Wikipedia

Kenji Sakaguchi (actor)

Kenji Sakaguchi
坂口憲二
Born (1975-11-08) 8 November 1975 (age 49)
Tokyo, Japan
OccupationActor
Years active
  • 2000–2018
  • 2023–present
AgentBlack Tree
Spouse
Unknown
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3
Family
Websiteofficeblacktree.com/artist/kenji-sakaguchi/

Kenji Sakaguchi (坂口憲二, Sakaguchi Kenji; born 8 November 1975) is a Japanese actor.[1] He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2000. He is the son of former professional wrestler Seiji Sakaguchi and the brother of current professional wrestler Yukio.[2]

Personal life

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Family

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His father, Seiji Sakaguchi, was a former professional wrestler and judoka known as the "Great Sakaguchi". Kenji himself is well-versed in martial arts, having attained a second-degree black belt in judo. His older brother, Yukio, was a self-employed mixed martial artist and professional wrestler.

Relationships and marriage

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Sakaguchi dated actress Koyuki, with whom he co-starred in the 2002 television drama Serchin' for my Polestar, until 2005.[3] In 2009, weekly magazines reported that he was dating model Yumi Sakurai.[4] They dated for four years until their relationship ended in 2013.[4]

A year later, on March 18, 2014, he married a non-celebrity woman who was reportedly in her early 30s and is from Kyoto.[5] He revealed that they began dating in the summer of the previous year.[6] The couple has three children together. A son was born on September 20, 2014,[7] their second son on May 29, 2016,[8] and their third child, a daughter, was born in 2018.[9]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2004 Silent Big Man Seigo Yoshioka Lead role [10]
2006 Memories of Tomorrow Naoya Ito [11]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2000–01 Ikebukuro West Gate Park Yamai (Doberman) [12]
2003 The Always the Two of Us Kenta Morinaga Lead role [13]
Song of the Canefields Isamu Hirayama Television film [14]
2004 Pride Yamato Hotta [15]
Younger Brother Tetsuya Watari [16]
2006–14 Iryū: Team Medical Dragon Ryutaro Asada Lead role; 4 seasons [17]
2012–25 Second to Last Love Shinpei Nagakura 3 seasons [18]
2023 Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo Zero Kōji Yanagisawa [15]

Health

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On 31 March 2018, Sakaguchi announced he was taking an indefinite hiatus from acting due to "idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head".[19]

In 2023, he resumed his entertainment activities. It was announced that he would appear in a TV drama for the first time in nine years.[15]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work(s) Result Ref.
2002 36th Elan d'or Awards Newcomer of the Year Himself Won [20]

References

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  1. ^ "Sakaguchi, Yada to star in Japanese version of 'Die Hard'".
  2. ^ "Sakaguchi Kenji". Kotobanku (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  3. ^ "坂口憲二と小雪が破局 ニュース-ORICON STYLE-" ["Kenji Sakaguchi and Koyuki break up"]. ORICON STYLE (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b "坂口憲二にお泊り報道。人気モデルの桜井裕美と＝女性誌 | 日テレNEWS24" ["Sakaguchi Kenji reportedly spends the night with popular model Sakurai Yumi = Women's magazine"]. www.news24.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  5. ^ "坂口憲二、結婚を発表 - モデルプレス" [Kenji Sakaguchi announces marriage]. Model Press (in Japanese). 1 November 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  6. ^ "坂口憲二、交際半年のスピード婚！夏にはパパに | Hot Mama Town ホットママタウン" [Kenji Sakaguchi gets married after just six months of dating! Becoming a father this summer]. sakuramama.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  7. ^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (21 September 2014). "坂口憲二、第１子男の子生まれた！「足の形が自分にそっくり」" ["Kenji Sakaguchi's first child, a boy, was born! 'His feet are just like mine]. サンスポ (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  8. ^ "坂口憲二 第２子男児が誕生していた 母子ともに健康 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能" ["Kenji Sakaguchi's second child, a boy, was born. Both mother and child are healthy]. スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  9. ^ "坂口憲二、３人目の子が生まれていた すでに６歳 報告受けた飯島直子も仰天「え？３人？」/デイリースポーツ online" ["Kenji Sakaguchi's third child was born. He's already 6 years old. Naoko Iijima was also surprised when she heard about it. 'What? Three?'"]. デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  10. ^ "機関車先生(2004)". eiga.com. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  11. ^ "明日の記憶の出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  12. ^ "池袋ウエストゲートパークの出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  13. ^ "いつもふたりでの出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  14. ^ "さとうきび畑の唄". TBS. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "坂口憲二、9年ぶりドラマ出演 『教場0』で風間公親(木村拓哉)の"裏のバディ"に". Oricon. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  16. ^ "弟の出演者・キャスト一覧". The Television. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  17. ^ "平幹二朗&岸部一徳の息子たちが『医龍4』で共演". Oricon. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  18. ^ "フジ新"月9"は小泉今日子&中井貴一がW主演 『最後から二番目の恋』が11年ぶりの続編決定【コメントあり】". Oricon (in Japanese). 12 March 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Live-Action Iryū Actor Kenji Sakaguchi Goes on Medical Hiatus". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ^ エランドール賞歴代受賞者一覧 [List of Élan d'Or awardee] (in Japanese). All Nippon Producers Association. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
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