Hironobu Kanagawa (金川 弘敦, Kanagawa Hironobu, October 13, 1963) is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1][2]
Hiro Kanagawa | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
金川 弘敦 | |||||
| Born | Hironobu Kanagawa October 13, 1963 | ||||
| Education | |||||
| Occupations |
| ||||
| Years active | 1979–present | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 金川 弘敦 | ||||
| |||||
| Website | www | ||||
He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including The X-Files, Smallville, Caprica, Godzilla, The Man in the High Castle, Altered Carbon, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Heroes Reborn, Kim's Convenience, and Shōgun, and was a writer on Da Vinci's City Hall. As a voice-over artist, he was the original English-language voice of Gihren Zabi in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise and played Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes.
Kanagawa's play Indian Arm won the 2015 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award and the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language Drama. He is also a four-time Leo Award nominee.
Early life and education
Kanagawa was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan[3] and grew up in Guelph, Ontario, Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Tokyo.[citation needed] He graduated from International Christian University High School. Prior to his acting career, he worked in Tokyo as a sculptor and rock musician.[4]
Kanagawa conducted his undergraduate studies in sculpting at Middlebury College, where he graduated in 1986.[5][6] He also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.[7] After dropping out of his initial graduate program, he re-enrolled at Simon Fraser University, where he completed his first play[6] and completed his MFA in 1994.[8]
Career
Kanagawa played Principal Kwan in TV series Smallville. He also voiced Gihren Zabi from Mobile Suit Gundam. He was also the voice of Mister Fantastic on Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Kanagawa has the distinction of having played three different characters in the TV series The X-Files, appearing independently in seasons 2, 4 and 10.
Besides acting, Kanagawa is also a playwright[2] and screenwriter and teaches creative writing in the English department at Capilano University.[9] He is an Associate Member of the Playwrights’ Theatre Centre.[10]
In 2015, he won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Script for his play Indian Arm, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf.[5] In 2017, Indian Arm won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama.[11][12]
Personal life
Kanagawa has lived in British Columbia since 1990.[1] He resides in Port Moody, B.C. with his wife, artist Tasha Faye Evans.[13] They have two children together.[7]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Born Too Soon | Resident | |
| 1994 | My Name is Kate | Doctor | |
| Voices from Within | Medical Examiner | ||
| 1995 | A Child Is Missing | Agent Kurosaka | |
| Cyberjack | Kenji | ||
| 1997 | Bliss | Emergency Doctor | |
| Excess Baggage | Jon | ||
| 1998 | Futuresport | Otomo Akira | |
| 1999 | Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying | Controller | |
| Resurrection | Tech #2 | ||
| 2000 | The Guilty | Police Detective | |
| Protection | Don | ||
| Best in Show | Pet Shop Owner | ||
| 2001 | Josie and the Pussycats | Japanese Delegate | |
| 2005 | Hiro | Hiro | |
| Best Friends | Detective Miyashiro | ||
| 2006 | Family in Hiding | Kanagawa | |
| 2007 | War | Yoshido | |
| 2008 | The Day the Earth Stood Still | Dr. Ikegawa | |
| 2009 | Hardwired | Dr. Steckler | |
| Girlfriend Experience | John | ||
| 2010 | The King of Fighters | Saisyu Kusanagi | |
| 2011 | Doomsday Prophecy | Dr. Yates | |
| Earth's Final Hours | Tech | ||
| 2013 | Down River | Aki's Father | |
| Grave Halloween | Jin | ||
| 2014 | Godzilla | Hayato | |
| 2015 | The Age of Adaline | Kenneth | |
| 2018 | Fifty Shades Freed | Detective Clark | |
| 2019 | Midway | Commander Isamu Fujita | |
| 2020 | Deeper I Go | Short film | |
| 2021 | Crisis | Dr. Ishiyama | |
| iDorothy | Sal | Short film | |
| Hiro and the Emerald Lady | Hiro | ||
| Needle in a Timestack | Tattersal | ||
| Every Breath You Take | Dr. Toth | ||
| 2022 | Orphan: First Kill | Detective Donnan |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Madison | Teacher | |
| Highlander: The Series | Akira Yoshida | ||
| M.A.N.T.I.S. | Yakuza Translator | ||
| 1994–2016 | The X-Files | Dr. Yonechi / Peter Tanaka / Garner | |
| 1998–2000 | The Outer Limits | Ron Hikida / Tali | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Sliders | Henry | Episode: "Obsession" |
| 1998 | Cold Squad | ||
| The Inspectors | Polygraph Tech | Television film | |
| 1999 | The Net | Frank | Episode: "Y2K - Total System Failure" |
| 2000 | Seven Days | Mr. Kim / Dr. Oshima | 2 episodes |
| Dark Angel | Theo | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| The Linda McCartney Story | Senior Narcotics Officer | Television film | |
| 2001–02 | Smallville | Principal James Kwan | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Damaged Care | Dr. Kitano | |
