Denis Van Akiyama (May 28, 1952 – June 28, 2018)
was a Canadian
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, best known as providing the voice of
Iceman/Bobby Drake,
Silver Samurai/Kenuichio Harada and
Sunfire in ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' and
Malachite
Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fractures ...
in the original English version of ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
''. He played Shinji in ''
Johnny Mnemonic
"Johnny Mnemonic" is a science fiction short story by American-Canadian writer William Gibson. It first appeared in '' Omni'' magazine in May 1981, and was subsequently included in ''Burning Chrome'', a 1986 collection of Gibson's short fiction. ...
''.
Personal life, career and death
Akiyama was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada to a Japanese family.
He was also a frequent guest star on ''
Katts and Dog
''Katts and Dog'' is a French and Canadian-produced television series that ran from 1988 to 1993. It was known as ''Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop'' in the United States where it originally aired on CBN Cable/The Family Channel and ''Rintintin Junior'' in ...
'' as well as voiced and played a number of role in ''
The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...
'' animated series and ''
Mayday
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...
''. In 2015, he appeared in the feature film ''
Pixels
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device.
In most digital display devices, pixels are the sm ...
''. Akiyama was also a gifted musician having played trumpet in
The Pukka Orchestra
Pukka Orchestra was a Canadian new wave band based in Toronto, Ontario in the 1980s. The group released two albums, an EP and several singles, and won a CASBY Award in 1985.
History
The Pukka Orchestra was formed in Toronto in 1979. .
Akiyama died on June 28, 2018, from a "very rare and aggressive cancer". He and his wife Danielle had two children, Kintaro and Miya.
He was 66 years old.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
Denis Akiyama Memorial Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akiyama, Denis
1952 births
2018 deaths
Canadian male actors of Japanese descent
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Canadian male video game actors
Canadian male voice actors
Male actors from Toronto
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors