Kōji Yakusho

, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor. He is known internationally for his starring roles in Shall We Dance?, Cure (1997), 13 Assassins (2010), The Third Murder (2017), The Blood of Wolves (2018), Under the Open Sky (2020) and The Days (2023). For his performance in Perfect Days (2023), he was awarded the Best Actor award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Early life and education Yakusho was born in Isahaya, Nagasaki, the youngest of five brothers. After graduation from Nagasaki Prefectural High School of Technology in 1974, he worked at the Chiyoda municipal ward office, or kuyakusho, in Tokyo, from which he later took his stage name.

Career

In 1976, he saw a production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths (Played by Tatsuya Nakadai) and was inspired, first to watch, and then later to take part in, as many plays as possible. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times called his performance "unerring." Lost Paradise, about a double-suicide, was second only to Princess Mononoke at the Japanese box office.

International breakthrough: Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance? was such a major hit in Japan that it inspired a domestic dance craze. Ballroom groups and dance schools multiplied in the country after the film's release, and people who previously would never admit to taking lessons announced that they did with pride. Director Masayuki Suo said of his lead, who until that point was known mostly for playing good-looking samurai, "we thought he could play this overworked, tired Japanese businessman, and he did.... He pulled everything off and took his dance training so seriously."

Yakusho next won the Hochi Film Award for Best Actor for Bounce Ko Gals, a film which dealt with high school prostitution specifically, and money worship in general. He collaborated with horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa in Cure, Seance, Charisma, Doppelganger, Retribution, and Tokyo Sonata. Yakusho found further recognition with international audiences to some extent with roles in such films as Memoirs of a Geisha and Babel. In the latter, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, he played the father of the deaf person played by Rinko Kikuchi.

Continued success

In 2009, he debuted as director of Toad's Oil. In 2010 and 2011 he was part of both ensemble casts in Takashi Miike's samurai films, 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. The latter was in 3D and the first 3D film to be in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the 2011 war drama film Rengō Kantai Shirei Chōkan: Yamamoto Isoroku, Yakusho portrayed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yakusho was reportedly the only actor considered for the role; had he not accepted it, the film would have been canceled.

