Masahiro Motoki

Masahiro Motoki (Motoki Masahiro, born December 21, 1965 in Okegawa, Japan) 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. Career Motoki started his entertainment career as a member of boy band Shibugaki Tai  (name of the group is abbreviation of tough  kids , which makes it an homonym of astringent persimmon that made a debut in 1982 under the management of Johnny & Associates. They were top idols for a good part of the eighties in Japan. When the band broke up, he turned to acting. His first main role in film was as a Zen monk in comedy Fancy Dance directed by Masayuki Suo. Motoki again starred in Suo's next film Sumo Do, Sumo Don't which practically introduced Motoki to the audience outside Japan. He then worked with directors such as Takashi Miike (The Bird People in China and Shinya Tsukamoto (Gemini). His breakthrough on the international stage came with the 2008 film Departures directed by Yōjirō Takita. He played cellist-turned-mortician protagonist in this dramatic film which 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 Motoki's idea after he read a book written by an encoffinment professional. Family He married essayist and musician Yayako Uchida, the daughter of actress Kirin Kiki and rock'n roll singer Yuya Uchida, in 1995. He adopted his wife's surname as a mukoyōshi, thus his real name on the official registry is now Masahiro Uchida. They currently have three children.