, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor.
He is well known for his starring roles in
''Shall We Dance?'' (1996),
''Cure'' (1997),
''Memoirs of a Geisha'' (2005), ''
13 Assassins ''13 Assassins'' may refer to:
*13 Assassins (1963 film), ''13 Assassins'' (1963 film), a Japanese film directed by Eiichi Kudo
*13 Assassins (2010 film), ''13 Assassins'' (2010 film), a Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike
{{Disambig ...
'' (2010), ''
The Third Murder'' (2017), ''
The Blood of Wolves
is a 2018 Japanese crime and yakuza film directed by Kazuya Shiraishi.
Plot
1988, Hiroshima, Japan. Shūichi Hioka ( Tori Matsuzaka) gets assigned to the second investigative unit under Shōgo Ōgami (Kōji Yakusho), a detective rumored to have m ...
'' (2018) and ''
Under the Open Sky
is a 2020 Japanese drama film directed by Miwa Nishikawa. The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Plot
Mikami, a middle-aged former yakuza who has spent most of his life in prison, is released after serving 13 years f ...
'' (2020). He is also best known internationally for his role as Takuro Yamashita in
Shōhei Imamura
was a Japanese film director. His main interest as a filmmaker lay in the depiction of the lower strata of Japanese society. A key figure in the Japanese New Wave, who continued working into the 21st century, Imamura is the only director from J ...
's ''
The Eel'', which won the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at the
1997 Cannes Film Festival
The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to '' Ta'm e guilass'' by Abbas Kiarostami and ''Unagi'' by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistress of ceremonies.
The festival opened with ...
and as Yasujiro Wataya in
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu (; American Spanish: ; credited since 2016 as Alejandro G. Iñárritu; born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the hu ...
's ''
Babel'' (2006) which was nominated for
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
79th Academy Awards. Yakusho has won three
Japan Academy Prize for his performances in ''Shall We Dance?'', ''The Third Murder'' and ''The Blood of Wolves''.
Career
Yakusho was born in
Isahaya, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on September 1, 1940. As of November 1, 2022, the city has an estimated population of 132,385 and a population density of 389 persons per km². The total area is .
On March ...
, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he worked at the
Chiyoda municipal ward office, or ''kuyakusho'', in Tokyo, from which he later took his stage name. In 1976, he saw a production of
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
's ''
The Lower Depths
''The Lower Depths'' (russian: На дне, translit=Na dne, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902 under the direction of Konstantin ...
'' and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible.
[
In the spring of 1978 he auditioned for ]Tatsuya Nakadai
is a Japanese film actor.
He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''.
Nakadai wor ...
's the Mumeijuku (Studio for Unknown Performers) acting studio, and was one of four chosen out of 800 applicants.[ While at the school he met actress Saeko Kawatsu, whom he married in 1982. Their son was born in 1985.
In 1983, he landed the role of Oda Nobunaga in the year-long ]NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
drama ''Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
'' and was catapulted to fame. He also appeared in a TV version of ''Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...
'' from 1984 to 1985. For several years, he played Kuji Shinnosuke (or "Sengoku"), one of the title characters in the jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of H ...
''Sambiki ga Kiru!''. He played a major character in Juzo Itami
, born , was a Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director. He directed eleven films (one short and ten features), all of which he wrote himself.
Early life
Itami was born Yoshihiro Ikeuchi in Kyoto. The name Itami was passed on from his fath ...
's 1986 ''Tampopo''.[
In 1988, he was given a special award for work in cinema by the Japanese Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and continued to appear in films and in a number of TV shows through the '90s.][
In 1996 and 1997, Yakusho enjoyed several major successes. '' The Eel,'' directed by Shohei Imamura, in which he played the eel-loving lead, won the ]Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to '' Ta'm e guilass'' by Abbas Kiarostami and ''Unagi'' by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistress of ceremonies.
The festival opened with ...
. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring." '' A Lost Paradise'', about a double-suicide, was second only to ''Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...
'' at the Japanese box office.
International breakthrough: ''Shall We Dance?''
