{{Short description|Canadian Actor}} {{Infobox person | name = Jai Tatsuto West | image = File:Jai West 2019.jpg | image_size = | caption = Jai West at event for ''Good People'' in 2019 | birth_name = Jai Tatsuto West | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|10|24|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = Jei Uesuto<br/>Lotus Chamelion | occupation = Actor, poet | years_active = 1990 - Present | spouse = | partner = | website = {{URL|www.jaiwest.com}} }}
'''Jai West''' (ジェイ・ウェスト; born October 24, 1976) is an actor and poet of French Canadian and Japanese descent born in Vancouver, British Columbia and currently based in Tokyo, Japan.
He is best known for his work on screen as manic Japanese American gangster Lee in Sion Sono's ''Hazard'' (2005), a thief grappling with his sexual identity in Gen Sekiguchi's ''Survive Style 5+'' (2004), and portraying Beethoven in the popular Tokyo Gas commercials. He has appeared in numerous films and television series, from ''21 Jump Street'' (1990) to Takashi Shimizu's ''The Great Horror Family'' (2004) and Takashi Miike's ''Big Bang Love, Juvenile A'' (2006). West has released two spoken word poetry albums in Japanese and English under the pseudonym Lotus Chamelion.
In 2018, he became the chairman of ''Iron Chef Canada.''
West is scheduled to publish his debut book, ''Dragon Man: An Actor’s Transformation'', through UK publisher Collective Ink on April 28, 2026, and with a North American edition to follow through Simon & Schuster on May 5, 2026. The memoir chronicles his life in Tokyo as a half-Japanese actor while exploring themes of self-discovery, resilience, and creativity through the lens of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions.<ref name=CollectiveInkBooks>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/essentia-books/our-books/dragon-man-actors-transformation|title=Collective Ink Essentia Books Dragon Man}}</ref> <ref name=Simon&Schuster>{{Cite web|url= https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jai-Tatsuto-West/253330741|title=JaiTatsutoWestOfficialPublisherPage}}</ref>
==Career== In 2000, West collaborated with his then-girlfriend, J-pop singer Olivia Lufkin, on two tracks for her debut solo studio album, ''Synchronicity'', which was released by Avex Trax. He co-wrote and performed on "Liquid Skies", a whimsical fairy tale about a pegasus and a mermaid coming together to fulfill her longing for wings and "Soulmate", a duet that explores the theme of reincarnation. The album peaked at number twenty on the Oricon Charts.<ref name=OLIVIAの歌詞一覧リスト>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uta-net.com/artist/728/|title=OLIVIAの歌詞一覧リスト}}</ref>
In 2016, West starred alongside Pamela Anderson and Dree Hemingway in the Canadian-Japanese drama ''The People Garden''. He played a mysterious driver and worker.<ref name=nikkeivoiceinterview>{{Cite web|url=http://nikkeivoice.ca/the-people-garden-a-mysterious-bi-lingual-role-for-japanese-canadian-actor-jai-west/?platform=hootsuite|title=The People Garden: A mysterious bi-lingual role for Japanese Canadian actor Jai West|last=O'Hara|first=Matthew|date=May 10, 2016|publisher=Nikkei Voice|accessdate=October 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name=thepeoplegardenex-press>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ex-press.ca/2016/04/24/interview-nadia-litz-jai-west/|title=Nadia Litz and Jai West dig deep in The People Garden|last=Monk|first=Katherine|date=April 24, 2016|publisher=The Ex-Press|accessdate=October 25, 2018}}</ref>
In 2018, West was announced as the ''Iron Chef Canada'' chairman, which premiered on October 17 on Food Network.<ref name=eatnorthironchefcanada>{{Cite web|url=https://eatnorth.com/dan-clapson/daily-bite-iron-chef-canada-debut-october-17|title=Daily bite: Iron Chef Canada to debut on October 17|last=Clapson|first=Dan|date=September 18, 2018|publisher=Eat North|accessdate=October 25, 2018}}</ref>
