Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor who began his career in the mid-1960s at the age of five, mentored by actor Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba. He joined the Himawari Theatre Group at five and had his first role in the 1966 film Game of Chance. A black belt in Kyokushin karate and a student of Shorinji Kempo, Sanada initially gained prominence for his roles in Japanese and Hong Kong action films before establishing himself as a dramatic actor.