Sometimes credited as Harry, Henry,
and Duke Sanada. Best known for his role of Ryuji
Takayama in
the Ring series and Ujio from the US film
Last Samurai, Hiroyuki Sanada started his
acting career when he was only 5 years old in
the Sonny Chiba film Game of Chance. Sanada
made his first big impression when he was 18 years
old in the 1978 film Shogun Samurai, another
Sonny Chiba film. Even though he started his career
as a action star, he was later recognized for
his dramatic acting talents as his fame increased.
In 1998, Sanada got the role of Ryuji
Takayama in
the film Ring.
Ring
was a huge success and further thrust Sanada into
the lime light, allowing him to be cited as one
of Japan's leading actors at the time, while he
has won the Best Actor award at the Japan Academy
Awards five times. In 2000 Sanada played the fool
in the Royal Shakespeare Co's, English, production
of King Lear. Sanada was honored by becoming
a Member of the British Empire, MBE, for his work
on King Lear.
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