is a Japanese actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

.

He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L

L (Death Note)

, widely known by the letter , is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Considered the world's greatest detective, he lives in secrecy...

 in the 2006 films Death Note

Death Note (film)

is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...

, Death Note: The Last Name and L: Change the World

L: Change the WorLd

is a 2008 Japanese film that is a spin-off to the Death Note film series. Although the film is inspired by the manga Death Note that was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it follows an original storyline...

in 2008, as well as voicing Gelus in the Death Note

Death Note

is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...

animated adaptation. He was cast to play lead character Toru Watanabe in the movie adaptation of Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami

is a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...

's novel Norwegian Wood, which was released in December 2010. His real given name written in kanji as "研一".

On April 1, 2011, he married Koyuki Katō

Koyuki

, better known as , is a Japanese model and actress.Koyuki was born in Zama. She started her modeling career in 1995 and has since starred in various Japanese dramas, TV and magazine ad campaigns and films. She frequently appears in Japanese print and television campaigns for the electronics...

, who co-starred with him in Kamui Gaiden. They are expecting their first child in February 2012.

Film

Year	Title	Role	Film production
2003	Wining Pass	?	?
	Bright Future Bright Future is a 2003 Japanese film written and directed by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Tadanobu Asano and Joe Odagiri. It was entered into the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.- Plot :...	Jun	UPLink Company
	Guzen nimo Saiaku na Shonen	?	?
2004	The Locker 2	Yosuke Shinohara	?
	Kamachi	?	?
	The Taste of Tea The Taste of Tea is the third film by Japanese writer and director Katsuhito Ishii. The film has been referred to as a "surreal" version of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. It was a selection of the Cannes Film Festival.-Synopsis:...	Matsuken	Grasshoppa
2005	Linda Linda Linda Linda Linda Linda is a 2005 Japanese film. Its name comes from Japanese punk band The Blue Hearts' hit song "Linda Linda". The film was directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita and stars Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine as the band members, and Bae Doona as a South Korean foreign exchange student...	Makihara	Covers&Co
	Nana Nana (2005 film) Nana is a 2005 Japanese film adaption of the manga by Ai Yazawa, directed by Kentarō Ōtani. The film was released on September 3, 2005. It stars Mika Nakashima as the punk star Nana Osaki, and Aoi Miyazaki as Hachi ....	Shinichi "Shin" Okazaki	?
	Furyo Shonen no Yume	?	?
	Custom Made 10.30 CUSTOM MADE 10.30 is a 2005 Japanese film about an 18-year-old high school student in Hiroshima, and the film is collaborated with a concert of Tamio Okuda on October 30, 2004, at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium for the 10th anniversary of his solo performance.-Plot:...	Tamotsu/Shin-Getsu	KlockWorkx
	Otoko-tachi no Yamato	Katsumi Kamio (15 years old)	?
2006	Oyayubi Sagashi	?	?
	Death Note Death Note (film) is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...	L	Warner Bros. Pictures Japan
	Death Note: The Last Name Death Note (film) is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...	L	Warner Bros. Pictures Japan
2007	Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea is a 2007 Japanese - Mongolian historical drama film depicting the life of Genghis Khan.-Cast:*Takashi Sorimachi as Temüjin/Genghis Khan*Rei Kikukawa as Börte*Mayumi Wakamura as Hoelun*Kenichi Matsuyama as Jochi*Yoshihiko Hakamada as Hasar*Go Ara as Khulan...	Juchi	Shochiku Shochiku is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...  (Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... )
	Ten Nights of Dreams	?	?
	Shindo	Wao	?
	South Bound	Officer Niigaki	?
	Tsubaki Sanjuro	Iori Isaka	?
	Dolphin Blue: Fuji, mo Ichido Sora e	?	?
2008	L: Change the World L: Change the WorLd is a 2008 Japanese film that is a spin-off to the Death Note film series. Although the film is inspired by the manga Death Note that was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it follows an original storyline...	L	Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
	Don't Laugh at My Romance	Mirume	?
	Detroit Metal City Detroit Metal City is a vulgar comedy manga series, serialized in Young Animal from 2005 to 2010. An anime OVA series, twelve episodes of approximately 13 minutes each, was released starting on August 8, 2008. A live film adaptation directed by Toshio Lee appeared in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2008...	Souichi Negishi/Johannes Krauser II	Toho Toho is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
2009	Kamui Gaiden The Legend of Kamui is a manga by Sanpei Shirato. Set in feudal Japan, it tells the story of a low-born ninja who tries to flee his clan. The series combines historical adventure with social commentary and themes of oppression and rebellion that reflect Shirato's Marxist convictions...	Kamui	?
	Kaiji Kaiji Kaiji may refer to:* Kaiji , a train service in Japan* Kaiji , a Japanese series about the art of gambling* Kaiji Kawaguchi, a Japanese manga artist whose works include Eagle and Zipang...	Makoto Sahara	?
	Ultra Miracle Love Story	Yojin	?
2010	Norwegian Wood Norwegian Wood (film) is a Japanese drama film directed by Tran Anh Hung, based on Haruki Murakami's novel of the same name. The film was released in Japan on 11 December 2010.- Plot :...	Toru Watanabe	Toho Toho is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
	Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is a 2010 drama film starring Japanese actress Maki Horikita, Japanese actors Kenichi Matsuyama and Yuya Tegoshi, and American actor Anton Yelchin based on a book written by Gabrielle Zevin.-Cast:...	Yuji Miwa	Toei Company Toei Company is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
2011	Gantz	Masaru Kato	?
	Gantz: Perfect Answer	Masaru Kato	?
	My Back Page	Umeyama	?
	Usagi Drop (film) Usagi Drop (film) is a 2011 Japanese drama film based on the manga of the same name by Yumi Unita. The film is directed by Sabu, and the screenplay was done by both SABU and scriptwriter Tamio Hayashi. Usagi Drop stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama, who will play the role of Daikichi, who is a office worker and a single man...	Daikichi Kawachi	Showgate

