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 earned him the Award for Best Actor at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, at the 3rd Asian Film Awards and at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize.^[1]

Career[]

Motoki started his entertainment career as a member of boy band Shibugakitai (シブがき隊) (the name of the band contains a portmanteau of tough (渋い, Shibui) and kids (ガキ, gaki), a homonym of astringent persimmon (渋柿, Shibugaki)). The band made its debut in 1982 under the management of Johnny & Associates and was popular for a good part of the 1980s.

After the band broke up Motoki turned to acting. His first main role in a film was as a Zen monk in the comedy Fancy Dance (ファンシイダンス, Fanshii Dansu) directed by Masayuki Suo. Motoki also starred in Suo's next film, Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (シコふんじゃった。, Shiko Funjatta.), which practically introduced him to audiences outside Japan. He then worked with directors such as Takashi Miike (The Bird People in China (中国の鳥人, Chūgoku no Chōjin)) and Shinya Tsukamoto (Gemini (双生児, Sōseiji)).

Motoki's breakthrough to international fame came with the 2008 film Departures (おくりびと, Okuribito) directed by Yōjirō Takita, in which he plays a cellist turned mortician. The film received the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 81st Academy Awards, as well as six acting awards for Motoki. The film project started from an idea of Motoki's after he read a book written by a professional mortician.

Family[]

He married essayist and musician , the daughter of actress Kirin Kiki and rock'n roll singer Yuya Uchida, in 1995. As a mukoyōshi, he took his wife's surname, which is thus his legal suname.^[2] The couple have three children.

Filmography[]

Film[]

• Shibugakitai Boys & Girls (Come On Girls!) (シブがき隊 ボーイズ & ガールズ, Shibugakitai Bōizu & Gāruzu) (1982)
• Third-Year High School Boys (三等高校生, Santō Kōkōsei) (1982)
• Headphone Lullaby (ヘッドフォン・ララバイ, Heddofon Rarabai) (1983)
• Barrow Gang BC (バロー・ギャングBC, Barō Gyangu BC) (1985)
• Four Days of Snow and Blood (226, Nī Nī Roku) (1989)
• Raffles Hotel (ラッフルズホテル, Raffuruzu Hoteru) (1989)
• Fancy Dance (ファンシイダンス, Fanshii Dansu) (1989)
• Beppin no machi (べっぴんの町, Beppin no machi) (1989)
• Balloons (ふうせん, Fūsen) (1990)
• Heat Wave (陽炎, Kagerō) (1991)
• Bang! (遊びの時間は終わらない, Asobi no jikan wa owaranai) (1991)
• Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (シコふんじゃった。, Shiko Funjatta.) (1992)
• Dioxin from fish!! (魚からダイオキシン!!, Sakana kara Daiokishin!!) (1993)
• Last Song (ラストソング, Rasuto songu) (1993)
• Botchan (坊っちゃん, Botchan) (1994)
• The Mystery of Rampo (RAMPO, Ranpo) (1994)
• The Five (GONIN, Gonin) (1995)
• Shall We Dance? (Shall we ダンス?, Sharu Wī Dansu?) (1996)
• Tokiwa: The Manga Apartment (トキワ荘の青春, Tokiwasō no Seishun) (1996)
• BUGS (BUGS, Baguzu) (1997)
• The Bird People in China (中国の鳥人, Chūgoku no Chōjin) (1998)
• Gemini (双生児, Sōseiji) (1999)
• Richard Sorge - Spy of Fire (スパイ・ゾルゲ, Supai Zoruge) (2003)
• Ganryujima (巌流島, Ganryūjima) (2003)
• Tekkon Kinkreet (鉄コン筋クリート, Tekkon Kinkurīto) (2006) (voice only)
• The Longest Night in Shanghai (夜の上海, Yoru no Shanhai) (2007)
• Departures (おくりびと, Okuribito) (2008)
• Tenkū no Hachi (天空の蜂, Tenkū no Hachi) (2015)
• The Emperor in August (日本のいちばん長い日, Nihon no Ichiban Nagai Hi) (2015) - Emperor Hirohito
• The Long Excuse (永い言い訳, Nagai Iiwake) (2016) - Sachio Kinugasa
• The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) (2020)

Television[]

• Sempachi Sensei (2年B組仙八先生, Ni nen B gumi Sempachi Sensei) (1981)
• Himitsu no Akko-chan (ひみつのアッコちゃん, Himitsu no Akko chan) (1987)
• Tale of an announcer’s woes (アナウンサーぷっつん物語, Anaunsā Puttsun Monogatari) (1987)
• Easier than a kiss (キスより簡単, Kisu Yori Kantan) (1987)
• I wanna hold your hand (抱きしめたい!, Dakishimetai!) (1988)
• Love in paradise (恋のパラダイス, Koi no Paradaisu) (1990)
• Taiheiki (太平記, Taiheiki) (1991) - Chigusa Tadaaki
• Is Mom beautiful!? (ママってきれい!?, Mama tte Kirei!?) (1991)
• Invisible You (あなただけ見えない, Anata Dake Mienai) (1992)
• News na aitsu (ニュースなあいつ, Nyūsu na Aitsu) (1992)
• Journey to the West (西遊記, Saiyūki) (1993)
• One day, tell me you love me (いつか好きだと言って, Itsuka suki da to itte) (1993)
• Otama & Kozo (お玉・幸造夫婦です, Otama Kōzō Fūfu desu) (1994)
• White love story (最高の片想い, Saikou no Kataomoi) (1995)
• Since I met you (君と出逢ってから, Kimi to Deatte Kara) (1996)
• (徳川慶喜, Tokugawa Yoshinobu) (1998) - Tokugawa Yoshinobu
• The chuckles of neighbours (隣人は秘かに笑う, Rinjin wa Hisoka ni Warau) (1999)
• Style! (スタイル!, Sutairu!) (2000)
• Black Jack (ブラックジャック, Burakku Jakku) (2000)
• A Wednesday Love Affair (水曜日の情事, Suiyōbi no Jōji) (2001)
• (聖徳太子, Shōtoku Taishi) (2001) - Prince Shōtoku
• The Happy Prince (幸福の王子, Kōfuku no Ōji) (2001)
• Iron Chef: Japan Cup 2002 (料理の鉄人, Ryōri no Tetsujin) (2002)
• 87% (87%, Hachijū-nana pāsento) (2005)
• The Dining Table at Natsume's (夏目家の食卓, Natsume ke no Shokutaku) (2005) - Natsume Sōseki
• On the Single Bed Tonight (今夜ひとりのベッドで, Kon'ya Hitori no Beddo de) (2005)
• Saka no Ue no Kumo (坂の上の雲, Saka no Ue no Kumo) (2009–11) - Akiyama Saneyuki
• Man of Destiny (2012) - Ryōta Yuminari
• Giri/Haji (2019)
• Kirin ga Kuru (2020) - Saitō Dōsan
• Ryūkō Kanbō (2021)^[3]

References[]

External links[]

• Masahiro Motoki at IMDb