinoharu
Movie
1981

Young Valiant

Actor
Joe
Movie
1981

Shogun's Mission

Actor
Show
1980

翔んだカップル

Actor
Movie
1980

Shogun's Ninja

Actor
Momochi Takamaru
Movie
1980

Message from Space: Galactic Wars

Actor
Show
1978

宇宙からのメッセージ 銀河大戦

Actor
Movie
1978

Message From Space

Actor
Shiro
Movie
1978

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

The Executioner

Actor
Toga as a boy
Movie
1974

News aboutHiroyuki Sanada