is a Japanese actress and singer, best known to international audiences for her roles in the

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), ''The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

-produced ''

Wasabi Wasabi (Japanese: , , or , ; ''Eutrema japonicum'' or ''Wasabia japonica'') or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian ...

'' and the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning Japanese film '' Departures''. She also starred in the 2008 comedy series ''

Yasuko to Kenji is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Aruko. ''Yasuko to Kenji'' was Serial (literature), serialized in the shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Bessatsu Margaret'' from April 2005 to November 2006. In 2008, the series wa ...

''.

Early life

Hirosue was born in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

and grew up on

Kōchi city Kochi is a city in Kerala, India. Kochi or Kōchi may also refer to: People * Kochi people, a predominantly Pashtun nomadic people of Afghanistan * , a Japanese surname: ** Arata Kochi (born 1948 or 1949), Japanese physician and World Health Org ...

Kōchi prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 757,914 (1 December 2011) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. She joined the " P&G" cosmetic model competition at age 14 and made her television debut the following year singing on the program,'' TK Music Camp''. She made her television drama debut and is well known for her work as a spokesmodel for NTT DoCoMo. She studied at

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

but did not graduate.

Career

1995–2000

Hirosue made her television debut in 1995 at age 15 in Fuji TV's ''Heart ni S''. She was also named "Best Newcomer" at the 10th Television Drama Academy Awards the same year when she starred in Fuji TV's comedy series ''Shota no Sushi''. In 1997, she appeared in the finale of medical drama ''

Hoshi no Kinka is a 1995 Japanese television drama series. The series revolves around , a deaf and mute girl from Hokkaido who is in love with a doctor named . After Shūichi leaves for Tokyo, he has an accident and loses his memory. Aya travels to Tokyo and en ...

'' and the special episode of ''

Odoru Daisousasen is a Japanese police comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was developed by Ryoichi Kimizuka and stars Oda Yūji, Toshirō Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya, Miki Mizuno, an ...

'' before making her breakthrough performance in Fuji TV's comedy series ''Beach Boys'', where she was awarded "Best Supporting Actress" at the 14th Television Drama Academy Awards. Hirosue also made her film debut in the same year when she appeared in ''20-seki Nostalgia'' which won her critical acclaim. She was awarded the Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award at the

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

, Best New Talent at the

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

and perhaps most importantly, the Newcomer of the Year award at the 21st

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

. In 1998, Hirosue reprised her role in the special episode of ''Beach Boys'' while also appearing in four other television dramas in the same year. In 1999, she returned to the big screen in ''

Poppoya is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Yasuo Furuhata. It was Japan's submission to the 72nd Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy P ...

'' and ''

Himitsu ''Naoko'' is a novel by Keigo Higashino. The original title is . The novel won the 52nd Mystery Writers of Japan Award for Best Novel. The story centers on a man whose wife and daughter are in a terrible accident; the wife dies, but when the daugh ...

''. Her performances in both films won her much praise from award-giving bodies of Japan and she received two nominations at the 23rd Japanese Academy Awards for Best Actress (for ''Himitsu'') and Best Supporting Actress (for ''Poppoya''). Her international profile also increased when she received the Best Actress prize for her performance in ''Himitsu'' at the 30th

Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

. She returned prominently to television in 2000 playing Yuki Katase in the drama ''

Summer Snow ''Summer Snow'' is a Japanese television drama that was broadcast from July 7 to September 15, 2000, on TBS. It is a love story between a young man who has been forced to grow up too quickly, and a young woman with an activity-restricting ailment ...

'', which won 5 awards at the 26th Television Drama Academy Awards including "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Drama" before showing off her comedic chops in TBS's '' Oyaji''. The latter role again won her "Best Supporting Actress" at the 27th awards ceremony.

