Alexander W. Hunter
Birth nameAlexander Windham Hunter
Birth date3 May 1988 (age 38)
Birth placeRedmond, Washington, U.S.
ParentsAl Hunter (American football)
Alma materWestern Washington University
OccupationActor, voice actor, model

Alexander Windham Hunter (born 3 May 1988) is an American actor, voice actor and model. He is known for his role of David in the Japanese on demand series The Benza and its spin off series Benza English on Amazon Prime Video. He is also known for his voice acting work for his role as Ultraman Ken in the Ultraman series Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy.

Early life

Alexander Hunter was born in Redmond, Washington, and spent his childhood moving with his father Seattle Seahawk's former running back Al Hunter (American football) across the western United States, including Kent, Federal Way, Milton, and Sparks, Nevada, before returning to Olympia, Washington, and completing his senior year in Shelton.[1]

Hunter participated in sports such as American football, basketball, boxing, and kickboxing, and developed an early interest in video games and anime, which led to a broader fascination with Japanese culture.[2] He began studying Japanese in high school and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies at Western Washington University.

Hunter initially attended Whitworth University in Spokane before transferring to Western Washington University, where he retired from college football and became involved in performing arts through theater-major roommates.[3] He spent six months in Japan as part of a study abroad program.[4] Following his graduation in 2011, he returned to Japan in 2012, working first as a school teacher in Nishimera before transitioning into the entertainment industry.[3][5]

Career

As a bilingual performer, Hunter has appeared in numerous Japanese TV, film, video games, commercials, and theater productions.

He is best known for his role as David in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series The Benza and its spin-off Benza English. He also voiced the character in the accompanying video game The Benza RPG. In addition to his work on the series, Hunter has appeared in a number of Japanese television educational shows, including Omotenashi no Kiso Eigo on NHK Educational TV, where he played the regular role of Logan, and Nogizaka Cinemas: STORY of 46 on Fuji Television's on-demand service FOD. In 2020, Hunter won the "Rising Star" award at Seoul Webfest 2020 for his role as David in Benza English.[6]

In film, Hunter portrayed Owen Scott in the 2019 romantic drama Little Nights, Little Love, and appeared in 1446: An Eternal Minute, as well as in supporting roles in High & Low: The Movie (2016) and its sequel End of Sky (2017).

As a voice actor, Hunter provided the English-language voice of Ultraman Ken in Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy, and has contributed to narration and voiceover projects, including the Tokyo Dome’s TenQ Space Museum.[7]

Hunter also works as a reporter and has been featured on the NHK World travel show Trails to Oishii Tokyo[2] as well as Getting Dirty in Japan with The Benza co-stars Janni Olsson and Christopher McCombs. He additionally writes a semi-regular gardening column in The Empowerment Network magazine.[4]

In 2024, Hunter moved to Sydney, Australia[8][9] where he continues to work in entertainment including a role in the upcoming feature film Echo 8 Beyond[10] and the role of Toby in the play A Behanding in Spokane at Flow Studios 88[11]

He was represented by Free Wave Co., Ltd in Tokyo, Japan.[12]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
2018Omotenashi No Kiso Eigo (おもてなしの基礎英語)Logan[13]
2019–presentThe BenzaDavid[14]
2020Nogizaka Cinemas: Story of 46 (乃木坂シネマズ〜STORY of 46)Avatarstyle="text-align:center;|[15]
2020Benza EnglishDavidstyle="text-align:center;|[16]
2020 (おもてなし 即レス英会話)Dion[17]
2023Trails to Oishii TokyoSelfReporter[18]
2025-presentGetting Dirty in Japan (ゲッティング・ダーティ・イン・ジャパン)SelfReporter[19]

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
2021Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute ConspiracyUltraman Ken[20]

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
2016High&Low The Movie
2017High&Low The Movie 2 / End of Sky
2019Little Nights, Little LoveOwen Scott
20161446: An Eternal MinuteJohn[21]
2024AichakuShadow CustomerVoice Over[22]
2026Echo 8 BeyondThe TipPost Production

Music videos

YearArtistTitleNotes
2016Mamoru Miyano"Shout!"
2020The Oral Cigarettes"Dream in Drive"

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
2021The Benza RPGDavid[23]

Theater

YearProductionTheaterRoleRef(s)
2022Dragon BowlSpace ZeroLeonardo Goodman[24]
2025A Behanding in SpokaneFLOW STUDIOS 88 CAMPERDOWNToby[25]

References

  1. ^ "The Empowerment Network (TEN Magazine) interview: "Beyond the Issue with Alexander Hunter"". The MDAD Blog (Tumblr). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Alexander W. Hunter". NHK World. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  3. ^ Tokyo Mega Late Show (25 September 2020). ""The Manzai Late Show?" Featuring Vinay Murthy w/ Alexander Hunter". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Plant Dad Life With Alexander Hunter". The Empowerment Network. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  5. ^ "学校職員紹介" [School Staff Introduction] (in Japanese). カリコボーズ. Nishimera: Miyazaki E-books. 2014. p. 5. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  6. ^ "フリーアナウンサー内藤聡子 初のドラマ出演で日本人初の特別ゲスト賞受賞 「新たなチャレンジに感謝」". Excite News. August 25, 2020. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  7. ^ "TenQ". App Advice. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  8. ^ "Alexander Hunter". Scout Management. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  9. ^ "Biography". Alexander W. Hunter. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  10. ^ "The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  11. ^ "A Behanding in Spokane". Theatre Red. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  12. ^ "アレクサンダー・ハンターがSeoul Webfestで"Rising Star"受賞！！". Free Wave. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  13. ^ "エピソード５９". Omotenashi No Kiso Eigo. NHK E. 14 July 2018.
  14. ^ "David". The Benza. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  15. ^ "第２話 Perfect". FOD. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  16. ^ "David". Benza English. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  17. ^ "N/A". Soku Race English Conversation. NHK E. 17 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Mochi". Trails to Oishii Tokyo. NHK World. 11 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Ep. 11". Getting Dirty in Japan. Amazon Prime Video. 14 July 2025.
  20. ^ "Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy". Ultraman. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  21. ^ "永遠の1分。". Odessa-e
  22. ^ "Aichaku Cast". Tokyo Cowboys. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  23. ^ "The benza rpg」". Happy Gamer. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  24. ^ "こくみん共済 coop ホール／スペース・ゼロ 提携公演 bpm本公演「DRAGON BOWL」公演概要" (in Japanese). BPM. April 5, 2022. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  25. ^ "MARTIN MCDONAGH’S A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE AT FLOW STUDIOS 88 CAMPERDOWN : A BLACK COMEDY MASTERPIECE". Sydney Arts Guide. October 10, 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-30.