Kentaro Sakaguchi
Japanese actor (born 1991)
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Kentaro Sakaguchi (Japanese: 坂口 健太郎, Hepburn: Sakaguchi Kentarō; born July 11, 1991) is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as a model in Men's Non-no magazine in 2010, and as an actor under Tristone Entertainment in 2014.[1] He first gained recognition for starring in the television series Signal (2018) and its 2021 film Signal the Movie. Sakaguchi attained further prominence for the films The Last 10 Years (2022)[2] and Side by Side (2023), as well as dramas What Comes After Love (2024) and Beyond Goodbye (2024).
Kentaro Sakaguchi | |
|---|---|
坂口健太郎 | |
Sakaguchi at the 2025 Seoul Drama Awards | |
| Born | July 11, 1991 Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010—present |
| Agent | Tristone |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Website | tristone |
Early life
Sakaguchi was born on July 11, 1991 in Tokyo, Japan. His family consists of his mother and sister. He stated in an interview that the death of his father caused him to be closer to his mother.[3]
Career
Modeling
Sakaguchi debuted as a model in 2010, and has since appeared in cover stories and pictorials for several magazines including Men's Non-no for which he was an exclusive model for 7 years.[4] He has also participated in fashion shows like GirlsAward 2014 Spring/Summer and GirlsAward 2015 Spring/Summer.[5][6]
He has been called the quintessential "shio-gao," literally salt-face, which is described as a fair-skinned male with a good-looking face, defined Adam's apple and collarbones, as well as eyes that turn into lines when smiling.[7]
Acting
![](#/media/File:Sakaguchi_Kentaro_from_"The_House_Where_the_Mermaid_Sleeps"_World_Premiere_Red_Carpet_of_the_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_2018_(44769260505).jpg)
In 2014, Sakaguchi made his film debut as Shun in Shanti Days 365 Days, Happy Breath. In 2015, he made his television debut as Ichikawa Manabu for the Nippon TV drama Yokokuhan: The Pain. In August 2015, he appeared in the music video for "Yozora", a single by Miwa.[8] In September that year, he gained popularity after appearing in the film adaptation of the manga No Longer Heroine and was featured in a variety of advertisements for L'air de Savon, Onitsuka Tiger, and niko and....[9][10] In 2017, he played his first leading role in the film The 100th Love with You.[11][12]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Shanti Days 365 Days, Happy Breath | Shun | ||
| 2015 | My Love Story! | Makoto Sunakawa | [13] | |
| At Home | Jun Moriyama | |||
| Our Little Sister | Tomoaki Fujii | |||
| Prophecy | Manabu Ichikawa | |||
| Her Granddaughter | Shinobu Dozono | |||
| No Longer Heroine | Kosuke Hiromitsu | |||
| 2016 | The Kodai Family | Kohei Kishimoto | ||
| 64: Part I | Tejima | |||
| 64: Part II | Tejima | |||
| The Inerasable | Tetsuo Misawa | |||
| Golden Orchestra! | Sakashita | |||
| 2017 | The 100th Love With You | Riku Hasegawa | Lead role | [14] |
| Narratage | Reiji Ono | |||
| 2018 | Color Me True | Kenji | Lead role | [15] |
| The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps | Yūya Hoshino | [16] | ||
| 2019 | Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV | Akio | Lead role | [17] |
| Dragon Quest: Your Story | Henry (voice) | [18] | ||
| And Life Goes On | Kiyotaka Shimizu | Lead role | [19] | |
| 2020 | Masked Ward | Hayami | Lead role | [20] |
| 2021 | Signal the Movie | Kento Saegusa | Lead role | [21] |
| 2022 | The Last 10 Years | Kazuto | Lead role | [22] |
| Hell Dogs | Hideki Murooka | [23] | ||
| 2023 | Side by Side | Miyama | Lead role | [24] |
| 2024 | The Parades | Akira | [25] | |
| 2025 | The Final Piece | Keisuke Kamijo | Lead role | [26] |
| 2026 | I Don't Know You | Yuhei Nishiyama | Lead role; French-Japanese film | [27] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–17 | Dr. Storks | Ryo Shirakawa | 2 seasons | [28] |
| 2015 | Yokokuhan: The Pain | Ichikawa Manabu | Episodes 4 and 5 | |
| 2016 | Daddy Sister | Takezo Hoshino | Asadora | [29] |
| Sleepeeer Hit! | Jun Koizumi | |||
| Teacher Gappa | Ryuji Saeki | TV movie | ||
| Love That Makes You Cry | Haruta Nakajo | |||
| Copycat Criminal | Koichi Amikawa / Peace | TV movie | ||
| 2017 | Tokyo Tarareba Musume | Key | ||
| I'm Sorry, I Love You | Satoru Hyūga | |||
| 2018 | Signal | Kento Saegusa | Lead role | [30] |
| 2019 | Innocence, Fight Against False Charges | Taku Kurokawa | Lead role | [31] |
| And Life Goes On | Kiyotaka Shimizu | Lead role | [32] | |
| 2020 | A Girl of 35 | Yuto Hirose | [33] | |
| 2021 | Air Girl | Yūki Mishima | TV movie | [34] |
| Welcome Home, Monet | Kōtarō Suganami | Asadora | [35] | |
| Only Just Married | Shu Momose | [36] | ||
| 2022 | Hiru | Kara | Lead role | [37] |
| The 13 Lords of the Shogun | Hōjō Yasutoki | Taiga drama | [38] | |
| 2023 | Dr. Chocolate | Tetsuya Noda | Lead role | [39] |
| Code Japan: Price of Wishes | Minato Ninomiya | Lead role | [40] | |
| 2024 | What Comes After Love | Jungo | Lead role; South Korean television series | [41] |
| Beyond Goodbye | Naruse | Lead role | [42] | |
Music video appearances
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Seagull | Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplyov | Tokyo Art Theater | [48] |
Bibliography
Mook
- Sakamichi (Shueisha Mook, November 2015)[49] ISBN 9784081022045
Photobook
- 25.6 (Shueisha, March 2018)[50] ISBN 9784087808339
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11th Osaka Cinema Festival | Best New Actor | My Love Story! & No Longer Heroine | Won | [51] |
| 2017 | 41st Elan d'or Awards | Newcomer of the Year | N/a | Won | [52] |
| 40th Japan Academy Film Prize | Newcomer of the Year | 64: Part I & 64: Part II | Won | [53] | |
| Elle Cinema Award 2017 | Elle Men Award | N/a | Won | [54] | |
| 2021 | Seoul International Drama Awards | Asian Star Prize | Won | [55] | |
| 2022 | 47th Hochi Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Hell Dogs | Nominated | [56] |
| 2023 | 77th Mainichi Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | [57] | |
| 46th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | [58] | ||
| 8th Asia Artist Awards | Best Artist Award (Actor) | N/a | Won | [59] | |
| Asia Celebrity Award | Won | ||||
| Male Actor Popularity Award | Nominated | [60] | |||
| 2025 | Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2025 | Fan Choice Couple | Kentaro Sakaguchi (with Lee Se-young) What Comes After Love |
Won | [61] |