In 2021, West portrayed the arch-villain Lyon Arkland in the Kamen Rider film Zero-one Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai. The movie's release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the historic tokusatsu superhero franchise. Lyon Arkland is the CEO of ZAIA Enterprise, a global weapons manufacturing company and transforms into Kamen Rider Zaia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=映画ナタリー編集部|first=Natasha|title=Vシネ「ゼロワン Others 仮面ライダー滅亡迅雷」あらすじ解禁、敵役はジェイ・ウェスト|url=https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/411948|access-date=2021-04-14|website=映画ナタリー|language=ja}}</ref>
== Filmography == ===Film=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;" ! colspan=5 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref |- | 1995 | ''Once in a Blue Moon'' | Mexican Bandito | | |- | 2000 | ''Worst Contact'' | Kerara | Short film | |- | 2001 | ''Bus Panic!!!'' | The Busjacker | Short film | |- | rowspan=2|2004 | Survive Style 5+ | J - Burglar | | |- | ''Lost Samurai'' | Bob | Short film<br/> Writer<br/> Co-producer | |- | 2005 | ''Hazard'' | Lee | | |- | rowspan=4|2006 | ''Hachimitsu to Clover'' | Man at party | | |- | ''13 no tsuki'' | Mori | | |- | ''Big Bang Love, Juvenile A'' | Deranged Prisoner | | |- | ''Cherry Girl'' | Joji | Direct-to-video | |- | rowspan=2|2007 | ''Tokyo no uso'' | Tamura | | |- | ''Tengu Gaiden'' | Louis | Short film | |- | 2008 | ''Love Exposure'' | Bosozoku Leader | Credited as Jei Uesuto | |- | 2010 | ''King Game'' | Johnny B. | | |- | 2014 | ''Pancakes'' | Billy | | |- | rowspan=2|2016 | ''The People Garden'' | Mak | Credited as Jai Tatsuto West | <ref name=nikkeivoiceinterview/><ref name=thepeoplegardenex-press/> |- | ''El Diablo'' | Foreigner | Short film | |- | 2017 | ''My Little Guidebook'' | Luke Gardener | | <ref name=nikkeivoiceinterview/> |- | 2018 | ''Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story'' | Club Customer | |- | 2020 | ''Sayo'' | The Driver | | |- | rowspan=2|2021 | ''Zero-One Others: Kamen Rider MetsubouJinrai'' | Lyon Arkland/Kamen Rider ZAIA |V-cinema | |- | ''Prisoners of the Ghostland'' | Jay | | |- |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;" ! colspan=5 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes ! Ref. |- | 1992–1998 | ''KidZone'' | Himself | |- | 1990 | ''21 Jump Street'' | Young Ioki | | |- | 1993 | ''Highlander'' | The Kid | | |- | 1992 | ''The Odyssey'' | Feelgood | Episode: "Checkpoint Eagle" | |- | 1994 | The Odyssey | Spook | 2 episodes |- | 1995 | ''{{sortname|The|Surrogate|The Surrogate (1995 film)}}'' | Matt | TV film | |- | 2001 | ''Yonimo kimyô na monogatari: Aki no tokubetsu hen'' | Jack the Rabbit | TV film<br/> Segment: "Mama shin hatsubai!"<br/> Credited as Jei Uesuto | |- | 2002 | ''The Private Detective Mike'' | Jake the Bellhop | Known as "Shiritsu tantei Hama Maiku" in Japanese | |- | rowspan=2|2004 | ''X'smap: Tora to raion to gonin no otoko'' | | TV film | |- | ''{{sortname|The|Great Horror Family}}'' | Tonaka Kyoojoorou | | |- | 2005 | ''Tameiki no riyû'' | Tetsuya Ihara | | |- | 2007 | ''Ojisan Sensei'' | Nakategawa | 12 episodes | |- | 2018 | ''Iron Chef Canada'' | The Chairman | 2 seasons<br /> Chairman of ''Iron Chef Canada'' |<ref name=eatnorthironchefcanada/> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website| https://www.jaiwest.com}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Jai}} Category:Living people Category:Japanese male film actors Category:Canadian male film actors Category:Canadian male television actors Category:Canadian male actors of Japanese descent Category:Canadian expatriates in Japan Category:Male actors from Vancouver Category:1976 births