Hidetoshi Nishijima (Japanese: 西島秀俊, Hepburn: Nishijima Hidetoshi, born March 29, 1971) is a Japanese actor. He is widely regarded as one of Japan's leading actors in numerous films and television drama series. He has appeared in a wide range of films from science fiction films such as Shin Ultraman (2022) to small-scale art films such as Dolls (2002). He is best known internationally for his leading role in the film Drive My Car (2021). He received the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actor for this film.[1]
Hidetoshi Nishijima | |
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Born | (1971-03-29) March 29, 1971 (age 51) Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan |
Education | Yokohama National University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1992–present |
Nishijima became interested in watching films as a child, influenced by his father.[2] He wanted to be a film crew member, but while in college, he passed the acting audition that his acquaintance encouraged him to take, and he became an actor.[3]
Nishijima made his debut in the contemporary detective television drama series Hagure Keiji Junjōha in 1992.
In 1993, Nishijima gained public recognition for his portrayal of a gay character in the massive hit television series Asunaro Hakusho, which co-starred Takuya Kimura.[4] Nishijima’s subtle performance and good looks in that series attracted attention.[2]
In 1990s, Nishijima gained popularity as a young actor in television series, but left the major talent agency to become a film actor, and did not appear on commercial television from 1998 to 2002.[5]
Nishijima played his first leading role in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1998 film License to Live, and co-starred with Kōji Yakusho.[6] He won the Best Actor award at the Japan Film Professional Awards for the film.[7]
Nishijima attracted attention again later, being selected by Takeshi Kitano for the lead role in Dolls in 2002.[8] The film was a major turning point in his career.[9]
In 2009, he was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the Yokohama Film Festival for his portrayal of a strange death row inmate in Vacation.[10]
While establishing himself as a film actor, Nishijima also resumed appearances in television series.
In the 2010s, he became one of the most popular actors in Japan, for his performances in hit television series, such as General Rouge no Gaisen, Strawberry Night, Yae's Sakura, and MOZU.[11]
In 2011, Nishijima had his first starring role alongside Korean actress Kim Tae-hee in the television series Boku to Star no 99 Nichi, a romantic comedy drama about the romance between an actress and her bodyguard.[12]
In Amir Naderi's 2011 film Cut, he played the leading role, which was described by Chris Cabin of Slant Magazine as "the most convincingly pretentious and frustrated cinephile to ever be portrayed on film".[13] His performance in the film was praised by Dan Fainaru of Screen International as "painfully memorable".[14]
He also played the role of Kiro Honjo in Hayao Miyazaki's 2013 animated film The Wind Rises as a voice actor.[15] His other voice work includes dubbing Colin Farrell in Dumbo [16] and Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) in Pokémon Detective Pikachu.[17]
In 2017, he became the first Japanese man to model for Giorgio Armani's Made-to-Measure.[18]
He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2019 for his performance in Samurai's Promise.[19]
In 2019, Nishijima starred in a television series What Did You Eat Yesterday?, a drama about the daily lives of a middle-aged gay couple. The drama became very popular and was made into a hit film.[20]
In 2021, he starred in Ryusuke Hamaguchi 's film Drive My Car. His performance was highly acclaimed, with The New York Times selecting him as one of the "Great Performers / The Best Actors of 2021".[21] He also won the National Society of Film Critics Award,[22] the Boston Film Critics Circle Award,[23] and the Japan Academy Award[1] for Best Actor in a leading role for the film.
