Hironobu Kanagawa (金川 弘敦) is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including The X-Files, Smallville, Caprica, Godzilla, The Man in the High Castle, Altered Carbon, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Heroes Reborn, Kim's Convenience, and Shōgun, and was a writer on Da Vinci's City Hall. As a voice-over artist, he was the original English-language voice of Gihren Zabi in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise and played Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Kanagawa's play Indian Arm won the 2015 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award and the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language Drama. He is also a four-time Leo Award nominee.

Early life and education

Kanagawa was born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan and grew up in Guelph, Ontario, Sterling Heights, Michigan, and Tokyo. He graduated from International Christian University High School. Prior to his acting career, he worked in Tokyo as a sculptor and rock musician. Kanagawa conducted his undergraduate studies in sculpting at Middlebury College, where he graduated in 1986. He also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. After dropping out of his initial graduate program, he re-enrolled at Simon Fraser University, where he completed his first play and completed his MFA in 1994.

Career

Kanagawa played Principal Kwan in TV series Smallville. He also voiced Gihren Zabi from Mobile Suit Gundam. He was also the voice of Mister Fantastic on Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. Kanagawa has the distinction of having played three different characters in the TV series The X-Files, appearing independently in seasons 2, 4 and 10. Besides acting, Kanagawa is also a playwright and screenwriter and teaches creative writing in the English department at Capilano University. He is an Associate Member of the Playwrights’ Theatre Centre. In 2015, he won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Script for his play Indian Arm, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf. In 2017, Indian Arm won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama.

Personal life

Kanagawa has lived in British Columbia since 1990. He resides in Port Moody, B.C. with his wife, artist Tasha Faye Evans. They have two children together.

Filmography

Films

Television

Voice acting

Video games

Awards and nominations