Hiroyuki Sanada is a well-respected actor who debuted at 5 in the 1965 film Game of Chance, but his first significant role was in 1978’s The Shogun Samurai. This role catapulted his stardom in Japan, and is still respected as one of the most talented action stars in the country. Sanada is also a singer and trained martial artist whose skills have allowed him to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry.
Sanada became famous in Hollywood in the 200s with films like The Twilight Samurai, The Last Samurai, and Kenji in Rush Hour 3. His talent and skill in martial arts and acting have set him apart from many actors. Sanada lives in LA and finally gets the role of his dreams, becoming a leading man in the Japanese historical Shogun series. Here are some of the best movies and TV shows of his career.
1. Shogun (2024)
FX’s Shogun is one of the best TV shows of 2024, mainly because of Sanada and his impact on the series. Based on the James Clavell novel, this 10-episode historical political drama follows Yoshi Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), one of Japan’s five council of regents. He meets John Blackthorne, played by Cosmo Jarvis, who helps him win the war against his main rival, Ishido.
Sanada was influential in significant aspects of the series as one of the show’s producers, intent on paving the way for Japanese actors and authentic cultural representation of Japan and Samurai culture in Hollywood. Despite not having the budget to pull this off, everything from the talented actors to the sets and the period-accurate costumes make this a worthwhile series to binge. It’s evident that for Sanada, this is one of the proudest projects he has worked on in his career.
2. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
In the gun-blazing movies starring Keanu Reeves, John Wick always tries to stay alive from an assassin who wants him dead. One of the appeals of the John Wick franchise is the continental hotels and the endless stars who make cameos in the films. In John Wick: Chapter 4, Sanada is introduced as the man in charge of another continental hotel based in Osaka, Japan. Sanada’s martial arts skills and years of starring in action films shine through this film, showing fans that there is nothing he can’t do. The action sequences are another highlight of this fourth franchise installment.
3. Westworld
Sanada appears in HBO’s Westworld as Musashi, one of the robots in the sci-fi show’s Japanese park, Shogun World. In history, Musashi was a philosopher and writer who became famous in 17th-century Japan. There have been video games and anime series about this character throughout the last few decades with great reception. Sanada perfectly plays this robot character in the twisted reality of Westworld. HBO insisted on being as accurate as possible about Japanese culture, which showed in the season’s high ratings. This performance shows Sanada’s star power in driving the cultural importance of proper representation.
4. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Yoji Yamada’s The Twilight Samurai is one of Sanada’s best films. The actor fits right in with the samurai-wielding character who has to handle his life being turned upside down after losing his wife to an illness. He takes responsibility for caring for his home and raising his daughters, unlike other Samurais with his title, who have fun and relax during their leisure time. Fans see Sanada’s acting skills outside his Martial arts and action prowess. This beautiful film about honour and love will pull at the heartstrings and leave an impact for any viewer.
5. Mortal Kombat (2021)
While Mortal Kombat wasn’t the instant success expected for a live-action video game adaptation, fans at least saw Sanada shine in yet another iconic character. In this film, he plays Hanson Hasashi, better known to Mortal Kombat fans as Scorpion. His martial arts skills again bring out Scorpion’s formidability in this film, and fans couldn’t have been happier. Sanada does his stunts, which is impressive for an actor his age, but he moves with the skill and agility of a much younger man. The film is still entertaining to watch for fans who have waited decades for a live-action adaptation. The first seven minutes of the movie tells it all.
6. Army of the Dead (2021)
Zack Snyder created another masterpiece with the Zombie-heist movie Army of the Dead, about a mercenary, Scott and his team hired to get a valuable item from Vegas, which was crawling with the half-dead creatures. While Sanada has a small role in this film, he does leave an impact as Bly Tanaka, a casino owner. Tanaka is charming and mysterious, which perfectly fits Sanada’s calm demeanor. Here is why Shogun is one of the best new TV shows of 2024 and there’s no debate.
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