(born September 10, 1986) is a Japanese idol singer, songwriter, actor and model. He was born in Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Biography

Uchi Hiroki auditioned for

Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency re ...

in May 1999, at the age of twelve. He had no interest in the entertainment industry, instead dreaming about a professional baseball career, but was signed up to audition by his mother. He became the vocalist of the junior's group V. West. At this time, he had the TV show "Weekly V. West" with other members of the group. Three years later, in December 2002, Uchi became a member of

Kanjani8 is a five-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency Johnny & Associates and signed to Infinity Records. The group was formed in 2002 and made their CD debut in 2004 as "Johnny's modern ...

, which was officially formed. Around the same time, Uchi started filming his first drama, Doremisora. In 2003, Uchi and his best friend, another Kanjani8 member, Nishikido Ryo, were asked to join the band

NEWS News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...

along with seven other members. The same year, Uchi took part in the drama Boku no Ikiru Michi, and was awarded the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix as a best newcomer. In 2004, Uchi made his debut with NEWS (The song: Kibou-Yell) and with Kanjani8 in the Kansai area, then nationwide. While performing in Hey! Say! Dream Boy shows (along with

KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, ...

), Uchi was diagnosed with and hospitalized for pulmonary pneumothorax, a condition which causes holes to form in the lining of the lungs. Uchi was pulled from both shows for the urgent surgery to repair the three holes in his left lung. After rehabilitation, Uchi returned in June for the release of

’s "Teppen" single as well as filming the drama Ganbatte Ikimasshoi! In July 2005, he was temporarily suspended from all activities. In early January 2008, it was announced that Uchi would graduate from trainee to solo status with a leading role in the drama Isshun no Kaze ni Nare, a Fuji TV special airing for the last four days of February. His status became a "junior" again. In March, he also joined the cast of NTV drama Osen for one of the leading roles. In November, it was announced he would start his solo concerts in Yokohama and Osaka in collaboration with Question?. In 2009, Uchi took part in Playzone 2009 "Letters from the sun" with Kis-My-Ft2 band. The same year, he starred in the anime-based drama

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is a manga series written by Tomoko Hayakawa. The individual chapters have been serialized in Bessatsu Friend since 2000, and in 36 tankōbon volumes in Japan by Kodansha. The series was licensed for an English language release in North Ame ...

with other JE stars

Kamenashi Kazuya is a Japanese singer, actor, host, producer, magazine model and a member of KAT-TUN. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12. He was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist o ...

and Tegoshi Yuya. Latter this drama was awarded Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix as a best drama. In 2010, in a news article concerning Hiroki Uchi becoming involved with the Japanese production of Broadway musical

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

, the president of Johnny & Associates,

Johnny Kitagawa John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name ; October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as , was an American-born Japanese businessman and talent manager. He was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for nu ...

, stated that Uchi has been permanently removed from both Kanjani8 and NEWS and will instead focus on solo work and acting.

Discography

Filmography

TV dramas

Movies

*2012: '' Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou THE MOVIE'' as Sakuragi Ren *2013: ''

Ninja Kids!!! Summer Mission Impossible A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...

'' as Doi Hansuke

Voice acting

*2004: '' One Piece: Norowareta Seiken'' as Tōma

Stage plays

*2007: Playzone: Change2Chance *2009: Playzone: Letters from the Sun *2010: Guys and Dolls *2010: Endless Shock *2011: Endless Shock *2011: Ikemen Desu Ne Stage Play (as Fujishiro Shu) *2012: Endless Shock *2012: Duet *2013: Za Odasaku *2013: Endless Shock

References

External links

Johnny's Entertainment
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uchi, Hiroki 1986 births Japanese male actors Japanese idols Japanese male pop singers Living people Kanjani Eight members News (band) members People from Habikino Musicians from Osaka Prefecture