Masaaki Sakai
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".
Spirit World
as uncreditedLegendary singer Claire Emery (Deneuve) flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert. But when...
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Yunagi City, Sakura Country
as Asahi Ishikawa (Old)Thirteen years afterward, I wonder if those who bombed Hiroshima are looking at me and saying:...
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The Castle of Crossed Destinies
as uncreditedIn the inner chambers of the Shugun's castle, 3,000 men attempt to vie for the affection of the...
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The Greatest Challenge of All
as uncreditedAfter an argument with his father a son leaves his home and comes back only, as an adult, many...
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My Sweetheart
as uncreditedIt had been a year and four months since Mitsuo was last on a movie set. Welcomed back by...
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Las Vegas Free-For-All
as uncreditedThe Crazy Cats, a Japanese musical-comedy group, were showcased a series of comic adventures...
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The School Cap
as MatsubaraA Tokyo student transfers to a rural school and finds it difficult to adjust himself to its...
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High School Third Graders
as uncreditedIn 1963, Funaki Kazuo's debut song of the same name was released and then it was adapted to a...
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The Age of Undutiful Children
as uncreditedComedy with music starring the rock band The Spiders.
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A Hardest Night!!
as BossA celebration of the ancient art of Japanese rakugo, roughly translated as “comic storytelling”....
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The Spiders' The Noisy Parade
as Masaaki SakaiPopular Japanese Group Sounds band, The Spiders, star in their second movie, a "HELP!" inspired...
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Beautiful World
as Yuzo TsutaiA gangster runs a budget nursing home.
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Let's Dance Bon-Odori in Hawaii
as Masaya MatsuiA young man longs to travel to Hawaii, the birthplace of his deceased father, against the wishes...
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The Spiders' The Road to Bali
as Masaaki SakaiThe Spiders, a 1960s Japanese Group Sounds band, star in this rare Monkees and Beatles inspired...
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I Am A Man of Honor
as uncreditedThe sixth film of the “Truck Yaro” series. Two long-distance truckers, Momojiro and Kinzo,...
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The Spiders' The Reckless Operation
as MasaakiThe Spiders, a Japanese pop group, in their first starring role, walk from Yokohama to Tokyo, to...
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Machi no Hi
as Chiyomatsu SakanoshitaChiyomatsu under the hill, also known as Choromatsu. He is a young man whose occupation is an...
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High School Juniors (Part II)
as uncreditedA story full of youthful vigor and spirit as high school students try to work out their...
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Youth A Go Go!
as uncreditedKenichi and Satoru join up with three other electric music lovers to form their own band, "The...
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Locomotive Teacher
as uncreditedSeigo Yoshioka (Kenji Sakaguchi) is a teacher that became mute after a kendo accident. He feels...
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Nakamatachi
as uncreditedToday is a new day with hopes. A youth hymn that depicts a young truck driver growing up in love...
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The Fearless Otojiro's Company
as uncreditedIn 1897, actor, director, producer and theatre company leader Kawakami Otojiro set off on a tour...
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喜劇 右向けェ左！
as uncreditedMamoru Hirayama, the sales manager of Clover Shoji, a women's underwear manufacturer, was...
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A Girl of the Plateau
as SabuKazuo Kitagawa lives on a farm on the Tateshina Plateau with his late teacher's widow and...
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The Sunset Is Crying
as uncreditedThe Spiders hit song made into a movie.
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Here Because of You
as Akira TanakaAn uplifting drama about the bond between a group of high school seniors and their kind-hearted...
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The Spiders: Big Commotion!
as uncreditedThe Spiders arrive back in Tokyo by bullet train after a concert tour. They make their way...
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The Tempters: Smile After Tears
as uncreditedLayabout teen Shoken is dissatisfied with his nagging single mother and bullies at school. He...
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Flowering Maidens
as SabuThe young yakuza who have arrived in the city are being taught the beauty of work and the...
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Furuhata Ninzaburo
as uncreditedFuruhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from...
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Churasan
as Kohagura KeibunThe 64th NHK Asadora Renzoku Drama is Churasan, a story of a young woman, Kohagura Eri, who was...
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The Black Swindler
as uncreditedKurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers. Despite that, Kurosaki grows up...
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Tokugawa Yoshinobu
as uncreditedThe 37th NHK Taiga Drama is Tokugawa Yoshinobu. The series focuses on the life of Tokugawa...
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Monkey
as MonkeyBuddhist priest Tripitaka and his three disciples Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy, travel from China to...
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Kono Subarashiki Sekai
as uncreditedA 'spoof comedy" in which a housewife who lives an ordinary life is forced to live a double life...
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Best Friend
as Kurosawa MichihikoKouhei asks his girlfriend Kaede to marry him. He also reveals that his company going to...
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Impossible Love
as 타치키 쇼고Shogo is a divorced man with one daughter. In his younger days, he was briefly in a band but it...
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The Most Useful School in the World
as uncreditedThis show's educational philosophy is to call professors of all ages and countries, and have...
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Sayonara Sankaku Mata Kite Shikaku
as uncreditedThe interactions of two families that have lived next door to each other for generations.
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