is a Japanese singer, entertainer, actor and a member of the singer-songwriter duo

WaT A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

and belongs to the production company Burning Productions.

Early career

Born in

Mitaka, Tokyo 260px, Inokashira Park in Mitaka is a city in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,403, and a population density of 12,000 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Mit ...

to a Japanese mother and a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

father, Wentz became involved in the entertainment industry at a very young age. Wentz initially started as a model at the age of four and made his acting debut as the role of Chip in the Four Seasons Musical Troupe production of ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

''. He became famous as a child actor as a regular on the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

television show, , where he played bass guitar and piano at the age of ten. During live performances, he played the

acoustic bass The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar a ...

as well as the

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

. He started learning the guitar from the age of 17. He is featured in the popular rock band

Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most success ...

's music video for their 1996 single " In Silence". He originally wanted to be a fashion model, but he was too short to become one.Gendai.net
この人物のオモテとウラ　ウエンツ瑛士（タレント）
When he terminated his contract with ''Tensai Terebi-kun'', he decided to get away from show-business, but after the recommendation of

Hiromi Go , is a Japanese singer, part of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His real name is . In the 1970s, he was called the with Goro Noguchi and Hideki Saijo. He belonged to Johnny & Associates, but later left the agency. He also effectively became ...

, he entered Burning Productions and became a ''

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...

''. He began his acting career at the age of 18, when he played a minor role in the NHK television series ''Toshiie To Matsu''. In 2007, he started to appear in several of Cocorico's comedy shows as Shorty Tanaka (''ちっこい田中'', Little Tanaka) and since ''Tensai Terebi Kun'', he is a ''deshi'' (student) of Yoshimoto comedian Hōsei Tsukitei.WentZ Eiji H-Diary
/ref>

Musical career

After ''Tensai Terebi-kun'' ended, Wentz continued to play music and started the band

with

Teppei Koike is Japanese actor and singer associated with Burning Productions. After appearing in the television drama ''Tentai Kansoku'' in 2002, Koike began appearing in several other films and dramas, notably as Atsushi Otani in ''Love Com''. At the sam ...

. They started in 2002 with street performances. In February 2004, they released an indie-label CD. In August 2005, they signed with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and had their major debut in November 2005.

Popularity

His popularity may be derived from his self-mocking "comedian" character, as he often talks about his "foolishness", short height, and difficulty in speaking English.

Personal life

Wentz is a follower of the baseball team

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

.Spysee
/ref> He was once invited to the Lions' victory ceremony in 2008, and has a large collection of

baseball card A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, sta ...

s. He also has over 800 volumes of

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

Works

Variety television

* ''Hayami English Network'' (1994–1995) * ''Tensai Terebi-kun / Tensai Terebi-kun Wide'' (April 1995 – March 2000) * ''Chikara no Kagiri Go Go Go!!'' (October 2001 – February 2002) * ''Shūkan Tokudane Kazoku!!'' (October 2002 – December 2002) * ''F2/F2-X'' (October 2002 – September 2004) * '' Nōnai Esthe IQ Supli'' (May 2004 – March　2009, as host) * ''Pretty Kids'' (October 2004 – March 2005, as host) * ''Hanataka Tengu'' (April 2005 – September 2005) * ''Barioku!'' (October 2005 – March 2006, as host) * ''Ame nimo Makezu'' (April 2006 – September 2006, as host) * ''

Ainori , literally "Ride together", or "Car pool" but can also be read as "love ride", is a popular television program that runs Monday evenings from 11 pm in Japan on Fuji TV. It debuted on October 11, 1999. The show originally ended on March 23, 2009 ...

'' (April 2006 – March　2009, as host) * ''Ponkikki'' (April 2006 – March 2007, as host) * ''D no Gekijō'' (September 2006 – September 2007) * ''Dokusen! Kinyōbi no Kokuhaku'' (October 2007 – March　2008) * ''Kentei Japon'' (April 2008 – September 2008) * ''Atarashii Nami 16'' (October 2008 – March 2009, as host) * ''Jinsei motto mankitsu　hour　Tokimeke! Week wonder'' (October　2008 – February　2009) * ''Sakiyomi'' (July 2008–present) * ''Super Surprise'' (April 2009–present, as host) * ''Minna no Enquete Show Honne no Dendou!! Shinsuke niha wakarumai'' (May 2009–present)

Television dramas

* ''Kyūmei Senshi Nano Seibaa'' (1995), a drama within the NHK show ''Tensai Terebi-kun'' * ''Toshiie and Matsu'' (2002) as

Mori Ranmaru , also known as Mori Naritoshi (森成利), was the son of Mori Yoshinari, and had 5 brothers in total, from the province of Mino. He was a member of the Mori Clan, descendants of the Seiwa Genji. Biography From an early age, Ranmaru was an a ...

