Sugi-chan
| Sugi-chan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sugi-chan at the opening of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2015 | |
| Native name | スギちゃん |
| Born |
Eiji Sugiyama 24 August 1973 Aichi Prefecture , Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Years active | 1994 - present |
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Website |
ameblo |
Eiji Sugiyama (杉山 英司 Sugiyama Eiji, born 24 August 1973), better known by his stage name Sugi-chan (スギちゃん), is a Japanese comedian. He has enjoyed success since 2012 with a comedy routine that frequently uses a catch line in which he describes his own antics as "wild".
Early life
Sugimura was born on 24 August 1973 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His parents operated a weaving equipment factory and performed an amateur magician show titled "Magical Takeshi and China Yuriko". He attended the Aichi Prefectural Bisai High School and was a member of the school's baseball club.[1]
Professional career
Early career
Sugiyama commenced his career in entertainment in 1995[2] after graduating from the Nagoya branch of the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent school in 1994. He joined the Yoshimoto Creative Agency and was briefly in a manzai duo named "Frankfurt" with a fellow Yoshimoto member. In April 1995, he formed the duo "Reiketsu Sunday" with Noriyuki Sawahara. In 1998, they moved to Tokyo and joined the Asai Kikaku agency. Around the same time they changed the name of their act to "Mekadog" (lit. "Mechanical Dog").
As a solo performer
In January 2008, Sugiyama left Asai Kikaku, and in April, Mekadog disbanded. At this time Sugiyama started performing as a solo act. In April 2011, he joined the Sun Music management agency.
2012 break
Upon the advice of a fortune teller, Sugiyama adopted the stage name Sugi-chan in November 2011. In March 2012, he was runner-up in the annual "R-1 Grand Prix" for solo comedians, finishing behind Kenji Tada of Cowcow.[3] His "Wild darō?" (lit. "I'm wild, right?") catchphrase brought him national attention and an increase in his workload. In September 2012, he fractured the T-12 vertebra in his spine when diving from a 10 m high platform while filming a variety show for TV Asahi.[4]
In December 2012, his catchphrase "Wild darō?" was chosen as the "New/Vogue Word of the Year" by the U-Can correspondence education group.[5]
Filmography
Television
- Great Teacher Onizuka (2012 version), Hajime Fukuroda
- Yomedaikō Hajimemashita (2013), opening narration
- Otenki Onēsan (The Weather Girl Knows) (2013), as himself
References
- ↑ "「スギちゃんのワイルド日記」" [Sugichan's Wild Diary] (in Japanese). 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ↑ "スギちゃん" [Sugichan] (in Japanese). Sun Music Group. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ↑ "『R-1ぐらんぷり2012』COWCOW多田が初優勝「相方に感謝」 準優勝はスギちゃん" [[R-1 Grand Prix 2012] Cowcow's Tada claims first win, Sugi-chan runner-up] (in Japanese). 20 March 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ↑ "Comedian Sugi-chan fractures his thoracic vertebrae". Tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ↑ "【2012新語・流行語】年間大賞はスギちゃんの「ワイルドだろぉ」" [[2012 New/Vogue Word] Annual Prize goes to Sugi-chan's "Wild Darou"] (in Japanese). 3 December 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
External links
- Sugi-chan at the Internet Movie Database
- Official blog (Japanese)
- Sun Music profile (Japanese)
- Asai Kikaku profile (Japanese)