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Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada

30 movies on Netflix

Biography

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist who started performing as a child in the mid-1960s, joining the Himawari Theatre Group at five and training under Sonny Chiba. He built a following in Japanese and Hong Kong action films before moving into dramatic roles. He played Ryuji Takayama in Ringu (1998), then drew theater attention as the Fool in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of King Lear, and in 2002 was made an honorary MBE. His Hollywood work includes The Twilight Samurai (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Rush Hour 3 (2007), Sunshine (2007), The Wolverine (2013), 47 Ronin (2013), Minions (2015), Life (2017), Army of the Dead (2021), Mortal Kombat (2021), Bullet Train (2022) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). He won a Golden Globe and Emmys for the series Shōgun, playing Lord Toranaga.

65years old

Turns 66 on October 12in 8 days

  • Born Shinagawa
  • Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
  • 下澤廣之 (birth name)Also credited as Sanada Hiroyuki, Hiroyuki Shimosawa and Shimosawa Hiroyuki

Movie Career

Films
30
Career span
48 years1978 to 2026

Genres

First and latest

Photos

  • Hiroyuki Sanada, photo 1 of 3
  • Hiroyuki Sanada, photo 2 of 3
  • Hiroyuki Sanada, photo 3 of 3

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  1. Behind the award

    Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win a Primetime Emmy, taking Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Shōgun in 2024, and also won as a producer when the series took Outstanding Drama Series.

  2. Big break

    Sanada's turn as the Fool in the Royal Shakespeare Company's King Lear came about because producer Nigel Hawthorne invited him personally, and it led to his appointment as an Honorary MBE in 2002.

  3. Own stunts

    Sanada drew attention for a dangerous stunt in the 1979 film G.I. Samurai, jumping from a helicopter in action directed by Sonny Chiba.

  4. Behind the camera

    Sanada was announced in 2021 as a producer and cast member of the FX limited series Shōgun, which comes from the James Clavell novel. He plays Lord Toranaga.

Hiroyuki Sanada movies on Netflix

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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  1. The Wolverine2013 Action, Sci-Fias Shingen

    IMDb rating 6.7531K votes

  2. The Last Samurai2003 Action, Drama, Historyas Ujio

    IMDb rating 7.8510K votes

  3. 47 Ronin2013as Ôishi

    IMDb rating 6.3181K votes

  4. Bullet Train2022as The Elder

    IMDb rating 7.3548K votes

  5. Life2017as Sho Murakami

    IMDb rating 6.6280K votes

  6. Rush Hour 32007as Kenji

    IMDb rating 6.3202K votes

  7. Sunshine2007as Kaneda

    IMDb rating 7.2291K votes

  8. Ringu1998as Ryuji Takayama

    IMDb rating 7.287K votes

Most often with

Kinji Fukasaku directed four of these films, Simon McQuoid two and James Ivory two. Shin'ichi Chiba appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Shin'ichi Chiba, 5 films togetherSee the 5 films with Shin'ichi ChibaTadanobu Asano, 4 films togetherSee the 4 films with Tadanobu AsanoMikio Narita, 4 films togetherSee the 4 films with Mikio NaritaTetsuro Tamba, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Tetsuro TambaSeizô Fukumoto, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Seizô FukumotoEtsuko Shihomi, 3 films togetherSee the 3 films with Etsuko ShihomiKinji FukasakuDirector, 4 filmsSee the 4 films by Kinji FukasakuSimon McQuoidDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by Simon McQuoidJames IvoryDirector, 2 filmsSee the 2 films by James Ivory

Films together

Box office

What Hiroyuki Sanada's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$3.8 billion

21 of the 30 films have a worldwide figure.

Of the 30 films: 21 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 8 figure not found.

  • 21Worldwide figure
  • 1US gross only
  • 8Figure not found

Top grosser

Minions2015as Sumo Villain (voice)$1.2 billion

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 87% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

  1. 1
    Minions2015as Sumo Villain (voice)
    $1.2B30.5% of the total
  2. 2
    The Last Samurai2003as Ujio
    $457M12.0% of the total
  3. 3
    John Wick: Chapter 42023as Shimazu
    $447M11.8% of the total
  4. 4
    The Wolverine2013as Shingen
    $415M10.9% of the total
  5. 5
    Rush Hour 32007as Kenji
    $258M6.8% of the total
  6. 6
    Bullet Train2022as The Elder
    $239M6.3% of the total
  7. 7
    Army of the Dead2021as Bly Tanaka
    $191M5.0% of the total
  8. 8
    47 Ronin2013as Ôishi
    $152M4.0% of the total
Mortal Kombat II (2026), $129 millionLife (2017), $101 millionMortal Kombat (2021), $84.4 millionSunshine (2007), $34.8 millionThe Promise (2005), $31.0 millionMr. Holmes (2015), $29.4 millionThe Railway Man (2013), $24.2 millionRingu (1998), $19.4 millionThe Spiral (1998), $12.7 millionThe Twilight Samurai (2002), $7.4 millionThe White Countess (2005), $4.1 millionMinamata (2020), $1.6 millionThe Catcher Was a Spy (2018), $953,953

$480 millionfrom the other 13 films with a worldwide figure, 13% of the total

Awards

Twelve awards and honors from 1982 to 2025, one of them major.

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Hiroyuki Sanada's awards and nominations, grouped by award
YearAwardFilmResult
Emmy Awards
2024Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesShōgunWon
Other honors
2025Time 100Honored
2006Blue Ribbon Awards for Best ActorWon
2003Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading RoleThe Twilight SamuraiWon
2002Mainichi Film Award for Best ActorWon
1996Blue Ribbon Awards for Best ActorSharakuWon
1994Blue Ribbon Awards for Best ActorWe Are Not AloneWon
1988Hochi Film AwardWon
1982Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the YearWon
1982Japan Academy Prize for Newcomer of the YearSamurai ReincarnationWon
Golden Arrow AwardWon
Member of the Order of the British EmpireWon

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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