Alexander W. Hunter
Alexander W. Hunter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alexander Windham Hunter 3 May 1988 Redmond, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Western Washington University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor, model |
| Parent | Al Hunter (American football) |
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] He was represented by Free Wave Co., Ltd in Tokyo, Japan.[11]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Omotenashi No Kiso Eigo (おもてなしの基礎英語) | Logan | [12] | |
| 2019–present | The Benza | David | [13] | |
| 2020 | Nogizaka Cinemas: Story of 46 (乃木坂シネマズ〜STORY of 46) | Avatar | [14] | |
| 2020 | Benza English | David | [15] | |
| 2020 | (おもてなし 即レス英会話) | Dion | [16] | |
| 2023 | Trails to Oishii Tokyo | Self | Reporter | [17] |
| 2025 | Getting Dirty in Japan (ゲッティング・ダーティ・イン・ジャパン) | Self | Reporter | [18] |
Web Series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy | Ultraman Ken | [19] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | High&Low The Movie | |||
| 2017 | High&Low The Movie 2 / End of Sky | |||
| 2019 | Little Nights, Little Love | Owen Scott | ||
| 2016 | 1446: An Eternal Minute | John | [20] | |
| 2024 | Aichaku | Shadow Customer | Voice Over | [21] |
| 2026 | Echo 8 Beyond | The Tip | Post Production |
Music Videos
| Year | Artist | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mamoru Miyano | "Shout!" | |
| 2020 | The Oral Cigarettes | "Dream in Drive" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Benza RPG | David | [22] |
Theater
| Year | Production | Theater | Role | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dragon Bowl | Space Zero | Leonardo Goodman | [23] |
References
- ^ >"The Empowerment Network (TEN Magazine) interview: "Beyond the Issue with Alexander Hunter"". The MDAD Blog (Tumblr). Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Alexander W. Hunter". NHK World. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Tokyo Mega Late Show (September 25, 2020). ""The Manzai Late Show?" Featuring Vinay Murthy w/ Alexander Hunter". Apple Podcasts (Podcast). Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Plant Dad Life With Alexander Hunter" (PDF). The Empowerment Network. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "学校職員紹介" [School Staff Introduction]. カリコボーズ (in Japanese). Nishimera: Miyazaki E-books. 2014. p. 5. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ "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 August 7, 2025.
- ^ "TenQ". App Advice. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "Alexander Hunter". Scout Management. January 1, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "Biography". Alexander W. Hunter. January 1, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "アレクサンダー・ハンターがSeoul Webfestで"Rising Star"受賞！！". Free Wave. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "エピソード５９". Omotenashi No Kiso Eigo. July 14, 2018. NHK E.
- ^ "David". The Benza. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "第２話 Perfect". FOD. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "David". Benza English. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "N/A". Soku Race English Conversation. November 17, 2020. NHK E.
- ^ "Mochi". Trails to Oishii Tokyo. December 11, 2023. NHK World.
- ^ "Ep. 11". Getting Dirty in Japan. July 14, 2025. Amazon Prime Video.
- ^ "Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy". Ultraman. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "永遠の1分。". Odessa-e.
- ^ "Aichaku Cast". Tokyo Cowboys. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ "The benza rpg」". Happy Gamer. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "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". BPM (in Japanese). April 5, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2025.