2001–2005

In 2001, Hirosue made her international film debut in the French Film ''

'' written by

and directed by

Gérard Krawczyk Gérard Krawczyk (17 May 1953, Paris) is a French film director. He is of Polish descent (his grandparents were from Częstochowa). Filmography Director * ''Homicide by Night'' (1984) * ''Je hais les acteurs'' (a.k.a. ''I hate actors'') (1986 ...

. Not being able to speak French for her role, she had to learn her lines phonetically. She also reunited for the fourth time on television with her frequent co-star

Yutaka Takenouchi is a Japanese actor. His on-screen acting debut was in the drama 「ボクの就職」 (Boku no Syūshoku) in 1994, after winning a modeling contest. He regularly appears in commercials. Filmography TV series * ''Boku no Shūshoku/My First Job' ...

(they starred together in ''Long Vacation'', ''Beach Boys'' and ''Seikimatsu no Uta'') in Fuji TV's romantic comedy series ''Dekichatta Kekkon'', starring as an expectant couple who did not know each other well before their one-night stand leading to the planning of a

shotgun wedding A shotgun wedding is a wedding which is arranged in order to avoid embarrassment due to premarital sex which can possibly lead to an unintended pregnancy. The phrase is a primarily American colloquialism, termed as such based on a stereotypical ...

. The series also starred Hiroshi Abe who won Best Supporting Actor at the 30th Television Drama Academy Awards. In 2002, Hirosue appeared in the film ''Renai Shashin'' and the low-rated television drama ''Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu'' before capping the year in the family drama series ''Otousan''. She reunited with her ''Summer Snow'' lead co-star, Tsuyoshi Dōmoto, in 2003's romance series ''Moto Kare''. Her portrayal as the initially flippant ex-girlfriend, Makoto Saeki, won her "Best Supporting Actress" yet again at the 38th Television Drama Academy Awards. Hirosue married model Takahiro Okazawa on 17 January 2004 and gave birth to her son on 10 April 2004. They later divorced in March 2008. Her marriage and new motherhood decreased her workload and she only made one appearance in 2004 in the film ''

Hana and Alice is a 2004 Japanese film, Japanese teen romance film by director Shunji Iwai. The film, shot on High-definition video, HD digital video by the director of photography, Noboru Shinoda, who shared a longstanding working relationship with Shunji Iwai ...

'' and one appearance on 2005's Fuji TV's romance drama ''Slow Dance''.

2006–present

Hirosue returned to film and television in 2006 by appearing in three television dramas, a TV movie and a film. In 2007, she co-starred for the third time with Hiroshi Abe (her fellow actor in ''Dekichatta Kekkon'' and ''Haruka Naru Yakusoku'') in the film '' Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust''. She also appeared in two TV movies, ''Mama ga Ryori o Tsukuru Wake'', broadcast by Fuji TV, and ''Long Wedding Road!'', which was broadcast by TBS. Hirosue also made a guest appearance in the third episode, "Rattles", of the detective series ''

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

''. She had a supporting role in

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Television) ...

's comedy series ''

'' in 2008. She portrayed Mika Kobayashi opposite

Masahiro Motoki Masahiro Motoki (本木雅弘 ''Motoki Masahiro'', born December 21, 1965) is a Japanese actor. He portrayed protagonist Daigo Kobayashi in '' Departures'', which won the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. His performance earne ...

in the 2008 Japanese film '' Departures'', which won the

81st Academy Awards The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 ...

Best Foreign Language Film 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 ...

. In 2009, she is starring in the remake of the mystery film ''

Zero Focus is a 1961 Japanese mystery film directed by Yoshitaro Nomura and is based on a novel by Seicho Matsumoto. Plot One week into newlywed Teiko Uhara's marriage, her husband, ad agency manager Kenichi, leaves on a short business trip to Kanazawa a ...

'' and the adaptation to film of the novel ''

Villon's Wife is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Kichitaro Negishi. It is based on the 1947 short story of the same name by Osamu Dazai. Synopsis Sachi is the long-suffering wife of popular novelist Otani in post-World War II Japan. Brilliant but self- ...

'' by

Osamu Dazai was a Japanese author. A number of his most popular works, such as '' The Setting Sun'' (''Shayō'') and ''No Longer Human'' (''Ningen Shikkaku''), are considered modern-day classics. His influences include Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Murasaki Shiki ...

. She co-starred in the 2010 film ''Flowers'' with

Yū Aoi is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou''. She subsequently portrayed Tetsuko Arisugawa in ''Hana and Alice'' (2004), also directed by Iwai, Kimiko Tanigawa in ...

Kyōka Suzuki is a Japanese actress. Life and career Suzuki appeared in Shinji Aoyama's '' Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name'' and Yōichi Sai's ''Blood and Bones''. She won the Best Actress award at the 1998 Yokohama Film Festival for her role in ''Wel ...

Yūko Takeuchi was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''FlashForward'' (2009), and '' Miss Sherlock'' (2018) as well as films such as '' Ring'' (1998), '' Yomigaeri'' (2003), and ''Dog in a ...

Rena Tanaka is a Japanese actress and TV personality. In 1999, she won the Japanese Academy Award for "Best Newcomer" for her performance in ''Give It All''; in 2001, she received a "Best Actress" nomination for '' First Love''. Selected filmography Fi ...

and

Yukie Nakama is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. History Biography She was born in Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan, into a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings. At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer (her debut single ...

Personal life

She married Okazawa Takahiro in December 2003. The marriage ended in early 2008. On 9 October 2010 she married Jun Izutsu, a candle artist. They met in Haiti in March 2010 participating in earthquake relief efforts. Her cousin is a former member of the House of Representatives in Japan. She has three children. She gave birth to her first son in April 2004. On 10 March 2011 she had her second son. On 17 July 2015, she gave birth to her third child, a girl.

Filmography

Film

* ''20th Century Nostalgia'' (1997) * ''

'' (1999) - Yukiko Sato * ''

'' (1999) - Monami / Naoko-daughter and Mother * ''Zawa-zawa Shimo-Kitazawa'' (2000) - Flea Market Girl * ''

'' (2001) - Yumi Yoshimido * ''

Jam Films ''Jam Films'' and its sequels are collections of short films, each by a different Japanese director. ''Jam Films'' ''Jam Films'' is a 2002 suite of 7 shorts produced by Sega/Amuse (various production companies participated in the production of the ...

'' (2002) - (segment "Arita") * ''Collage of Our Life'' (2003) - Shizuru Satonaka * ''

'' (2004) - Editor * ''Presents Aikagi'' (2006) - Yukari * '' Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust'' (2007) - Mayumi Tanaka * ''Little DJ'' (2007) - Tamaki - adult * ''Koneko no Namida'' (2007) - Yuko * '' Departures'' (2008) - Mika Kobayashi * '' Goemon'' (2009) -

Chacha Cha-Cha, Cha Cha, ChaCha or Chacha may refer to: Music * Cha-cha-cha (dance), a dance of Cuban origin * Cha-cha-cha (music), a genre of Cuban music * ''Cha Cha'' (album), a 1978 album by Herman Brood & His Wild Romance * ''Cha Cha'' (soundtrack), ...

* ''

'' (2009) - Akiko * ''

'' (2009) * ''Flowers'' (2010) - Kei * ''

Key of Life is a 2012 Japanese comedy film directed by Kenji Uchida. The film opened in Japan on September 15, 2012. The movie's theme song was written and performed by Kazuya Yoshii. The movie was remade in Korean in 2016 as ''Luck Key''. Plot synopsis The ...

'' (2012) - Kanae Mizushima * ''Love: Masao-kun ga Iku!'' (2012) - Satomi * ''Orpheus' Lyre'' (2013) - Yoko * '' Snow on the Blades'' (2014) - Setsu * ''Lingering Spirits'' (2014) - Yuko Kasahara * ''

Nutcracker Fantasy is a Japanese-American stop motion animated film produced by Sanrio, very loosely based on Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet ''The Nutcracker'' and E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It is directed by Takeo Nakamura and writ ...

