Hiroyuki Sanada
  Actor
 Date of birth:
      October 12th, 1960
      Tokyo, Japan
Biography

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.

Acting Toho Filmography
G.I. Samurai (1979) - Takeda Shingen's Son
The Terrible Couple (1980) - Isozaki
Cabaret (1986) - Tanokura
Mysterious Robber Ruby (1988) - Toru Hayashi
Who Do I Choose? (1989) - Jun Yamamoto
Ring (1998) - Ryuji Takayama
The Spiral (1998) - Ryuji Takayama
Ring 2 (1999) - Ryuji Takayama
Onmyoji (2001) - Doson
All About Our House (2001) - Bartender
Sukedachiya Sukeroku (2001) - Sukeroku Sukedachiya