* ''Tentei Kazoku'' (2002) as Tomoda Yūki * ''

Gokusen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kozueko Morimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''You'' from 2000 to 2007, with its chapters collected in fifteen '' wideban'' volumes. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the grand ...

'', part 6 guest star (2002) as Yūki Masato * ''Raion Sensei'' (2003) as Furuta Takumi * ''Fujiko Hemingu no Kiseki'' (2003) as Ōtsuki Urufu * ''Aa, Tantei Jimusho'', part 3 guest star (2004) as Inaba Yusuke * ''Tadashii Renai no Susume'' (2005) as Takeda Hiroaki * ''Rondo'', part 1-2 guest star (2006) as Toda Masato * ''Kirakira Kenshūi'' (2007) as Tachioka Ken * ''

Nodame Cantabile is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the ''josei'' manga magazine ''Kiss'' from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 ''tankōbon'' volumes. A two-v ...

in Europe Lesson 1 & 2'' (2008) as Franck * ''

Wagaya no Rekishi is a Japanese three-part television mini-series, shown on Fuji TV from April 9, 2010 to April 11, 2010 to celebrate its 50th Anniversary. The show was known for its star-studded cast. Synopsis Masako (Kou Shibasaki) is the eldest daughter of the ...

'' (2010) as Maruyama Akihiro * '' Japan Sinks: People of Hope'' (2021) as Taira Ishizuka

Movies

* ''

Kamen Rider The First is a 2005 Japanese tokusatsu superhero film. The film is a reboot adaptation of the television series ''Kamen Rider'', though there are many differences between the film and the original programme; some of these, however, are due to a closer relia ...

'' (2005) Mitamura Haruhiko * Animation movie ''

Brave Story is a Japanese fantasy novel written by Miyuki Miyabe. It was serialized in various regional newspapers between November 11, 1999 and February 13, 2001, before being published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in''Brave Story'' ...

'' (2006) Ashikawa Mitsuru * ''

Lovely Complex , also known as ''Lovely Complex'', is a romantic comedy shōjo manga by Aya Nakahara. It was published by Shueisha in ''Bessatsu Margaret'' from 2001 to 2006 and collected in 17 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series is about the romance betwee ...

'' (2006) Dancing Yoshiko * ''Captain Tokio'' (2007) Furuta * ''Gegege no Kitarō'' (2007) Kitarō * ''Gegege no Kitarō: Sennen Noroi Uta'' (2008) Kitarō * ''Nodame Cantabile: Saishū Gakushō (Part 2)'' (2010) Franck * ''

Tiger Mask is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The series was first published in Kodansha's ''Bokura Magazine'' from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 1970 to ...

'' (2013) Naoto Date / Tiger Mask * ''Yudō'' (2023)

Dubbing

* ''

Arthur Christmas ''Arthur Christmas'' is a 2011 computer-animated Christmas science fantasy comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and co-directed by Barry Cook. Featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, an ...

'', Arthur Claus * ''

Jack the Giant Slayer ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (previously titled ''Jack the Giant Killer'') is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, from a story by Lemke and David Dobki ...

'', Jack * ''

Trolls World Tour ''Trolls World Tour'' (often named as ''Trolls 2: World Tour'') is a 2020 American computer-animated musical comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls created by ...

'', Branch

Solo singles

* ''Awaking Emotion 8/5 / my brand new way'' (April 27, 2007)

References

External links

Official site

WaT Official site

Universal Music site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentz, Eiji Japanese male actors Japanese male pop singers Japanese people of American descent Japanese people of German descent People from Musashino, Tokyo 1985 births Living people Musicians from Western Tokyo 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers