Takuya Kimura

For the baseball player, see Takuya Kimura (baseball).
Takuya Kimura
木村 拓哉
Born November 13, 1972 (1972-11-13) (age 39)
Origin Tokyo, Japan[1]
Genres Pop
Occupations Singer, actor
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1988 (1988)–present
Labels Victor Entertainment
Associated acts SMAP

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉 Kimura Takuya?) (born November 13, 1972), nicknamed Kimutaku (キムタク?), is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan. He has become one of the most well-known and successful actors/singers/entertainers in Japan and other Asian countries.

Contents

Early life and pre-fame

Born in Tokyo, Kimura lived in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture until he was six years old. Then, he lived and attended elementary school and junior high school in Chiba. One of his relatives sent in the application to the Johnny & Associates talent agency, which specializes in young male teen idols, and he became a member of Johnny's Juniors, a group of trainees, in 1987. Then he became one of the 12 members in a unit called "Skate Boys". Skate Boys used to be backup dancers of Hikaru Genji, which at the time was a very popular group. In 1988, SMAP was created, and he joined. The group then consisted of six members: Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Katsuyuki Mori, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Shingo Katori; Katsuyuki Mori later left SMAP to pursue an autoracing career in the mid 90s. After SMAP was formed, each member pursued an individual career by starring in B-list television dramas. Their first single "Can't Stop!! -LOVING-" was released in 1991, but it received mixed reviews. When SMAP had their first concert, the hall was almost empty, too.

Rise to fame

The year 1993 can be considered to be a breakthrough year for Kimura and SMAP. After years of starring in low-budget dramas, Kimura played a leading role in the teen drama Asunaro Hakusho (あすなろ白書) as Osamu Toride, a college freshman in love with a friend Narumi Sonoda. The series, based on a then-popular manga of the same name, quickly became a hit. SMAP also released their hit single $10. In 1994, a phrase "Kimutaku Syndrome" started to be observed in some media. The term refers to a phenomenon in which some young boys copy his fashion. In 1995, he played a role in a movie Kimi o Wasurenai (君を忘れない). In 1996 he starred with Yamaguchi Tomoko in a TV series Long Vacation, which also became a hit. Kimura played a young shy pianist "Sena," who falls in love with an older ex-model. In the same year, SMAP began to host a weekly Japanese variety show SMAP×SMAP. During 1997, Kimura continued his streak of hit dramas with Gift and Love Generation. However, Gift was criticized for its violent plot, which allegedly promoted teenage crime. In 2000, he played a leading role in a TV series Beautiful Life. He also announced his marriage with Shizuka Kudo, another idol. By the time of the announcement, Shizuka was pregnant. In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero, which set a record with its high TV ratings of about 36.8%.[2] He enjoyed more success in string of many hit series after Hero, such as Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi, Good Luck!!, Pride, and "ENGINE." "Good Luck" topped 2003's TV view ratings at 37.6%.[3]

In 2004 Kimura appeared as a supporting actor in the Cannes-nominated movie 2046. The cast of this Hong Kong film included Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Faye Wong. The film won many awards including Best Art Direction and Best Original Film Score at Golden Horse Film Festival in 2004 and scored Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Make-Up, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Film Score at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005. In the original version shown in the Cannes Film Festival, his scene lasted about 7 minutes, although in the final edition, which was played in Japan, it was extended to approximately 20 minutes. In 2005 he voiced Howl in Hayao Miyazaki's animation Howl's Moving Castle. In July 2006, Fuji TV aired a 2 hour long HERO special. Along with the original cast, he revived his role as prosecutor Kuryu Kohei. Additional big name stars were also seen in this drama, including Socrates in Love star Haruka Ayase. Kimura's latest movie is Bushi no Ichibun, released in December 2006. Directed by Yoji Yamada he played a young blind samurai during the Edo period. He earned a Japan Academy Prize nomination for Best Actor. However, he declined it because his agency, Johnny & Associates, was reluctant to have him compete with the other nominees, who are experienced film actors.[4] This has been said to be the first case of decline for such reason. The film is the final in the trilogy, which includes The Twilight Samurai (2002) and The Hidden Blade (2004). In 2007, Kimura starred in TBS' 55th Anniversary drama, Karei-naru Ichizoku, which stars other big-name actors and actresses. In September, the movie sequel to 2001's HERO was released, continuing the story from where the last episode on TV special in 2006 left off. It has proved a major success, sparking rumours that a sequel will be produced. Kimura appeared in the 2009 joint U.S.-French film I Come with the Rain with Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett.

Personal life

In 1999 he ended a nine-year relationship with his longtime girlfriend Kaori Ito. The next year, on November 23, he announced he was going to marry Shizuka Kudo, another Japanese pop idol. They married on December 5, 2000. His first daughter, Kokomi (心美?), was born on May 1, 2001 and his second daughter, Mitsuki (光希?), on February 5, 2003.

Filmography

Drama
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Abunai Shōnen III Takuya Kimura (son of PTA chairman)
1990 Otōto Hekiro Television special
1991 Suki na no ni Eiichi Tamura
1992 Sono toki Heartwa Nusumareta Masato Katase
1993 Izu no Odorikko Yasunari Kawabata
Asunaro Hakusho Osamu Toride
1994 Wakamono no Subete Takeshi Ueda
1995 Kimi wa Toki no Kanata e
Jinsei wa Jojo da Kazuma Ogami Lead role
1996 Furuhata Ninzaburo Season 2 Isao Hayashi Episode 17 guest appearance
Long Vacation Sena Hidetoshi Lead role
Kyōsōkyoku Kakeru Takakura Lead role
1997 Boku ga Boku de Aru Tame ni Riki Kurosawa Lead role, television special
Ii Hito Episode 8 cameo
Gift Hayasaka Yukio/Mizoguchi Takehiro Lead role
Love Generation Katagiri Teppei Lead role
1998 Oda Nobunaga Oda Nobunaga Lead role
Nemureru Mori Ito Naoki Lead role
1999 Konya wa Eigyōchu Lead role
2000 Beautiful Life Okishima Shuji Lead role
Food Fight Crow Voice
2001 Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari: Black Room Lead role, one part of the SMAP Special Edition
Hero Kuryu Kōhei Lead role
Chūshingura 1/47 Hirobe Yasubei Television special
2002 Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi Katase Ryo Lead role
2003 Good Luck!! Shinkai Hajime Lead role
2004 Pride Satonaka Haru Lead role
2005 Engine Kanzaki Jiro Lead role
2006 Saiyūki Emperor Genyoku Episode 1 guest appearance
Hero Special Kuryu Kōhei Lead role, television special
2007 Karei-naru Ichizoku Manpyo Teppei Lead role
2008 Change Asakura Keita Lead role
2009 Mr. Brain Tsukumo Ryusuke Lead role
Redline JP Voice
2010 Tsuki no Koibito Hazuki Rensuke Lead role
2011 Nankyoku Tairiku Kuramochi Takeshi Lead Role

Films

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Kokoro no Kagami (Mirror of the Heart) Takeru
1993 Hajimete no Natsu (Airplane Brothers) Hiroshi Kitayama
1994 Shoot Kubo Yoshiharu
1995 Kimi wo Wasurenai (Fly Boys, Fly!) Junichiro Ueda
2004 Hauru no Ugoku Shiro (Howl's Moving Castle) Howl Voice
2046 Tak
2006 Love and Honor Shinnojo Mimura Lead role
2007 Hero The Movie Kōhei Kuryu Lead role
2009 I Come with the Rain Shitao
2010 Space Battleship Yamato[5][6] Susumu Kodai Lead role
2011 The Founding of a Party Japanese military officer (unnamed)

Awards and nominations

Year Organization Award Work Result
1994 7th Nikkan Sports Film Awards[7] Ishihara Yujiro New Actor Award Shoot Won[8]
3rd Television Drama Academy Awards Best Outfit Wakamono no Subete Won[9]
Japan Jeans Makers Association Best Jeanist Won[10]
1995 7th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Outfit Jinsei wa Jojo da Won[9]
Japan Jeans Makers Association Best Jeanist Won[10]
1996 9th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Long Vacation Won[9]
Japan Jeans Makers Association Best Jeanist Won[10]
1997 15th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Love Generation Won[9]
Japan Jeans Makers Association Best Jeanist Won[10]
1st Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Actor Love Generation Won[11]
1998 19th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Nemureru Mori Won[9]
Japan Jeans Makers Association Best Jeanist Won[10]
1999 3rd Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Actor Beautiful Life Won[11]
2000 24th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Won[9]
4th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Actor Hero Won[11]
2001 28th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Won[9]
2002 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi Won[12]
6th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Actor Good Luck!! Won[11]
2003 36th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Nominated[13]
2005 45th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Engine Nominated[14]
2007 52nd Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Karei naru Ichizoku Won[15]
2nd Seoul Drama Awards Best Actor Won[16]
TVnavi Drama of the Year Awards Best Actor Won[17]
20th Nikkan Sports Film Awards Best Actor Love and Honor Won[18]
Japan Academy Awards Best Actor Nominated[4]
2008 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Spring 2008) Best Actor Change Won[19]
57th Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Won[20]
2009 62nd Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Mr. Brain Nominated[21]

References

  1. ^ "SMAP member profiles". Johnny's net. http://www.johnnys-net.jp/j/artists/smap/prof/prof.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17.  (Japanese)
  2. ^ 『HERO』、全話30％超の視聴率を達成　平均視聴率も新記録
  3. ^ 平均視聴率ランキングＡ（平均視聴率18％以上）
  4. ^ a b "Kimutaku Declines Academy Nomination". Japan Zone. 2006-12-20. http://www.japan-zone.com/news/2006/12/20/kimutaku_declines_academy_nomination.shtml. Retrieved 2009-12-17. 
  5. ^ "Noboru Ishiguro Confirms Live-Action Yamato in Development (Update 2)". Anime News Network. 2009-07-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-07-18/noboru-ishiguro-confirms-live-action-yamato-in-development. 
  6. ^ "Live-Action Space Battleship Yamato Film's Cast Listed (Update 3)". Anime News Network. 2009-10-02. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-10-02/live-action-space-battleship-yamato-film-cast-listed. 
  7. ^ (Japanese) "歴代の受賞者、受賞作品". Nikkan Sports. http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/ns_cinema/2005/history.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  8. ^ "Awards for Takuya Kimura". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0454120/awards. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Takuya Kimura Tokyograph Profile". Tokyograph. http://www.tokyograph.com/info/Takuya_Kimura. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  10. ^ a b c d e "Best Jeanist". Tokyograph. http://www.tokyograph.com/info/Best_Jeanist. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  11. ^ a b c d "Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix". Tokyograph. http://www.tokyograph.com/info/Nikkan_Sports_Drama_Grand_Prix. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  12. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2002-06-26. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2002/06/post_233.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  13. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2003-04-23. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2003/04/post_195.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  14. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2005-08-03. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2005/08/post_85.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  15. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2007-05-02. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2007/05/post_2.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  16. ^ (Korean) "Seoul Drama (Past Winners: 2007)". Seoul Drama Awards. http://www.seouldrama.org/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  17. ^ ""Karei Naru Ichizoku" named Drama of the Year". Tokyograph. 2008-03-16. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2774. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  18. ^ "20th Nikkan Sports Film Awards announced". Tokyograph. 2007-12-06. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2201. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  19. ^ "Drama Grand Prix: "CHANGE" and "Last Friends" win for Fuji TV". Tokyograph. 2008-07-17. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3529. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  20. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2008-08-20. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2008/08/post_307.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  21. ^ (Japanese) "Best Actor Award". The Television. 2009-10-21. http://blog.television.co.jp/drama/academy/2009/10/post_345.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 

External links