In 2018 he was in The Blood of Wolves. For his performance in Perfect Days, directed by Wim Wenders, Yakusho won best actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, he has been selected 2023 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival’s filmmaker in focus.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 Hunter in the Dark Kuwano Eireitachi no oenka: saigo no sôkeisen 1980 Twelve Months Young soldier (voice) 1981 Willful Murder Journalist 1982 Onimasa Kondō Himeyuri no Tô Otaka The Legend of Sayo Hatsutaro 1985 Tampopo Man in White Suit 1987 The Great Department Store Robbery Cello player 1988 Another Way: D-Kikan Joho Naoto Sekiya Lead role 1990 Pod severnym siyaniyem Genzo Tamiya Lead role 1993 Gurenbana Kenzo Nakada Drug Connection Ryosuke Kano Lead role 1994 Osaka Gokudo Senso: Shinoidare Ippei Yoshikawa 1995 Kamikaze Taxi Kantake Lead role 1996 Shall We Dance? Shohei Sugiyama Lead role Sleeping Man Kamimura Shabu Gokudo Makabe Lead role 1997 Lost Paradise Shoichiro Kuki Lead role The Eel Takuro Yamashita Lead role Bounce Ko Gals Oshima Lead role Cure Kenichi Takabe Lead role 1998 Kizuna Takaaki Ise/Tetsuro Haga Tadon to chikuwa Kida Lead role 1999 License to Live Fujimori Charisma Goro Yabuike Lead role Spellbound Hiroshi Kitano Lead role 2000 Swing Man Movie star Dora-heita Koheita "Dora-heita" MochizukiLead role Eureka Makoto Sawai Lead role 2001 Pulse Ship captain Cameo Warm Water Under a Red Bridge Yosuke Sasano Lead role 2002 The Choice of Hercules Atsuyuki Sassa Lead role 2003 Doppelganger Michio Hayasaki Lead role 11′09″01 September 11 "Japan" segment 2004 The Hunter and the Hunted Detective Jin Sekikawa Lead role Tokyo: Level One The Governor of Tokyo Lead role Lakeside Murder Case Shunsuke Namiki Lead role University of Laughs Mutsuo Sakisaka Lead role 2005 Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean Masami Shin'ichi Lead role Memoirs of a Geisha Nobu American film 2006 The Uchōten Hotel Heikichi Shindo Lead role Babel Yasujiro Wataya Foreign film Retribution Noboru Yoshioka Lead role 2007 I Just Didn't Do It Masayoshi Arakawa Argentine Baba Satoru Wakui Lead role Silk Hara Jubei Foreign film Walking My Life Yukihiro Fujiyama Lead role 2008 Paco and the Magical Book Onuki Lead role Tokyo Sonata The Robber 2009 Mt. TsurugidakeMorisaku Furuta Gelatin Silver Love Client Toad's Oil Takuro Yazawa Lead role & director The Last Ronin Magozaemon Senoo Lead role 2011 Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai Kageyu Saito Isoroku Isoroku Yamamoto Lead role Chronicle of My Mother Kōsaku Lead role The Woodsman and the Rain Katsuhiko Lead role 2012 A Terminal Trust Shinzo Egi 2013 The Kiyosu Conference Shibata Katsuie Lead role 2014 The World of Kanako Akikazu Fujishima Lead role A Samurai Chronicle Shūkoku Toda Lead role 2015 The Emperor in August Korechika Anami Lead role The Boy and the Beast Kumatetsu (voice) Lead role Mifune: The Last Samurai Himself Documentary film 2017 Sekigahara Tokugawa Ieyasu Oh Lucy! Komori American-Japanese film The Third Murder Misumi 2018 The Blood of Wolves Shōgo Ōgami Lead role Mirai Grandpa (voice) 2019 Wings Over Everest Jiang Yuesheng Lead role; Chinese film Whistleblower Kase Cameo 2021 Under the Open Sky Masao Mikami Lead role The Supporting Actors In Byplaywood Himself Belle Suzu's father (voice) 2022 The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai Kawai Tsugunosuke Lead role 2023 Perfect Days Hirayama Lead role; Japanese-German film Familia Seiji Lead role Father of the Milky Way Railroad Masajirō Miyazawa Lead role Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the WindowSōsaku Kobayashi (voice) 2024Hakkenden: Fiction and RealityTakizawa BakinLead role 2025Snowflowers: Seeds of Hope Hino Teisai ScarletClaudius (voice) 2026The Brightest SunTerainishi Children UntoldJinbe Yamai

Television Year Title Role Notes 1980 Shishi no Jidai Murakami Taiji Taiga drama Natchan no Shashinkan Second Lieutenant KayamaAsadora 1981 Onna Taikōki Oda Nobutaka Taiga drama 1983 Tokugawa Ieyasu Oda Nobunaga Taiga drama 1984–1985 Miyamoto Musashi Miyamoto Musashi Lead role 1986 Inochi Hamamura Taiga drama 1987 Chotchan Iruru KamiyaAsadora 1987–1995 Sanbiki ga Kiru! Kuji "Sengoku" Shin'nosuke 7 seasons 1990 Moeyo Ken Hijikata Toshizō Lead role; miniseries 1991 Takeda Shingen Takeda Shingen Lead role; TV movie 1994 Hana no Ran Ibuki Saburo Nobutsuna Taiga drama 2000 Aikotoba wa Yūki Jintaro Akatsuki Lead role Seance Sato Lead role; TV movie 2010 Wagaya no Rekishi Narrator Miniseries 2011 Early Autumn Shinpei Matsubara Lead role; TV movie 2014 Fathers Sōsuke Aoki Lead role; episode 2 2017 Ties: A Miraculous Colt Masayuki Lead role; miniseries Rikuoh Kōichi Miyazawa Lead role The Supporting Actors Himself Episode 1 2019 Idaten Kanō Jigorō Taiga drama 2021 Pension Metsa Tsuneki Episode 1 Matrilineal Family Yoshizō Yajima Special appearance; miniseries 2023 The Days Masao Yoshida Lead role Vivant Nogoon Beki 2026 Did Someone Happen to Mention Me? Gen Takasegawa Lead role

Japanese dub Year Title Role Notes 2001 Band of Brothers Richard Winters Voice dub for Damian Lewis 2006 Over the Hedge RJ Animation 2009 Astro Boy Dr. Bill Tenma Animation

Commercials Kakaku.com's Kyujin Box (2025–)

Accolades Awards and nominations

State honors Country Year Honor 2012 Medal with Purple Ribbon