'' (2014) * ''Hana's Miso Soup'' (2015) - Chie Yasutake * ''

Mixed Doubles Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and badminton (where it is known as ...

'' (2017) - Yayoi Yoshioka * ''Love × Doc'' (2018) - Reiko * ''Life in Overtime'' (2018) * ''We Make Antiques! Kyoto Rendezvous'' (2020) - Shino * ''Step'' (2020) * ''Family Bond'' (2020) * ''The Confidence Man JP: Episode of the Princess'' (2020) * ''The Confidence Man JP: Episode of the Hero'' (2022) * ''The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie'' (2022) * ''2 Women'' (2022) - Shōko Shiraki

Television

Discography

Albums

* ''Arigato!'' (1997) * ''Private'' (1999)

Singles

* "Maji de Koisuru Gobyōmae" (1997) * "Daisuki!" (1997) * "Wind Prism" (1997) * "Jeans" (1998) (featuring B-side "

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

") * "Summer Sunset" (1998) * "Tomorrow" (1999) * "Kajitsu" (2000)

Compilations and live albums

* ''Winter Gift 98'' (1998) * ''RH Singles &...'' (1999) * ''RH Debut Tour 1999'' (1999) * ''Super Idol Series (Fukada Kyoko vs Hirosue Ryoko)'' (2000) * ''RH Remix'' (2001) * ''Hirosue Ryoko Perfect Collection'' (2002)

Photobooks

* ''R'' (1996) * ''H'' (1996) * ''No Make'' (1998) * ''FLaMme'' (1998) * ''Le Secret'' (1999) * ''Relax'' (1999) * ''Ryoko Hirosue CF Special'' (1999) * ''Happy 20th Birthday'' (2000) * ''Teens 1996–2000'' (2000) * ''Newyork RH Avenue 2003'' (2003) * ''Triangle Photographs'' (2009)

Awards

, - , rowspan=4, 1998 , ''20th Century Nostalgia '' ,

Awards of the Japanese Academy The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

: Newcomer of the Year , , - , ''20th Century Nostalgia '' ,

Mainichi Film Concours The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

: Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award , , - , ''20th Century Nostalgia '' ,

: Best New Talent , , - , ''20th Century Nostalgia '' , Osaka Film Festival: Best New Talent , , - , 1999 , – ,

Nikkan Sports Film Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the ''Nikkan Sports''. Categories *Best Film *Best Foreign Film *Best Director * Best Actor *Best Actress * Best Supporting Actor * Best Supporting Actress * Best Newcomer *Special Award Specia ...

: Best New Talent , , - , rowspan=3, 2000 , ''Himitsu'' ,

: Best Actress , , - , ''Himitsu'' ,

: Best Actress , , - , ''Poppoya'' ,

: Best Supporting Actress , , - , rowspan=2, 2008 , ''Departures'' ,

: Best Actress , , - , ''Departures'' ,

: Best Supporting Actress , , - , 2009 , ''Zero Focus'' ,

: Best Actress , , - , 2013 , ''Key of Life'' ,

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

: Best Supporting Actress , , - , rowspan=2, 2022 , ''2 Women'' and ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' ,

Nikkan Sports Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by the ''Nikkan Sports''. Categories *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Film, Best Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Foreign Film, Best Foreign Film *Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director ...

s: Best Supporting Actress , , - , rowspan=2, ''2 Women'' ,

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''. ...

s: Best Supporting Actress , , - , rowspan=2, 2023 ,

: Best Supporting Actress , , - , ''2 Women'' and ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' ,

: Best Supporting Actress , , -

References

External links

*
Ryoko Hirosue on Warner Music Japan
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirosue Ryoko 1980 births Living people People from Kōchi, Kōchi Japanese child actresses Japanese idols FLaMme artists Japanese women pop singers Musicians from Kōchi Prefecture 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses People from Kōchi Prefecture