Drama

Year	Title	Role	Network
2002	Gokusen Gokusen is a manga series by Kozueko Morimoto. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private high school. In 2008, a SP manga was out, featuring some of Yankumi's old students who are by now working adults.In 2002, the manga was adapted into a...	Kenichi Mouri	Nippon TV
2003	Kids War 5	?	?
2005	1 Litre of Tears 1 Litre no Namida (TV series) is a Japanese television drama for Fuji Television about a girl who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15, but was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25.-Plot:...	Yuji Kawamoto	Fuji Television Fuji Television is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
2006	Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi	Shingo	?
	Sono 5 fun mae	Yuka Takashi	?
2007	Sexy Voice and Robo Sexy Voice and Robo is a seinen manga by Iou Kuroda. It was originally serialized in the semi-alternative manga magazine Ikki between 2000 and 2003, and has also been published worldwide, including in North America by Viz Media and Spain by Ponent Mon...	Iichiro Sudo/Robo	Nippon Television Nippon Television is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
	Nana (2007 TV series)	Shinichi "Shin Okazaki	?
2009	Zeni Geba Zeni Geba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Akiyama. The series was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1970 to 1971...	Gamagori Futaro	NNN Tvs
2010	Love of 99 Years: Japanese Americans	Hiramatsu Jiro	?
2012	Taira no Kiyomori	Taira no Kiyomori	NHK NHK NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

Vocal roles

Year	Title	Role	Network
2006	Death Note (anime) Death Note is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...	Gelus (voice)	NTV NTV The name NTV is used by several television broadcasters throughout the world:* Nippon Television — Shiodome, Tokyo, Japan * NTV * CJON-TV, Canada: St...
2008	Detroit Metal City (OVA) Detroit Metal City is a vulgar comedy manga series, serialized in Young Animal from 2005 to 2010. An anime OVA series, twelve episodes of approximately 13 minutes each, was released starting on August 8, 2008. A live film adaptation directed by Toshio Lee appeared in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2008...	Makoto Hokazono	Studio 4 Studio 4 Studio 4 is a Canadian television show broadcasting from Vancouver, British Columbia. It airs in select markets province-wide on Shaw TV.Studio 4 is an hour-long talk show between host Fanny Kiefer and a variety of guests, ranging from the political elite to artists to acclaimed authors and...

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
2006	Hochi Film Awards	Best New Actor	Death Note Death Note is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
2007	Yokohama Film Festival Yokohama Film Festival The is a noticed yearly awards ceremony held in Japan. The festival was started as a small affair by fans and film critics, and first held on February 3, 1980. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year, and various awards are given to personnel...	Best New Talent	Death Note Death Note is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
	Japanese Academy Awards Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...	Best New Actor	Death Note Death Note is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
	Elan D' Awards	Rookie of the Year	?
2008	2nd Asia Pacific Producer's Network Award	Best Actor	Death Note Death Note is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
	1st Egaishan Taisho Movie Theatre Award	?	?	?
2009	32nd Japanese Academy Awards	Most Popular Actor	Detroit Metal City Detroit Metal City is a vulgar comedy manga series, serialized in Young Animal from 2005 to 2010. An anime OVA series, twelve episodes of approximately 13 minutes each, was released starting on August 8, 2008. A live film adaptation directed by Toshio Lee appeared in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2008...
	Television Drama Academy Awards	Best Actor	Zeni Geba Zeni Geba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by George Akiyama. The series was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1970 to 1971...
2010	Mainichi Film Awards Mainichi Film Awards The Mainichi Film Awards are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun , one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946.-Animation awards:...	Best Actor	Ultra Miracle Love story
	Takasaki Film Festival	Best Actor	Ultra Miracle Love Story

External links

• Horipro agency profile