Frankie Sakai

Frankie Sakai Born February 13, 1929 Kagoshima, Japan Died June 10, 1996 Occupation Actor Notable role(s) Senichiro Fukuda, Mokichi Tamura First work Mei tantei ajapā-shi (1953) Notable work Shōgun (TV 1980)

Frankie Sakai (フランキー堺,   Furankī Sakai), born Masatoshi Sakai (堺 正俊,   Sakai Masatoshi), was a Japanese actor, comedian, and musician. Beginning his career as a jazz drummer performing at American Army camps during the postwar occupation of Japan, Sakai went on to become a professional comedian during the 1950's. Sakai became famous for his roles in film comedies produced by Toho, including the films of the popular Ekimae series from 1958 to 1969. While known primarily as a comedic actor, Sakai played both comical and serious dramatic roles in his filmography, appearing in a wide variety of film genres. In 1961, Sakai played the lead roles in Toho's tokusatsu films Mothra and The Last War. In addition to his role as the reporter Senichiro Fukuda in Mothra, Sakai is most recognizable internationally for his dramatic role as Lord Yabu in the 1980 television miniseries Shōgun. Sakai passed away of liver failure on June 10, 1996, at the age of 67.

Selected filmography

• Mothra (1961) as Senichiro Fukuda
• The Last War (1961) as Mokichi Tamura

Trivia

• Producer Shogo Tomiyama attempted to find a role for Sakai in the 1992 film Godzilla vs. Mothra, but Sakai's schedule prevented it.

References

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