Masanobu Ando
Biography
Masanobu Ando is a Japanese actor and director born on May 19, 1975, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Recognized as one of Japan's prominent young actors, his career spans extensive experience in both Japanese television drama and film. He is known for avoiding typecasting through a diverse selection of roles, which have included a mentally challenged character in Innocent World, a bank robber in Space Travelers and Drive, a doctor in Transparent, a ninja and samurai in Red Shadow, and even a corpse in Monday. For his second film, Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award. Among his extensive credits, he is best known for portraying Kazuo Kiriyama, a heartless, psychopathic killer in the controversial film Battle Royale.
Career overview
Masanobu Ando is a Japanese actor and director born on May 19, 1975, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Known as one of Japan's most recognisable young actors, his choice of roles has steadfastly gone against any attempt to typecast him. For his second film, in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award for starring in Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return.
Ando has extensive experience in both Japanese television drama and film, having played a large variety of different roles. His diverse portrayals include a mentally challenged character in Innocent World, a bank robber in Space Travelers and Drive, a doctor in Transparent, a ninja and samurai in Red Shadow, and even a corpse in Monday.
Out of all his characters, he is best known for his role as Kazuo Kiriyama, the heartless, psychopathic killer in the controversial film Battle Royale. With numerous known credits in acting, Ando continues his career in the entertainment industry as both an actor and director.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Royal Family (2025) as Hiroshi Hironaka
- City Hunter (2024) as Hideyuki Makimura
- House of the Owl (2024) as Ichiro Ogami
- Destiny (2024) as Okuda Takashi
- The Yin Yang Master Zero (2024) as Sadafumi Heguri
- Stay Mum (2024) as Yasuo Inukai
- My Second Aoharu (2023) as Hinata Shogo
- Rohan at the Louvre (2023) as Ryunosuke Tatsumi
- Fishbowl Wives (2022) as Takuya Hiraga [Sakura's husband]
- Pandora's Fruit (2022) as Caen Karl
- Gossip (2022) as Masaki Niwa
- My Brother, The Android And Me (2022)
- Thousand and One Nights (2022) as Yoji Tamura
- The Setting Sun (2022) as Jiro Uehara
- Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021) as Shinsaku Takasugi
- The Ideal Man (2021) as Mitsuyasu
- Tokyo Houchi Shokudou (2021) as Kotaro Higashi
- The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill (2021) as Suzuki
- ZOKKI (2021)
- Sakura (2021)
- Sakura (2021) Director
- The Sun Does Not Move (2020) as Osamu Sakurai
- The Ship of Theseus (2020) as Mikio Kimura
- DIVER -Special Investigation Unit- (2020) as Naoya Date（伊達 直哉）
- Your Turn to Kill (2019) as Go Sano
- Voice (2019) as Kyosuke Kuon
- Cheers to Miki Clinic (2019) as Miki Shouichirou
- Day and Night (2019) as Kenichi Kitamura
- それを愛とまちがえるから (2019)
- TAKAYUKI YAMADA DOCUMENTARY「No Pain, No Gain」 (2019)
- Love and Fortune (2018) as Tsuchiya Jo
- Black Scandal (2018)
- Code Blue: The Movie (2018) as Hiroki Shinkai
- Still Life of Memories (2018) as Haruma
- Lenses on Her Heart (2018) as Yuji Kiba
- An Emblem Dedicated To You (2017) as Kamimura Ren
- シリーズ・横溝正史短編集 (2016) as Haruki Kagawa
- Sadako vs. Kayako (2016) as Keizō Tokiwa
- A Flower Aflame (2016) as Yasunori Ochi
- Ushijima the Loan Shark The Final (2016) as Hajime Gakuto
- Kokoro (2016) as Jiro
- Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation (2016) as Yasui
- Koi no sanriku ressha kon de iko! (2016) as Osako Tatsuya
- The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk (2015)
- No No Sleep (2015) as Japanese Man
- Gonin Saga (2015) as Seiji Shikine
- Beautiful 2015 (2015)
- Petal Dance (2013) as Naoto
- Self-Bondage: All Tied Up with My Own Rope (2013) as Shuji Yamura
- Keigo Higashino Mysteries (2012)
- Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2012) as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
- Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge (2011) as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
- Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag (2011) as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan
- Smuggler (2011) as Spine
- The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman (2011) as The Mute
- Code Blue (2008) as Shinkai Hiroki
- Forever Enthralled (2008) as Ryuichi Tanaka
- Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) as Yoichi
- Nightmare Detective (2007) as Detective Wakamiya
- Sakuran (2006) as Seiji
- Strawberry Shortcakes (2006) as Kikuchi
- Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006) as Shiro Kazuki
- Crickets (2006) as Taichi
- Green Mind, Metal Bats (2006) as Ishioka
- Aegis (2005) as Don-chol
- Synesthesia (2005) as Takashi Nohara
- Black Kiss (2004) as Tatsuo Sorayama
- 69 (2004) as Adama
- Karaoke Terror (2003) as Sugioka
- SHORT FILMS (2003)
- SHORT FILMS (2003) Director
- Drive (2002) as Kodama Makato
- Tokyo 10+01 (2002) as Fake
- Red Shadow (2001) as Akakage
- Transparent: Tribute to a Sad Genius (2001) as Kenichi Satomi
- Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE (2001) as Self
- Battle Royale (2000) as Kazuo Kiriyama (Boy #6)
- Space Travelers (2000) as Makoto Fujimoto
- Monday (2000) as Mitsuo Kondo
- School Ghost Story: Curse Special (2000) as Satô
- Making of 'Battle Royale' (2000) as Self
- Railroad Man (1999) as Toshiyuki Yoshioka
- Adrenaline Drive (1999) as Satoru Suzuki
- When the Saints Go Marching In (1998) as Takahara Ren
- Blue Days (1998) as Shuri Sawaki
- Innocent World (1998) as Takuya
- Tomodachi no Koibito (1997)
- Kids Return (1996) as Shinji
- Making-of Kids Return (1996) as Himself
- Rex: A Dinosaur's Story (1993)