Hiroyuki Sanada Becomes First Japanese Actor to Win Best Lead in a Drama Series for ‘Shogun’

Hiroyuki Sanada won best lead actor in a drama series at the 2024 Emmys , becoming the first Japanese actor and only the second Asian actor to ever win in the category in Emmy history.

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“I’m beyond honored to be here with amazing nominees,” said Sanada in accepting the award presented to him by Steven Yeun. “Thank you to FX, Disney and Hulu for believing in me. Thank you to my team for always supporting me, and thank you to all the cast and crew of Shogun . I’m so proud of you. It was an east meets west dream project with respect. Shogun taught me that when people work together we can make miracles. We can create a better future together.”

Sanada won the award for best lead actor for his role as Yoshii Toranaga in Shogun , adding to the FX series’ ranking as the most-awarded show in a single season after winning 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend. Co-star Anna Sawai , who portrays Toda Mariko, also won the Emmy for best lead actress in a drama series. The series received a total of 25 Emmy nominations .

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Sanada’s win at this year’s show follows Lee Jung-jae who became the first Asian actor to win the Emmy for best lead actor in a drama series in 2022 for his performance in Netflix’s Squid Game . The win also made him the first person to win an acting award from the TV Academy for a performance not in English.

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