Hiroaki Murakami

In this Japanese name, the family name is Murakami.

Hiroaki Murakami (村上 弘明, Murakami Hiroaki, born December 22, 1956) is a Japanese actor. He specializes in jidaigeki roles, and has also taken parts in tokusatsu and modern productions.

Born in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, he enrolled in Hosei University but withdrew when he successfully auditioned for a part in Kamen Rider. He made his debut as Tsukuba Hiroshi in Skyrider.

Hiroaki appeared in the NHK jidaigeki On'yado Kawasemi in 1980–81, and in a new series Shin On'yado Kawasemi in 1997. He appeared in Hissatsu Shigotonin Series 4 as the florist-turned-blacksmith named Masa, and as a repeating character in Series 5, as well as special episodes (1984–87). Five Taiga drama roles are among his credits. They are in Haru no Hatō (1985), Kōsaka Masanobu in Takeda Shingen (1988), Fujiwara no Kiyohira in Homura Tatsu (1993), Akechi Mitsuhide in Hideyoshi (1996), and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu in Genroku Ryōran (1999). In the annual TV Tokyo New Year's spectacular, he portrayed Sasaki Kojirō in Miyamoto Musashi (1990), Kira no Nikichi in Jirōchō Sangokushi (1991), Yagyū Jūbei in Tokugawa Bugeichō Yagyū Sandai no Ken (1993), and Araki Mataemon in Tenka Sōran Tokugawa Sandai no Inbō (2006). Among the jidaigeki series he has starred in are Hatchōbori no Shichinin (2000–06), Zenigata Heiji (2004–05), Yagyū Jūbei Nanaban Shōbu (2005–07), and Shikaku Ukeoinin (2007). Additionally, he portrayed Oda Nobunaga in Taikōki Tenka o Neratta Otoko: Hideyoshi (2006).

He has appeared in more than fifteen films, including several in the Kamen Rider and Hissatsu franchises. Further films to his credit include Gokudō no Onnatachi 2, Juliet Game, and Iron Maze (In a Grove).

Sources

This article incorporates material from 村上弘明 (Murakami Hiroaki) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved November 18, 2007.

External links

• Official site
• Hiroaki Murakami at IMDB
• Murakami Hiroaki at JMDB