Masahiro Motoki, born in 1965, is one of the most respected Japanese actors of his generation, celebrated for reinventing himself from teen idol to serious dramatic performer. He first came to fame in the eighties as a member of the pop trio Shibugakitai, then studied acting seriously and won his first Japanese Academy Award for best actor with Masayuki Suo's sumo comedy Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (1992). His defining role came in Yojiro Takita's Departures (2008), where his performance as a young cellist turned encoffiner earned him the Japanese Academy Award for best actor and helped the film win the Oscar for best foreign language film. He has continued working in prestige Japanese dramas and international coproductions with a quiet, meticulously prepared style. Read more