Personal details
Official sites :
Born:
- Birthday: 1956-01-01
- Born Place: Isahaya, Japan
Also Known As:
橋本広司, Koji Hashimoto, Kôji Yakusho, Kouji Yakusho, Кодзі Якусьо, קוז'י יאקושו, کوجی یاکوشو
Koji Yakusho
Kōji Yakusho is one of Japan's most acclaimed and internationally recognized actors. Born Kōji Hashimoto on January 1, 1956, in Isahaya, Nagasaki, he took his stage name from the word for "ward office" (kuyakusho), where he worked after high school before beginning his acting career in 1978. His international breakthrough came with the 1996 film Shall We Dance?, which earned him numerous Best Actor awards. He continued his international acclaim with roles in films like The Eel (1997), which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and Hollywood productions such as Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Babel (2006). Yakusho is a frequent collaborator with notable directors like Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, starring in films like Cure (1997) and 13 Assassins (2010). Most recently, his performance as the meditative public toilet cleaner Hirayama in Wim Wenders' 2023 film Perfect Days earned him the coveted Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, solidifying his status as a world-class actor. He has been recognized with the Asian Film Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award and is set to voice the character Claudius in the upcoming animated film Scarlet (2025).
