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Denis Akiyama
Canadian actor (1952–2018) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Denis Van Akiyama (May 28, 1952 – June 28, 2018) [3] was a Canadian actor of stage, film and television, perhaps best known for portraying Shinji in Johnny Mnemonic, and for voicing Silver Samurai / Kenuichio Harada and Sunfire in X-Men, and Malachite in the original English version of Sailor Moon.[2]
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Early life and education
Akiyama was born in Toronto, Ontario to a Japanese family. He attained a BA in Psychology from York University, and worked in child care. Akiyama was also a musician who played trumpet with The Parachute Club, and in The Pukka Orchestra. Denis went on to study acting at George Brown College.[2]
Career
- Film
Akiyama started in film, before performing on stage.[4] In 2015, he appeared in the feature film Pixels.[5]
- Television
He was a frequent guest star on Katts and Dog, as well as playing and voicing roles in The Adventures of Tintin animated series, and Mayday.
- Theatre
In the early 1990s, Akiyama's stage performances included Miss Saigon on Broadway and in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Other theatre appearances include Philip Kan Gotanda's Song for a Nisei Fisherman, Sally Han's Naomi's Road, M. J. Kang's Dreams of Blonde & Blue, and Hiro Kanagawa's The Tiger of Malaya.[2]
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Death
Akiyama died on June 28, 2018, from a "very rare and aggressive cancer". He and his wife Danielle had two children, Kintaro and Miya.[2][6] He was 66 years old.
Filmography
Film
- 1988: Blood Relations – Heart Surgeon[3]
- 1986: Captive Hearts – Masato[6][3]
- 1988: Dead Ringers – Pharmacist[6][3]
- 1993: Guilty as Sin – Lab Technician[6][3]
- 1995: Johnny Mnemonic – Shinji[6][3]
- 1996: Balance of Power – Hastishita[6][3]
- 1996: Extreme Measures – Prof. Asakura[6][3]
- 1996: Lethal Tender – Det. Peter "Playdo" Ota[3]
- 1996: L5: First City in Space (short) – Yoshio Mori
- 1996: Space Truckers – Tech Leader[3]
- 1997: The Planet of Junior Brown – Mr. Tanaka[3]
- 2000: After Alice – Owen Gackstetter[3]
- 2002: Cypher – Speaker Omaha[3]
- 2004: My Baby's Daddy – as Cha Ching[3]
- 2004: Welcome to Mooseport – Izuki Nami[3]
- 2005: The Pacifier – Mr. Chun[3]
- 2007: Night (short) as Hikaru
- 2008: Flash of Genius – Dr. Ito[3]
- 2008: Chilly Beach: The Canadian President – as Emperor (voice)
- 2010: Repo Men – Doctor[3]
- 2010: Gangster Exchange – Takayama[3]
- 2010: Resident Evil: Afterlife – Captain Hotaka[3]
- 2015: Pixels – Professor Iwatani[6]
- 2016: The People Garden – Management 529[3]
- 2017: Kiss and Cry – Shin Amano [3]
- 2017: Kill Order – Shiro Fujitaka (final film role)[3]
Television
Voice roles
Animation
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Video games
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References
External links
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