NOTE: Denis Akiyama portrayed Koji in the Carter TV Series that was filmed in North Bay.

 

TORONTO — Denis Akiyama, a Toronto actor who played foe to Keanu Reeves in “Johnny Mnemonic,” starred on Broadway in “Miss Saigon” and voiced an array of animated TV series, has died at 66.

His son, Kintaro Akiyama, confirmed the actor’s passing on Thursday.

Akiyama built a career working extensively in the Canadian film and TV industry with early roles in David Cronenberg’s “Dead Ringers” and guest appearances on CBC-TV series “Street Legal.”

His profile rose when he starred as Shinji, the laser-whip wielding Yakuza villain who chases down Reeves’ Johnny Mnemonic in an attempt to extract the data package stored in his head. The high-profile film was Reeves’ follow-up to the blockbuster smash “Speed.”

Akiyama went onto star in numerous other Hollywood movies filmed in the Toronto area, including “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Repo Men.”

He also played a role in Adam Sandler’s 2015 comedy “Pixels” as Toru Iwatani, the real-life designer of the Pac-Man video game, where he unsuccessfully attempts to stop the giant video game character from devouring the city.

His roles weren’t limited to the screen though, as he added another layer to his career in the recording booth where he voiced a number of popular animated series. Among them, he played Silver Samurai in the 1990s version of “X-Men” and villain Malachite on “Sailor Moon.”

Akiyama also forged a presence on theatre stages, where he performed in both the Toronto and Broadway productions of “Miss Saigon,” as well as Sally Han’s “Naomi’s Road” and Hiro Kanagawa’s “The Tiger of Malaya.”

Longtime friend Tony Duggan-Smith, who met Akiyama in the early 1980s before his acting career got off the ground, said he was a man of great philosophical depth.

“He was a soulful guy that was going through life doing things that interested him,” Duggan-Smith said.

“He was such a natural that it’s not surprising many people felt really strongly about him.”

 

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David Friend, The Canadian Press