was a Canadian actor of stage, film and television, perhaps best known for portraying Shinji in Johnny Mnemonic, and for voicing Silver Samurai / Kenuichio Harada and Sunfire in ', and Malachite in the original English version of Sailor Moon.
Akiyama was born in Toronto, Ontario to a Japanese family. He attained a BA in Psychology from York University, and worked in child care. Akiyama was also a musician who played trumpet with The Parachute Club, and in The Pukka Orchestra. Denis went on to study acting at George Brown College.
Akiyama started in film, before performing on stage. In 2015, he appeared in the feature film Pixels.
He was a frequent guest star on Katts and Dog, as well as playing and voicing roles in The Adventures of Tintin animated series, and Mayday.
In the early 1990s, Akiyama's stage performances included Miss Saigon on Broadway and in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Other theatre appearances include Philip Kan Gotanda's Song for a Nisei Fisherman, Sally Han's Naomi's Road, M. J. Kang's Dreams of Blonde & Blue, and Hiro Kanagawa's The Tiger of Malaya.
Akiyama died on June 28, 2018, from a "very rare and aggressive cancer". He and his wife Danielle had two children, Kintaro and Miya. He was 66 years old.