Sanada was born in Tokyo. Originally planning to be an action star, he studied Shorinji Kempo and later took up Kyokushin kaikan karate. Sanada began training at the age of 11 with actor and martial arts star Sonny Chiba\'s Japan Action Club, where he developed good all-round martial arts ability, and soon became Chiba\'s protégé. Sanada\'s martial arts film career introduced him to Michelle Yeoh, with whom he later starred in Danny Boyle\'s Sunshine. He has a long-standing friendship with Jackie Chan, although he did not star in a film with him before Rush Hour 3 in 2007. Sanada was often credited in his younger days as Henry, Harry, or Duke Sanada.\n', '

Sanada received a bachelor of Arts from Nihon University.\n', '

Sanada has established himself as a character actor who is adept at playing a variety of roles. He was first noticed as a serious actor in the movie Mahjong Hourouki directed by Makoto Wada. Since then he has acted in every Wada movie — works filled with humor and a nostalgia for classic films.\n', '

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