is a Japanese actor and

tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...

. He is often credited as BoBA.

Career

Born in Kiso, Nagano, Tanaka first began working for

Japan National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...

after high school, but often went to the movies, including shows of indie and self-produced films. Becoming friends with young directors like

Naoto Yamakawa is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Naoto can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *直人, "honesty, person" *尚人, "esteem, person" *直登, "honesty, ascend" *尚登, "esteem, ascend" *直斗, "honest ...

, he left his job in 1990 and went to Tokyo, where he began working as an extra or lighting assistant on films by

Naoto Takenaka is a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director from Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, affiliated with From First Production. He is married to idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi. He is also known as the voice of Samuel L. Jac ...

Junji Sakamoto is a Japanese film director. Career After working as a set assistant or assistant director under such filmmakers as Sogo Ishii and Kazuyuki Izutsu, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with '' Dotsuitarunen'' (earning the Directors Guild of Ja ...

, and others. After 1994 he concentrated on acting, eventually achieving fame in dramas like ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

''. His first television show in a starring role, '' Outdoor Rock'n Roll'', started broadcasting on

BS Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compa ...

in 2014.

Filmography

Film

* ''

I Like You, I Like You Very Much is a 1994 Japanese ''pink film'' written and directed by Hiroyuki Oki, depicting gay life in Japan. It won the Silver Prize at the 1994 Pink Grand Prix ceremony. Filmmaker/actor Hiroyuki Oki was also given a Best New Director award for the film. ...

'' (1994) * '' Blissful Genuine Sex: Penetration!'' (1995) * ''

My Secret Cache ''My Secret Cache'' is a 1997 award - winning Japanese film. Its original Japanese title is . It was directed by Shinobu Yaguchi. Plot The film begins with a prologue that quickly sketches the backstory of the protagonist: since childhood, Saki ...

'' (1997) * ''

Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl is a 1999 Japanese film directed by Katsuhito Ishii and starring Tadanobu Asano. It is based on a manga of the same name by Minetaro Mochizuki which was originally serialized in ''Mister Magazine'' circa 1993 under the title "Daisharin" (Big Whe ...

'' (1999) * ''

First Love First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

'' (2000) * ''

Kakashi , is a 2001 horror film based on the Junji Ito manga of the same name. The film follows Kaoru Yoshikawa, whose search for her missing brother Tsuyoshi leads her to Kozukata, an isolated village that seems to harbor dark secrets. Plot T ...

'' (2001) * ''Ju-On: The Grudge'' (2002) * ''Last Life in the Universe'' (2003) * ''Kill Bill Vol. 1'' (2003) - Crazy 88 #2 * ''All About My Dog'' (2004) * ''The Hotel Venus'' (2004) * ''Deep Sea Monster Reigo'' (2005) * ''Death Note'' (2006) * ''Sukiyaki Western Django'' (2007) * ''L: Change the World'' (2008) * ''Gokudō Meshi'' (2011) * ''Homeland (film), Homeland'' (2014) * ''Tantei wa, Konya mo Yūutsuna Yume o Miru'' (2017) * ''Kodoku: Meatball machine'' (2017) * ''I Love Irene'' (2018) * ''Blood - Club Dolls'' (2018) * ''The Nikaidos' Fall'' (2019) * ''Good-Bye'' (2020) * ''Ura Aka: L'Aventure'' (2020) * ''Kanemasa'' (2020) * ''The Grapes of Joy'' (2021) * ''Your Turn to Kill: The Movie'' (2021) * ''Ring Wandering'' (2022) * ''What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?'' (2022), the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff * ''The Broken Commandment'' (2022) * ''Sun and Bolero'' (2022), Masamichi Endo * ''Haw'' (2022) * ''Thousand and One Nights'' (2022)

Television

* ''

'' (2001) * ''Kōshōnin'' (2003) * ''Jun to Ai, Jun and Ai'' (2012–2013) * ''Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' (2013) * ''Burning Flower'' (2015) - Fukugawa Sainosuke * ''Naotora: The Lady Warlord'' (2017) - Anayama Nobutada * ''Your Turn to Kill'' (2019) * ''The Supporting Actors 3'' (2021) - Himself * ''Reach Beyond the Blue Sky'' (2021) - Hagiwara Shirobei * ''A Day-Off of Ryunosuke Kamiki'' (2022)

Video games

* ''428: Shibuya Scramble'' (2008)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Yoji Japanese male actors 1963 births Living people People from Nagano Prefecture