is a Japanese actor, known primarily for his roles in Japanese television drama.
Biography He was born into a family of a sake brewery in Kyoto, Japan. After graduating from Kobe University and resigning from an advertising agency, he played an active part in a Japanese theatrical group called "Planet Pistachio," as a stage actor, from 1990 to 1998.
He later extended the range of activities to TV dramas and movies, and has played important roles in many works in Japan. He made his film debut starring in Mamiya Kyodai in 2006, and his TV series debut starring in Gira Gira in 2008.
When Sasaki was a freshman and received a phone call from his college company to decide on a stage name, his father suggested the name Kuranosuke, with a double meaning; for Kura, a sake cellar/brewery for their sake brewery, and for Ōuchi Kuranosuke, a famous historical drama role."Watashino chizu - ano bashoe kaeritai" series, No.196, Sasaki Kuranosuke. Shūkan Gendai July 5 issue, 2014: pp.78-80.
Sasaki's initial plan was to join the family business of sake brewing as the eldest son when he graduated from college. Learning sales strategy at an advertisement company was also part of his plan.
His family was not supportive when he aspired to be an actor, until he played a part in Audrey (NHK, 2000). His father sold sake named "Audrey", and then a premium junmai sake Hancho for a limited period while the TV drama was aired; Kuranosuke played a lead in Hancho.
Talking about his stage expressiveness, theatre scholar Octavian Saiu praised Sasaki for a unique ability to convey emotions through words as well as silences.
Selected filmography
TV series Year Title RoleNoteRef 2000 Audrey Kohtaro Miki Asadora 2001 Handoku!!! Makoto Takano 2003 Bijo ka Yajū Hiroshi Kobukuro The Great White Tower Yūta Takeuchi 2004Last Present Satoshi Oda 2004–05 Rikon Bengoshi Toshifumi Yanagida 2 seasons 2005 Roomshare no Onna Shūhei Sugita M no Higeki Akira Kubo Kon-ya hitori no bed de Shunsuke Kuzumi 2006Shimokita Sundays Tsubasa Akutagawa Boku no aruku michi Hideharu Ohtake 2006–14 Team Medical Dragon Keisuke Fujiyoshi 4 seasons 2007 Fūrin Kazan Sanada Yukitaka Taiga drama Bambino! Atsushi Kuwabara 2008 Saitō-san Tōru Mano Shikaotoko Awaniyoshi Shigehisa Fukuhara Absolute Boyfriend Gaku Namikiri Monster Parent Keigo Miura Gira Gira Kōhei Nanase Lead role 2009 Triangle Ryō Akimoto Orthros no Inu Takayuki Sawamura The Waste Land Seiki Akitsu Challenged Keiichirō Hanawa Lead role 2009–13Hanchō Tsuyoshi Adumi Lead role; 6 seasons 2010 Himitsu Heisuke Sugita 2011 Boku to Star no 99 Nichi Yamato Takanabe 2016 Kaitō Yamaneko Shūgo Sekimoto 2017 Hiyokko Shogo Makino Asadora 2019 Ieyasu, Edo wo Tateru Ōkubo Tadayuki Miniseries Sherlock: Untold Stories Reiji Etō 2020 The Man Who Stood for Autonomy of Japan: Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru Hayato Ikeda TV movie 2020–21 Awaiting Kirin Hashiba Hideyoshi Taiga drama 2023 My Home Hero Tetsuo Tosu Lead role 2024 Dear Radiance Fujiwara no Nobutaka Taiga drama
Movies Year Title Role Notes Ref 2003 Bayside Shakedown 2 Densha Otoko Hisashi 2005 Summer Time Machine Blues Kōtarō Hoseki 2006 Kenchō no hoshi Keita Sakurai Mamiya kyodai Akinobu Mamiya Lead role Rainbow Song Shinsuke Higuchi 2007 Tsukigami Sahei Bessho Tsubaki Sanjūrō Kimura 2008 700 Days of Battle: Us vs. the Police Chūzai-san After School Masayuki Kitazawa 20th Century Boys : Beginning of the End Fukubē 2009 20th Century Boys 2 : The Last Hope Fukubē 20th Century Boys 3 : Redemption Fukubē Daremo mamotte kurenai Kōji Umezawa 2010 Ōoku Fujinami 2011 Gaku Masato Noda 2013 A Boy Called H 2014 Samurai Hustle Naito Masaatsu Lead role 2015 Solomon's Perjury 1: Suspicion Fujino Solomon's Perjury 2: Judgment Fujino Till Death Do Us What? Kōta Shimizu Lead role 2016 The Inerasable Yoshiaki Hiraoka Samurai Hustle Returns Naito Masaatsu Lead role 2017 Flower and Sword Maeda Toshiie March Comes in Like a Lion Kai Shimada Hamon: Yakuza Boogie Yasuhiko Kuwabara Lead role A Beautiful Star Katsumi Kuroki 2018 We Make Antiques! Sasuke Noda Lead role Recall Hirohisa Aizawa 2019 Aircraft Carrier Ibuki Toshiya Niinami Lead role Iwane: Sword of Serenity Sasaki Reien We Are Little Zombies One Night Michio Dōshita 2020 The Memory Eraser Takahara We Make Antiques! Kyoto Rendezvous Sasuke Noda Lead role 2021 The Woman of S.R.I. The Movie Wataru Kagano Akira Shimada Narrator Documentary 2022 The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai Koyama Ryōun Homestay Osamu Kobayashi The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie Reiji Etō 2023 We Make Antiques! Osaka Dreams Sasuke Noda Lead role Shylock's Children Michiharu Kuroda Godzilla Minus One Seiji Akitsu 2024My Home Hero: The MovieTetsuo TosuLead role2025 The Final Piece Tsuyoshi Ishiba Emergency Interrogation Room: The Final Movie Hiromichi Morishita 2026 Kyoto Hippocrates Lead role Nameless Kunieda F(r)iction Kato Bayside Shakedown: N.E.W Ikuto Kitaoka Godzilla Minus Zero Seiji Akitsu Four Outs Iwahashi 2027 Samurai Hustle: Full Throttle Naito Masaatsu Lead role
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work(s) Result 201538th Japan Academy Film Prize Best Actor Samurai Hustle
Advertisements Television 2016 Suntory non-alcohol beverage 2016 Kansai Electric Power Company
References
External links