Masaaki Sakai
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- August 6, 1946 (age 80)
Biography
Born the son of Shunji Sakai, a famous comedian in Japan, Sakai initially came to fame by fronting the group sounds band The Spiders. This group, formed in 1962, was popular throughout the 1960s; they spawned several hit songs as well as thirteen situation comedy films featuring their music. He took the title role of Songoku (Monkey) in the 1970s Japanese TV program Saiyūki. This gained him fame in many English-speaking countries in the early 1980s when it was dubbed by the BBC and retitled Monkey. Due to his fame playing the mythical character Songoku, Sakai created a dance called "the Monkey" which became a craze in Japan. Sakai went on to a successful solo career after The Spiders disbanded, and continued acting in films and on television. In 1999, he formed the band Sans Filtre with two former Spiders, Hiroshi Kamayatsu and Takayuki Inoue. They released their first album Yei Yei in 2000. Sakai is known in Japan as a car enthusiast and regularly took part in the annual Mille Miglia race in Italy with his wife as a co-driver. He won a similar Japanese road race on October 18, 2000 driving a 1947 Cisitalia 202 MM with Inoue Takayuki (the guitarist from Sans Filtre) as co-driver. Due to business commitments he gave up racing in 2002 and gave his Alfa Romeo race car to Masahiko Kondō who is also a singer and race enthusiast. He is also a hobby archer. Sakai has been married and divorced twice, and has two daughters. He is an active supporter of AIDS charities. His show-business nickname is "Machaaki".
Known For
Filmography
パパ・サヴァイバル
TV · 1 ep
隅田川・夢運河
TV · 1 ep
Spirit World
Movie · as Yuzo Nobusawa
Kono Subarashiki Sekai
TV · 3 eps
Beautiful World
Movie · as Yuzo Tsutai
The Castle of Crossed Destinies
Movie
ザッツ宴会テイメント
TV · 2 eps
Impossible Love
TV · as 타치키 쇼고 · 11 eps
The Fearless Otojiro's Company
Movie
Yunagi City, Sakura Country
Movie · as Asahi Ishikawa (Old)
Long Wedding Road! Tokyo vs. Osaka Wakeari Kon Monogatari
Movie
The Black Swindler
TV · 1 ep
A Hardest Night!!
Movie · as Boss
Locomotive Teacher
Movie
The Most Useful School in the World
TV · 1 ep
Churasan
TV · as Kohagura Keibun · 169 eps
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
TV · 49 eps
Papa Survival
TV · 12 eps
Best Friend
TV · as Kurosawa Michihiko · 9 eps
The Notorious Bored Samurai 9
Movie · as Kinai
Furuhata Ninzaburo
TV · as 中村右近 · 1 ep
Bored Hatamoto: Letter of Death
Movie
バラ色の日々に
Movie
The Notorious Bored Samurai 2
Movie · as Sasao Kinai
Trinacria: Porsche 959
Movie
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
Movie
Sayonara Sankaku Mata Kite Shikaku
TV · 1 ep
The TOP10
TV · 1 ep
Tennō no Ryōriban
TV · 19 eps
Monkey
TV · as Monkey · 52 eps
I Am A Man of Honor
Movie
Japan Beauty Story
Movie
Machi no Hi
Movie · as Chiyomatsu Sakanoshita
Toshigoro
Movie · as Okabe
喜劇 右向けェ左！
Movie
Kigeki dokkiri dai tōsō
Movie
時間ですよ
TV · as 宮崎健 · 65 eps
The Tempters: Smile After Tears
Movie
The Age of Undutiful Children
Movie
The Spiders: Big Commotion!
Movie
The Spiders' The Road to Bali
Movie · as Masaaki Sakai
The Spiders' The Noisy Parade
Movie · as Masaaki Sakai
The Wonderful Ones
Movie
The Greatest Challenge of All
Movie
The Spiders: The Reckless Operation
Movie · as Masaaki
The Sunset Is Crying
Movie
My Sweetheart
Movie
Youth A Go Go!
Movie
Flowering Maidens
Movie · as Sabu
A Girl of the Plateau
Movie · as Sabu
Tokyo In Love
Movie
Song of Happiness
Movie
Here Because of You
Movie · as Akira Tanaka
Let's Dance Bon-Odori in Hawaii
Movie · as Masaya Matsui
High School Juniors (Part II)
Movie
Friends
Movie
High School Third Graders
Movie
The School Cap
Movie · as Matsubara
Road to Hawaii
Movie