Early life
Sakurai is the eldest of three siblings born to a family who owned a rice shop. When he was a child, he became interested in voice acting after watching a television interview with a voice actor. He graduated from Okazaki Johsei High School. After graduating from Yoyogi Animation Academy in Nagoya and 81 Acting Institute, he made his official anime debut in 1996 with the TV animation series Bakusล Kyลdai Let's & Go!!. Sakurai stated that he would have taken over his family's rice shop if he did not pursue voice acting.
Career
After moving on from the training school, he became a member of 81 Produce under the influence of his admiration for Toshihiko Seki. Even before his official debut, he had already received work in radio dramas and other projects during his time at the training school, but for a while after his debut, there was a period of time when he was unable to find work even after auditioning.
In 1999, when he was 25 years old and wondering if he should quit voice acting, he got regular roles in two TV anime in a row, Digimon Adventure and Sensual Phrase, and in the same year, he sang his first character song in his first starring film, Gate Keepers.
From August 31 to September 3, 2006, Sakurai appeared in Eternity, a stage play produced by the theater troupe Joy. Sakurai and Joy were accused of copyright infringement, as Eternity was based on Kลki Mitani's stage play Tokyo Sunshine Boys' Trap. Sakurai, as well as his agency, 81 Produce, issued apologies.
On April 22, 2011, Sakurai won the "Male Character Voice Award" at Famitsu Awards 2010. In 2012, he won the "Overseas Fan's Award" at the 6th Seiyu Awards.
In 2013, after a year of discussions with the record company, Sakurai announced on his radio show that he would be singing the character song for Shirokuma Cafe. In April, he announced on the radio show "Cherry Bell Co., Ltd" that he would be leaving 81 Produce, where he had worked since his debut, and going freelance.
On July 20, 2014, it was announced on the official website that he became a member of INTENTION, founded by his friend Kenichi Suzumura.
On October 25, 2016, Sakurai stepped on the red carpet at the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival as John Paul in Genocidal Organ with Yuichi Nakamura as Clavis Shepherd. On October 25, 2018, he attended the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival as Metofies in Godzilla: The Planet Eater with Mamoru Miyano as Haruo.
Sakurai lists people like Ryลซsei Nakao, Chล, Ryลtarล Okiayu, Tomokazu Seki, and Minami Takayama as his favorite and respected voice actors, and he had a close relationship with Keiji Fujiwara in his private life. He is good at illustration and once wanted to be an illustrator. In addition to the eyecatching illustrations in Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch, he was also a member of the key drawing staff for the final episode of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, and was credited as a logotype designer for the second season of Active Raid.
Personal life
Sakurai has been married to a former voice actress for nearly 20 years, which was not disclosed to the public until September 2022 after he acknowledged a report published by Shukan Bunshun. On October 26, 2022, Shukan Bunshun reported that Sakurai had been having an extramarital affair with a writer from his radio show, P.S.
Genki Desu: Takahiro, which had been terminated suddenly on October 24, 2022, without any explanation. The two had been in a relationship for 10 years, with them intending to marry; however, the writer had allegedly not been aware of Sakurai's marital status until September 2022. On November 3, 2022, the chief of Second Shot, the company behind Sakurai's radio show, apologized to the listeners, who were upset from Sakurai and the writer dating and having to listen to them on the radio show.
In the same announcement, they cancelled preorders for a product originally set to be released in November 2022.
Filmography
OVA/ONA/Films
Unknown date
