Jai West (ジェイ・ウエスト born October 24, 1976) is an actor and poet of French Canadian and Japanese descent born in Vancouver, British Columbia and currently based in Tokyo, Japan. He is best known for his work on screen as manic Japanese American gangster Lee in

Sion Sono Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

's '' Hazard'' (2005), a thief grappling with his sexual identity in Gen Sekiguchi's ''

Survive Style 5+ ''Survive Style 5+'' is a 2004 Japanese film directed by Gen Sekiguchi and produced by Hiroyuki Taniguchi. It stars Tadanobu Asano, Kyōko Koizumi, Reika Hashimoto, Jai West, Sonny Chiba and Vinnie Jones. Synopsis The film follows five simult ...

'' (2004), and portraying

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

in the popular Tokyo Gas commercials. He has appeared in numerous films and television series, from ''

21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...

'' (1990) to

Takashi Shimizu Takashi Shimizu (清水崇 ''Shimizu Takashi'', born 27 July 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator of the ''Ju-On'' franchise, and directing four of its films, internationally, in both Japan and the U.S. Accor ...

's ''

The Great Horror Family is a 2004 Japanese horror comedy television series directed by Kenji Murakami, Takashi Shimizu, Keisuke Toyoshima and Yūdai Yamaguchi, which aired on TV Tokyo affiliated stations. Episodes * Season 1, Episode 1: ''The Horror! The Cursed Imaw ...

'' (2004) and

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

's '' Big Bang Love, Juvenile A'' (2006). West has released two spoken word poetry albums in Japanese and English under the pseudonym Lotus Chamelion. In 2018, he became the chairman of ''

Iron Chef Canada Iron Chef Canada is a show on Food Network Canada which premiered 10 October 2018. The show is hosted by Gail Simmons, with Chris Nuttall-Smith as the floor reporter, and Jai West as The Chairman. The show is produced by Corus Entertainment and ...

.''

Career

In 2016, West starred alongside

Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997). Anders ...

and

Dree Hemingway Dree Louise Crisman Hemingway (born December 4, 1987) is an American fashion model and actress. She gained attention playing the lead in American director Sean Baker's feature '' Starlet'' (2012). She has since become known for her high-profile ...

in the Canadian-Japanese drama ''

The People Garden ''The People Garden'' is a 2016 Canadian-Japanese drama film written and directed by Nadia Litz and starring Dree Hemingway, Pamela Anderson, Jai West and François Arnaud. The film premiered at the 2016 Buenos Aires International Independent F ...

''. He played a mysterious driver and worker. In 2018, West was announced as the ''

'' chairman, which premiered on October 17 on

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ( ...

. In 2021, West portrayed the arch-

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...

Lyon Arkland in the Kamen Rider film Zero-one Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai. The movie's release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the historic

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

superhero franchise. Lyon Arkland is the CEO of ZAIA Enterprise, a global weapons manufacturing company and transforms into Kamen Rider Zaia.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Jai West's JMDb entry (in Japanese) E Film Critic "Survive Style 5+" review All About interview (in Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Jai Living people Japanese male film actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male actors of Japanese descent Canadian expatriates in Japan Male actors from Vancouver 1976 births