Dante Carver (born January 17, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor working in Japan. He moved to Japan in 2005 and became well known following his appearance in a series of TV commercials for SoftBank Mobile from 2006 in which he first played the Japanese-speaking "Yosō Guy" (予想GUY) character (the name being a pun on yosōgai (予想外), the Japanese for "unexpected") and later the older brother of the character played by Aya Ueto as part of the fictional "White family" headed by a white Hokkaido dog.[1][2]

Dante Carver
Born (1977-01-17) January 17, 1977 (age 47)
New York, United States
OccupationActor
Years active2006 - present
SpouseAkiko Matsumoto

In 2008, Carver was voted the most popular male actor in a TV commercial in Japan, beating Takuya Kimura, who had previously held the top position for eight consecutive years.[3]

Private life edit

A native of New York City, Carver attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, studying International Business.[4]

On August 4, 2010, Carver married former model Akiko Matsumoto. They formally celebrated the marriage in a wedding ceremony in April 2011.[5]

TV commercials edit

  • Diet Coke, 2006
  • SoftBank Mobile (May 2006–Present), "Yosō Guy" (予想GUY) aka Gorō Noguchi (野口 五郎, Noguchi Gorō), "Oniisan" (お兄さん, "big bro") aka Kojirō Shirato (白戸 小次郎, Shirato Kojirō)
  • UHA Mikakuto (November 2007)

TV series edit

  • Kaze ni Maiagaru Vinyl Sheet (風に舞いあがるビニールシート) (NHK, May 2009–), UNHCR worker[1]
  • "Be Pon Kiki" ([Fuji TV], April 2008~)
  • "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge" (ヤマトナデシコ七変化) ([TBS], April - March 2010) (Episode 10)

Films edit

CD releases edit

  • "Nonbiri Ikō" (のんびり行こう) (Pony Canyon, September 2008) with Mike Maki[8]

Video games edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "白戸家お兄さん「予想GUY」のシリアスドラマ" (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex. 19 January 2009. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  2. ^ "Dante Peaks, American actor Dante Carver enjoys fame as part of Japan's most unusual family". metropolis.co.jp. 1 Oct 2009.
  3. ^ CMタレント好感度ランキングに異変!毎年1位の木村拓哉の座を黒人俳優ダンテ・カーバーが奪う (in Japanese). Let's Geinō News. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  4. ^ "African-American Actor A Huge Hit In Japan". NewsOne. 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  5. ^ "Softbank ad's Shirato family member Dante Carver announces wedding". Japan Today. Japan: GPlusMedia Co., Ltd. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  6. ^ Schilling, Mark (2010-10-01). "Nanase Futatabi: The Movie (Nanase Again)". The Japan Times Online. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  7. ^ "New Ultra Force English Cast Announced for ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT: THE DESTINED CROSSROAD! Free Watch Party to be held on Ultraman Connection! | Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd".
  8. ^ "Nonbiri Ikō" at Amazon Japan Retrieved on 25 February 2009 (in Japanese)
  9. ^ Dante Carver talks about being part of Metal Gear Solid V at MetalGearInformer.com

External links edit