Takuya Kimura

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the baseball player, see Takuya Kimura (baseball).
Takuya Kimura

Takuya Kimura's costume in Hero
Background information
Born (1972-11-13) November 13, 1972
Origin Tokyo, Japan[1]
Genres Pop
Occupations Singer, actor
Instruments Guitar, Harmonica
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.[2]

Early life

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.[2]

Career

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.[citation needed]

In 2000, he played a leading role in a TV series Beautiful Life, the finale of which had the highest ever viewing figures in the Kanto region.[3]

In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero, which set a record with its high TV ratings of about 36.8%.[4] 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%.[5]

In 2004 Kimura appeared as a supporting actor in the Cannes-nominated movie 2046.[6]

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.

Kimura starred in 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.[7]

In 2009, he voiced JP in Takeshi Koike's animated film Redline.

Kimura's latest movie is Space Battleship Yamato, released on December 1, 2010. This is the franchise's first live-action film and is Directed by Takashi Yamazaki.

He starred in the Japanese drama Moon Lovers (Fuji TV, 2010) with Lin Chi-ling. The drama was met with negative reviews.[8][9]

In 2011 SMAP performed in Beijing, their first international concert, to showcase Japanese culture to China.[10] The concert was originally scheduled for 2010 but was cancelled due to fears of overcrowding.[11]

The television drama Priceless, broadcast on Fuji TV between October 22 and December 24, 2012, was Kimura's 9th Getsu (Fuji TV golden prime-time slot); confirming thus his status as actor who starred in the greatest number of Getsu. His latest television drama is Ando Lloyd – A.I. Knows Love? on TBS

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.[2] 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.

TV series & TV movies

Movies

Awards

  • 1994 7. Ishihara Yujiro Award – Best Newcomer (Movie: Shoot – Hit the Goal)
  • 1994 Erandooru Award – Best Newcomer (Movie: Shoot – Hit the Goal)
  • 1994 11. Best Jeanist
  • 1995 31. Galaxy Award (TV-Dorama: Wakamono no subete)
  • 1995 12. Best Jeanist
  • 1996 13. Best Jeanist
  • 1997 14. Best Jeanist
  • 1998 15. Best Jeanist
  • 1999 Houso Bunka Kikin Award – Best Male Actor (Dorama: Beautiful Life)

References

  1. ↑ "SMAP member profiles". Johnny's net. Retrieved February 17, 2010.  (Japanese)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "J-pop star Kimutaku caught speeding twice: reports". Agence France Presse (in English). 
  3. ↑ "Housemaid drama series logs highest rating in nearly 12 years". Japan Economic Newswire (in English). 
  4. ↑ 『HERO』、全話30％超の視聴率を達成　平均視聴率も新記録
  5. ↑ 平均視聴率ランキングＡ（平均視聴率18％以上）
  6. ↑ "Film of the day". Evening Gazette (in English). p. 22. 
  7. ↑ "Kimutaku Declines Academy Nomination". Japan Zone. December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2009. 
  8. ↑ Wan, Foong Woei. "Sugar and spies; Hot stars, espionage, romance and melodrama pump up the adrenaline on the small screen". The Straits Times (in English) (Singapore). 
  9. ↑ Lee, Jocelyn. "Chiling's model answers; Chiling Lin, FHM Taiwan's sexiest woman for three years, sees herself as sweet, not sexy". The Straits Times (in English) (Singapore). 
  10. ↑ "China hopes SMAP's concert will promote better Beijing–Tokyo ties". Japan Economic Newswire (in English). 
  11. ↑ "SMAP vows to show Japan's resilience in China concert". Japan Economic Newswire (in English). 

External links

Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.