'' Shall We Dance?'' was such a major hit in Japan that it inspired a domestic dance craze. Ballroom groups and dance schools multiplied in the country after the film's release, and people who previously would never admit to taking lessons announced that they did with pride.[ Director ]Masayuki Suo
Masayuki (written: , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese animator and director
*, Japanese actor
*, Japanese baseball player and manager
*, Japanese politician
*, ...
said of his lead, who until that point was known mostly for playing good-looking samurai, "we thought he could play this overworked, tired Japanese businessman, and he did.... pulled everything off and took his dance training so seriously."[
The film also was one of Japan's highest-grossing movies outside the country.] It earned $9.5 million in the US and inspired a remake starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...
, with Gere playing Yakusho's role.
Yakusho next won the Hochi Film Award
The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun
, previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day.
It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''.
...
for Best Actor for ''Bounce Ko Gals
is a 1997 Japanese crime drama film written and directed by Masato Harada. Its alternative English-language titles are ''Call Girls'' and ''Leaving''.
Filmed in somewhat of a documentary style , it follows the course of three girls for a day and ...
'', a film which dealt with high school prostitution specifically, and money worship in general. He collaborated with horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic and a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Although he has worked in a variety of genres, Kurosawa is best known for his many contributions to the Japanese horror genre, his honorific ...
in '' Cure'',[ ''License to Live'', '' Seance'', '']Charisma
Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects.
Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...
'',[ '']Pulse
In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the n ...
'', '' Doppelganger'', '' Retribution'', and ''Tokyo Sonata
is a 2008 Japanese film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It won the award for Best Film at the 3rd Asian Film Awards and received 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards nominations for Achievement in Directing and Best Screenplay. At the 2008 Cannes Film Fe ...
''. Yakusho found further recognition with international audiences to some extent with roles in such films as ''Memoirs of a Geisha
''Memoirs of a Geisha'' is a historical fiction novel by American author Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of Nitta Sayuri and the many trials she faces on the path to becoming and ...
'' and '' Babel.'' In the latter, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu (; American Spanish: ; credited since 2016 as Alejandro G. Iñárritu; born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker and screenwriter. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the hu ...
, he played the father of the deaf-mute played by Rinko Kikuchi
(born ; January 6, 1981) is a Japanese actress. She was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in ''Babel'' (2006). Kikuchi's other notable films include '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010), which s ...
.
Later work
In 2009, he debuted as director and writer of ''Toad's Oil.'' In 2010 and 2011 he was part of both ensemble casts in Takashi Miike
is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...
's samurai films, ''13 Assassins ''13 Assassins'' may refer to:
*13 Assassins (1963 film), ''13 Assassins'' (1963 film), a Japanese film directed by Eiichi Kudo
*13 Assassins (2010 film), ''13 Assassins'' (2010 film), a Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike
{{Disambig ...
'' and '' Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai.'' The latter was in 3D and the first 3D film to be in competition at the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
.
In the 2011 war drama
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
film '' Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku'', Yakusho portrayed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed.
Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...
. Yakusho was reportedly the only actor considered for the role; had he not accepted it, the film would have been canceled.
In 2018 he was in The Blood of Wolves
is a 2018 Japanese crime and yakuza film directed by Kazuya Shiraishi.
Plot
1988, Hiroshima, Japan. Shūichi Hioka ( Tori Matsuzaka) gets assigned to the second investigative unit under Shōgo Ōgami (Kōji Yakusho), a detective rumored to have m ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Dubbing roles
;Live-action
*'' Band of Brothers'' – Richard Winters (Damian Lewis
Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor, presenter and producer. He is best known for portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', which earned him a Golden Globe nomination ...
)
;Animation
*''Astro Boy
''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...
'' – Dr. Tenma
*''Over the Hedge
''Over the Hedge'' is an American syndicated comic strip, written by Michael Fry, and drawn by T. Lewis. It tells the story of a raccoon, a turtle, a squirrel, and their friends, who come to terms with their woodlands being taken over, by su ...
'' – RJ
Awards and nominations
;Honors
References
External links
*
*
*
Profile on All Movie Guide
Profile at Japan Zone
The Film of '97 at Japan File
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakusho, Koji
1956 births
Japanese male actors
Living people
Actors from Nagasaki Prefecture
Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon
Best Actor Asian Film Award winners