| Living with the Dead | Frank the Business Consultant | ||
| 2003 | Betrayed | Dr. Tanaka | Television film |
| 2005 | The 4400 | Agent Park | 2 episodes |
| Criminal Minds | Seattle ASAC | Episode: "Extreme Aggressor" | |
| Steklo | Akira | ||
| Andromeda | Burma | 2 episodes | |
| Stargate SG-1 | Mr Wayne | Episode: "Full Alert" | |
| Da Vinci's City Hall | Fire Captain Roy Komori | 9 episodes | |
| 2006 | Blade: The Series | Taka | Episode: "The Sacrifice" |
| 2007 | Intelligence | Detective Ogawa | 7 episodes |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Mitsunari Ishida | Episode: "Shogun" |
| What Color Is Love? | Henry Wong | Episode: | |
| The Story of Saiunkoku | Kaku | Episode: "It's the Company That Makes Travel Unpleasant" | |
| 2009 | Supernatural | Game Show Host | Episode: "Changing Channels" |
| Reaper | Morris | 3 episodes | |
| Sanctuary | Ark-Fong Li | Episode: "Eulogy" | |
| 2010 | Caprica | Cyrus Xander | 13 episodes |
| Human Target | Lt. Peale | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Fringe | Lawyer | Episode: "The Box" | |
| 2011–12 | The Secret Circle | Calvin Wilson | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Continuum | Dr. Ted Gibson | Season 1 episode 3 |
| 2012–14 | Blackstone | Harold | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | The Tomorrow People | Corbin | Episode: "All Tomorrow's Parties" |
| Bates Motel | Dr. Kurata | 2 episodes | |
| 2013-14 | Almost Human | Recollectionist | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The 100 | Council Member #3 | 3 episodes, season 1 |
| 2015 | The Returned | Dr. Hiromoto | 3 episodes |
| The Magicians | Professor March | 2 episodes | |
| The Whispers | Team Member 1 Brent | 3 episodes | |
| Dark Matter | Emperor Ishida Tetsuda | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–16 | The Man in the High Castle | Taishi Okamura | 5 episodes |
| Heroes Reborn | Hachiro Otomo/Red Samurai | 8 episodes | |
| 2015–2018 | iZombie | Lieutenant Suzuki | 8 episodes, Recurring role, season 1, 4 |
| 2016 | Timeless | Agent Kondo | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Zoo | Curtis | Episode: "The Moon and the Star" | |
| Kim's Convenience | Pastor Choi | 2 episodes | |
| 2017–18 | Legends of Tomorrow | Director Wilbur Bennett | 4 episodes, season 3 |
| 2018 | Altered Carbon | Captain Tanaka | 7 episodes |
| Salvation | Chief Justice Martin Cheng | 4 episodes | |
| Designated Survivor | NASA Liaison to the President Richard Kim | Episode: "The Final Frontier" | |
| 2019 | The Order | Detective Hayashi | Episode: "Hell Week, Part One" |
| Warigami | James Ohata | 6 episodes | |
| The Terror | Dr. Kitamura | 2 episodes | |
| Limetown | R.B. Villard | 2 episodes | |
| See | Lord Unoa | 4 episodes | |
| 2020 | Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | Dr. Hamara | 3 episodes |
| Charmed | Dr. Tanaka | Episode: "Unsafe Space" | |
| Helstrom | Father Sean Okamoto | Episode: "Viaticum" | |
| 2021 | Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan | Narrator | Voice role; 6 episodes |
| The Good Doctor | Dr. Paul Nakano | Episode: "Letting Go" | |
| 2022 | Star Trek: Discovery | Dr. Hirai | 4 episodes |
| Pachinko | Goto-San | Episode: "Chapter One" | |
| 2022–23 | Upload | Sato | 4 episodes |
| So Help Me Todd | Alistair Song | 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Night Agent | FBI Director Willet | 3 episodes |
| 2023–24 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Headmaster / Kronos | 2 episodes[14] |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Fire Lord Sozin | Episode: "Aang" |
| Shōgun | Igarashi Yoshitomo | 3 episodes | |
| Family Law | 1 episode |
Voice acting
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mobile Suit Gundam | Gihren Zabi | English-language dub |
| Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat | The Foolish Magistrate | ||
| 2003 | Master Keaton | Fumio Hisayama | English-language dub |
| 2004 | InuYasha | Saint Hakushin | |
| 2006–2007 | Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes | Mister Fantastic | |
| 2007 | Black Lagoon | Col. Matsuto | English-language dub |
| 2020 | Monster Beach | Stress Leave | |
| 2021 | Future Boy Conan | Dr. Briac Lao | English-language dub |
| 2022 | Team Zenko Go | Mr. Tanaka |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front | Gihren Zabi | English version |
| Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon | |||
| 2003 | Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space | ||
| 2023 | Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest - The Adventures of Dai | Matoriv |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Leo Awards | Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama | Hiro | Nominated | |
| 2021 | The Tailor | Nominated | |||
| Deeper I Go | Nominated | ||||
| Vancouver Short Film Festival | Best Performance by a Man | Won | |||
| UBCP/ACTRA Awards | Best Supporting Performance, Male | Won | |||
| 2022 | Leo Awards | Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama | iDorothy | Nominated |
References
External links
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