| Ken Matsudaira | |
| Birth Name: | Sueshichi Suzuki |
| Birth Date: | 28 November 1953 |
| Birth Place: | Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan |
| Othername: | Matsuken |
| Occupation: | actor |
| Yearsactive: | 1974 – present |
| Website: | http://www.ken-matsudaira.com/ |
is a Japanese actor and musician from Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan.[1] His real name is .
In 1974, he joined Shintaro Katsu's production company and made his debut with the television series Zatoichi as a guest.[1] For a quarter of a century, he starred in the series The Unfettered Shogun as Tokugawa Yoshimune, the title character.[2] He also played a similar role in Kamen Rider OOO Wonderful.
Other noteworthy roles include Hōjō Yoshitoki in the 1979 NHK series Kusa Moeru, Irobe Matashiro in the 1999 NHK series Genroku Ryoran (involving the chushingura, that is, the story of the Forty-seven rōnin), Shibata Katsuie in the 2002 NHK series Toshiie to Matsu, Ōtomo Sōrin in the 2004 NHK special Ōtomo Sōrin - Kokoro no Ōkoku wo Motomete, and Ōishi Kuranosuke in the 2004 TV Asahi series Chushingura. He also played Asano Takumi no Kami, an important (although brief) role, in an earlier chushingura, making a career of that story. In 2005, he is appearing as Benkei in Yoshitsune, the yearlong NHK Taiga drama. TV Asahi tapped Matsudaira to star as Tōyama no Kin-san in the latest (2007) version of their program of the same name. He appeared in Tokugawa Fūun-roku, the annual jidaigeki spectacular which was shown on TV Tokyo on January 2, 2008.
Matsudaira is also famous as a singer. His most popular song "Matsuken Samba II" (マツケンサンバII)[3] was released in 2004 and became popular with his fanbase. The song gained national attention because his appearance in the likeness of a person in Edo period with glittery kimono and a hip-swiveling dance became the topic of some television programs, including parodying him on an idol group SMAP's variety show, SMAP×SMAP. The new attention of the media made Matsudaira visible to a younger fanbase. The song became a certified hit, staying on the Oricon Top 100 chart for over a year. A version called featuring Shu Watanabe (Eiji Hino/Kamen Rider OOO) and Ryosuke Miura (Ankh/Shingo Izumi) was released on August 3, 2011, as an ending theme for the movie .