He has also appeared in films such as Akihiko Shiota's Canary[24] and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Loft.[25]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Ghost Pub | Koichi | ||
1995 | Marks no Yama | Mori | ||
Kura | Ryota Takeda | |||
1997 | 2/Duo | Kei | ||
1998 | License to Live | Yutaka | Lead role | |
2000 | Love/Juice | Sakamoto | ||
2001 | Sekai no Owari to Iu Na no Zakkaten | Lead role | ||
2002 | Dolls | Matsumoto | ||
Tokyo.sora | ||||
Last Scene | Lead role | |||
2004 | Casshern | Lieutenant Colonel Kamijo | ||
Tony Takitani | Narrator (voice) | |||
The Cat Leaves Home | ||||
Kikyo | ||||
Angel in the Box | ||||
2005 | House of Himiko | Hosokawa | ||
Sayonara Midori-chan | ||||
Su-ki-da | Yosuke | |||
Loft | Koichi Kijima | |||
Canary | ||||
2006 | Oh! Oku | Shingoro Ikushima | ||
2007 | Freesia: Bullet Over Tears | Toshio Iwasaki | ||
Pacchigi! Love & Peace | ||||
Shindo | ||||
2008 | Tokyo Rendezvous | Takashi Nogami | Lead role | [26] |
Vacation | Shin'ichi Kaneda | [26] | ||
Over the Hilltop | Ma Hae-song | [26] | ||
2009 | Kanikōsen | Asakawa | ||
Zero Focus | ||||
2010 | Sayonara Itsuka | Yutaka | Lead role | |
2011 | Cut | Shuji | Lead role | |
2012 | Seiji: Riku no Sakana | Seiji | Lead role | |
2013 | Strawberry Night | Kazuo Kikuta | ||
Memories Corner | Okabe | |||
The Wind Rises | Kiro Honjo (voice) | |||
2014 | Genome Hazard | Taketo Ishigami | Lead role | |
2015 | Mozu | Lead role | ||
Poison berry in my brain | Yoshida | |||
2016 | Creepy | Takakura | Lead role | |
While the Women Are Sleeping | Kenji | |||
2017 | The Last Recipe | Yamagata | ||
2018 | Samurai's Promise | Uneme Sakakibara | ||
The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps | Kazumasa Harima | |||
Ozland | Yoshihiko Ozuka | |||
Penguin Highway | Aoyama's Father (voice) | |||
2019 | Ninkyō Gakuen | Lead role | ||
Aircraft Carrier Ibuki | Ryōta Akitsu | Lead role | ||
2020 | Voices in the Wind | Morio | ||
Silent Tokyo | ||||
2021 | 99.9 Criminal Lawyer: The Movie | Kyōhei Nagumo | [27] | |
What Did You Eat Yesterday? | Shirō Kakei | Lead role | [28] | |
Caution, Hazardous Wife | Yūki Isayama | [29] | ||
Drive My Car | Yūsuke Kafuku | Lead role | [30] | |
2022 | Shin Ultraman | Kimio Tamura | [31] | |
Goodbye Cruel World | Lead role | [32] | ||
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Asunaro Hakusho | |||
1997 | Mori Motonari | Aiō Mototsuna | Taiga drama | |
2004 | Ōoku | Tokugawa Iemitsu | ||
2006 | Unfair | |||
2009 | Real Clothes | |||
2010 | General Rouge no Gaisen | |||
2011 | School | |||
Boku to Star no 99 Nichi | Lead role | |||
2012 | Strawberry Night | |||
2013 | Yae's Sakura | Yamamoto Kakuma | Taiga drama | |
2016 | Toto Neechan | Takezō Kohashi | Asadora | |
2017 | Crisis | |||
Caution, Hazardous Wife | ||||
2019 | Maison de Police | |||
What Did You Eat Yesterday? | Shiro Kakei | Lead role | [28] | |
2020 | North Light | Lead role; miniseries | [33] | |
2021 | Welcome Home, Monet | Satoru Asaoka | Asadora | [34] |
2022 | Riding a Unicorn | Satoshi Kotori | [35] | |
Kamen Rider Black Sun | Kōtarō Minami / Kamen Rider Black Sun | Lead role | [36] | |
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | 9th Japan Film Professional Awards | Best Actor | License to Live | Won | [38] |
2006 | 15th Japan Film Professional Awards | Best Actor | Kikyō, Sayonara Midori-chan, Ame Yori Setsunaku | Won | [39] |
20th Takasaki Film Festival [ja] | Best Actor | Kikyō | Won | [40] | |
2009 | 30th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Vacation, Tokyo Rendezvous and Over the Hilltop | Won | [26] |
2012 | 26th Takasaki Film Festival | Best Actor | Cut | Won | [40] |
21st Japan Film Professional Awards | Best Actor | Won | [41] | ||
2019 | 42nd Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Supporting Actor | Samurai's Promise | Nominated | [42] |
2021 | 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actor | Drive My Car | Nominated | [43] |
42nd Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Won | [44] | ||
34th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [45] | ||
34th Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Actor | Won | [46] | ||
2022 | 76th Mainichi Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [47] | |
35th Takasaki Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | [48] | ||
45th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Actor | Won | [49] | ||
56th National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Won | [50] | ||
25th Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [51] | ||
20th San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [52] | ||
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