Hiroaki Hirata

Hiroaki Hirata (平田広明) is a venerable Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator born on August 7, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. After completing his secondary education at Toshima High School, he enrolled in the Subaru Theater School, where he honed his theatrical skills before joining the renowned Theatre Company Subaru. His stage debut came in 1986 with a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, marking the beginning of a prolific stage career that would span more than a quarter of a century. While performing on stage, Hirata’s manager suggested he explore voice acting; an audition soon followed, leading to a dual path that combined live‑action performance with extensive dubbing work for Western films. Over the decades, he has become the official Japanese dub‑over artist for Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Noah Wyle, and Matt LeBlanc, and has also provided Japanese voices for Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, and Josh Hartnett, showcasing his versatile vocal range. Hirata’s anime résumé is equally impressive. He is internationally recognized for voicing Sanji in the long‑running series One Piece, a role that has endeared him to millions of fans worldwide. Other notable characters include Sha Gojyo in Saiyuki, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger) in Tiger & Bunny, Klein in Sword Art Online, Vergil across the Devil May Cry video‑game franchise, and Mutta Nanba in Space Brothers. His performance as Kaburagi earned him the 11th Tokyo Anime Award for Best Voice Actor and the 6th Seiyu Award for Best Actor in a leading role in 2011, the same year he founded his own agency, Hirata Production Japan, after leaving Theatre Company Subaru. Continuing to work in both animation and video games, he has lent his voice to titles such as Final Fantasy XII (Balthier), Kingdom Hearts II (Captain Jack Sparrow), and Granblue Fantasy (Rackam). Beyond voice work, he has appeared in live‑action dramas like Daddy Sister (2016) and The 13 Lords of the Shogun (2022). With a career spanning from 1985 to the present, Hiroaki Hirata remains a pillar of Japanese entertainment, admired for his deep, resonant timbre, his dedication to craft, and his ongoing influence across multiple media formats.

Biography, Career & Filmography

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Movies Featuring Hiroaki Hirata

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