Actors
All filmographies
Movies
Explore every movie
Series
Most watched shows
Play
Trivia, challenges & battles
🍿
Home Actors Movies Series Play
Language: English
Actor Evolution
115.0K subscribers
SABU
SABU
61 years (Nov 18, 1964)
Wakayama, Japan
20 Directed
2 TV Directed

SABU

SABU is a Japanese director rather than a performer who shapes what ends up on screen without appearing on it. 'Bunny Drop' rounds out the better-known part of the record. The early work was done without much attention on it. Drama is where most of these projects belong. 24 credits over 30 years describes the pace. The headline entry on the filmography is 'Mr. Long'.
SABU is a Japanese director rather than a performer who shapes what ends up on screen without appearing on it. 'Bunny Drop' rounds out the better-known part of the record. The early work was done without much attention on it. Drama is where most of these projects belong. 24 credits over 30 years describes the pace. The headline entry on the filmography is 'Mr. Long'.
Latest Trailers
Silence
Watch Trailer
Silence
Advertisement
Full Filmography
Advertisement
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is SABU and where are they from?
SABU is 61 years old, born on November 18, 1964 in Wakayama, Japan.
What are the most famous roles of SABU?
SABU is best known for directing Mr. Long, Bunny Drop, Monday.
How many movies has SABU directed?
Over a 30-year career (since 1996), SABU has directed or written 20 films and worked on 2 TV shows.
What was SABU's first movie?
The career of SABU began with Dangan Runner (1996).
What is SABU's most recent movie or series?
SABU's most recent release is Under Your Bed, which premiered on December 13, 2023.
What TV shows has SABU created or directed?
On television, SABU has appeared in Jam: The Drama, Trouble Man.
Does SABU have any upcoming projects?
Yes, SABU's upcoming work includes: Arrested Memory (2026).
Loading...
SABU
SABU
1964-11-18 · Wakayama, Japan

Sabu (サブ, Sabu, born November 18, 1964) is the pseudonym of Japanese actor and director Hiroyuki Tanaka.

Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Sabu studied at an Osaka fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 World Apartment Horror, a live-action film directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo of Akira fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 Dangan Runner, a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi played the lead in Sabu's first five films. Blessing Bell, starring Susumu Terajima (who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. Later films featured the J-pop band V6. In 2009, he directed The Crab Cannery Ship, a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese proletarian literature written by Takiji Kobayashi.

He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer (2001).

His film Chasuke's Journey was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

Your experience, your call

We use cookies for analytics and ads. Without them, the site works just as well.

Known for