Background
Born the son of Shunji Sakai, a famous comedian in Japan, Sakai initially came to fame by fronting the group sounds band The Spiders.
堺 正章栗原 正章
Born the son of Shunji Sakai, a famous comedian in Japan, Sakai initially came to fame by fronting the group sounds band The Spiders.
He is best known to English-speaking audiences as the title star of the television show Monkey. This group, formed in 1962, was popular throughout the 1960s. They spawned several hit songs as well as thirteen situation comedy films featuring their music
He took the title role of Son Goku (lit "Monkey Aware of Vacuity") in the 1970s Japanese television program Saiyūki (lit "Journey to the West").
This gained him fame in many English-speaking countries in the early 1980s when it was dubbed by the British Broadcasting Corporation and retitled Monkey. Due to his fame playing the mythical character Songoku, Sakai created a dance called "the Monkey" which became a craze in Japan.
Sakai went on to a successful solo career after The Spiders disbanded, and continued acting in films and on television In 1999, he formed the band Sans Filtre with two former Spiders, Hiroshi Kamayatsu and Takayuki Inoue.
They released their first album Yei Yei in 2000.
Due to business commitments he gave up racing in 2002 and gave his Alfa Romeo race car to Masahiko Kondō who is also a singer and race enthusiast. He is also a hobby archer. He is an active supporter of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome charities.
His show-business nickname is "Machaaki".