Even if you have never been interested in Japanese cinema, you should still be familiar with the face of this actor. Sanada Hiroyuki became popular after filming the famous Hollywood blockbusters. Now his fans are happy to discover the actorâs early films shot in Japan, and are also looking forward to new films. A surprise was the musical creativity of the actor. It turns out that in Japan he is known as a singer and composer. This is another nice facet of Hiroyuki Sanada's talent.
Biography
Sanada was born in 1960 in Shinagawa, Tokyo. His real name is Shimosawa. There is no information about his parents. It is only known that the actor lost his father at age 11.
In the movie, the boy made his debut very early. At the age of five, under the name Shimozawa, he appeared in the film "Intrigues of the Yagyu Family." In the same tape, the main role was played by the famous actor in Japan, Sonya Chiba. It was he who would later provide support and assistance to Hiroyuki's novice career.
Just in the acting studio of Sonya Chiba, the twelve-year-old Sanada will comprehend the subtleties of acting. And in a year he will become a member of the Japanese acting club, which was supervised by the same Sony Chiba, and Sho Kosugi, who is also popular in Asia.
At the club, Sanada Hiroyuki continued his studies. Here he mastered traditional Japanese dance, riding skills, martial arts, fencing. In addition to traditional disciplines, the future actor practiced in jazz music. In addition to classes in the studio and the club, Hiroyuki graduated from the University of Nihon, the cinema department.
Such a comprehensive development allowed him to further prove himself in a variety of cinematic genres. Sanada plays equally well in action movies and in serious movies. He is also a rather popular singer and composer in Japan. His discs do not stale after the release, they are immediately bought up by fans of his work.
In addition to cinema, Hiroyuki Sanada plays on the stage. He was even invited to participate in the production of the King Shakespeare Theater King Lear. For the role of the Jester, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire.
As for the personal life of the actor, there is not much information about this. It is known that Hiroyuki was married, but then he divorced the actress Satomi Tezuka. From this marriage he has two children. There are no more details about the alleged companions of life in the press. And Sanada himself does not seek to expand on this topic.
Carier start
1978 - the release date of the historical and adventure film "The Yagui Conspiracy", which starred Hiroyuki Sanada. The filmography of the actor from this moment began to be actively replenished with the projects of director Makoto Wada. And although these paintings are little known to the Western audience, fans of classic Asian cinema really appreciate them. And critics are pleased to note the joint work of Sanada and Makoto Wada.
But on the world stage, Sanada began to pave the way in the 80s. Then he began to play in Hong Kong paintings. âNinja in the Dragon's Lairâ, âRoyal Warsâ - these tapes also went to world distribution.
But the real recognition came to the actor after the release of the trilogy âThe Shadow Samuraiâ and two thrillers âCallâ and âCall-2â. It was then that he paid attention to him in America.
First steps in hollywood
A loud western project of the actor was the picture "The Last Samurai". Films with Hiroyuki Sanada replenished with a joint project with Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. Director Edward Zwick made a bet on a representative of a classical Asian acting school, and he did not lose. The tape was appreciated by critics and fans. And about the talented Japanese spectators learned in many countries.
An interesting fact: on the set of Samurai, Hiroyuki taught Tom Cruise the art of owning a sword. He acted as a consultant.
After that, Sanada starred with many famous Western actors. He worked with Anthony Hopkins on the set of Final Destination Cities. In âWhite Countessâ he played with Rafe Fiennes. The actor lit up in the third part of Rush Hour. It should be noted that Sanada has been friends with Jackie Chan for a long time.
Wolverine
In 2013, Sanada Hiroyuki appeared in yet another high-profile blockbuster. James Mangold set about developing the plot of Wolverine. This hero, who became incredibly popular after the release of the first X-Men movie, was entitled to his own franchise.
âWolverine: Immortalâ covers Loganâs Tokyo period. And the role of crime boss Shingen went to Hiroyuki.
47 Ronin
The next significant project of Sanad is a fantastic film â47 Roninâ. This is a remake of the famous classic Japanese film based on real events of the 18th century. In Japan of that period there was a case when forty-seven samurai joined forces in revenge for the death of their master. Then these events were overgrown with fantastic details and became a myth.
In the picture, Hiroyuki plays the head of the Asano clan. Osishi in Japan is very revered, and the director wanted to see the Japanese actor in his role.
In the film, historical events are strongly stylized and seasoned with fantastic characters in the genre of large-scale Asian epics. The picture has many battle scenes, amazing special effects and amazing talented play of actors.
Sanada Hiroyuki, like his friend Jackie Chan, always performs his own tricks. So fans can at the same time admire the actorâs physical fitness.
2014 projects
In 2014, the movie "Retribution" was released. The painting is based on the autobiographical book of Eric Lomax. He was in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and built a railway during World War II. Eric Lomax himself in the film is played by Colin Firth. Hiroyuki embodies the second protagonist of the film - the Japanese soldier Nagase. The actor is also involved in the series "Spiral". The action-packed project is built around a virus that threatens to destroy all of humanity. In the meantime, doctors who have arrived at the Arctic station, where the outbreak of the disease, are fighting a dangerous epidemic.
And finally, some more interesting facts about the actor. So, the growth of Hiroyuki Sanad is about 170 centimeters. He received for his services the prize of the Japanese Academy of Film. And Hiroyuki is considered a unique actor who can do almost everything!