Known For
Acting
Born
Aug 06, 1946
Credits
59 titles
Masaaki Sakai
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
Spirit World
Yuzo Nobusawa
Kono Subarashiki Sekai
The Castle of Crossed Destinies
Beautiful World
Yuzo Tsutai
Family Song
Screenstory
Impossible Love
타치키 쇼고
ザッツ宴会テイメント
The Fearless Otojiro's Company
Long Wedding Road! Tokyo vs. Osaka Wakeari Kon Monogatari
Yunagi City, Sakura Country
Asahi Ishikawa (Old)
The Black Swindler
A Hardest Night!!
Boss
The Most Useful School in the World
Locomotive Teacher
Churasan
Kohagura Keibun
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Best Friend
Kurosawa Michihiko
Papa Survival
Furuhata Ninzaburo
中村右近
The Notorious Bored Samurai 9
Kinai
Bored Hatamoto: Letter of Death
バラ色の日々に
The Notorious Bored Samurai 2
Sasao Kinai
Trinacria: Porsche 959
Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies
Sayonara Sankaku Mata Kite Shikaku
The TOP10
Tennō no Ryōriban
Monkey
Monkey
I Am A Man of Honor
Japan Beauty Story
Machi no Hi
Chiyomatsu Sakanoshita
Toshigoro
Okabe
喜劇 右向けェ左！
Kigeki dokkiri dai tōsō
時間ですよ
宮崎健
The Tempters: Smile After Tears
The Age of Undutiful Children
The Spiders' The Road to Bali
Masaaki Sakai
The Spiders: Big Commotion!
The Wonderful Ones
The Spiders' The Noisy Parade
Masaaki Sakai
My Sweetheart
The Spiders: The Reckless Operation
Masaaki
The Greatest Challenge of All
The Sunset Is Crying
Youth A Go Go!
A Girl of the Plateau
Sabu
Tokyo In Love
Flowering Maidens
Sabu