Mackenyu Maeda, known simply as Mackenyu, is a Japanese-American actor born in Los Angeles and is the son of a famous Japanese actor, producer, director, and martial artist Sonny Chiba. He attended Beverly Hills High School in their Advanced Placement Program and appeared in a few films and TV shows while growing up, including the TV mini-series Team Astro (Astro Kyuudan) (2005), and the Japanese feature film Oyaji (2007), while devoting most of his time to school and graduation.
In 2013, Mackenyu turned his full attention to acting—including roles in the feature film Buzz (So-On: The Five Oyaji) (2014) and TV movie Yo nimo Kimyou na Monogatari (2014). His acting quickly expanded to include three supporting roles in TV Mini-series including The Kindergarten Detective (Hanasaki Shin’ichirou wa Nemurenai!!) (2015), Yume o Ataeru (2015), and The Hatsumori Bemars (2015). His fame grew dramatically in Japan after landing the role of Eiji Tomari/ Kamen Rider Drive in the live action movie based on the popular series created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future (Gekijōban Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future) (2015).
In 2015, he also landed his first lead roles in two USA film productions, Take a Chance (2015) and Tadaima (2015); for the latter he won a best actor award. In January 2016, he made his stage debut in the Japanese musical Boys Over Flower (Hana Yori Dango: The Musical) (2016). He had a prominent role in the two part feature film Chihayafuru Part I & II (2016) which was released back-to-back in March and April 2016. Japan’s AM magazine featured him on the front cover of their 14 March 2016 edition and included an interview with him. One of his most challenging roles in his career to date was Shoujo (Little Girl).
Having completed his lead role as “Makise” in the feature film Night’s Tightrope (Shoujo) (2016), Mackenyu started to expand his acting opportunities in Hollywood with a lead role in the series ZAPS, Inc. (2017) and the supporting role of Ryoichi in Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018).
In December 2020, Mackenyu announced that he would be leaving his agency, Top Coat, in April of 2021 as well as suspending his Japanese activities for the time being. He announced that he wants to focus on global activities in 2021.