Takuya Kimura

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉, Kimura Takuya, born November 13, 1972), also known as Kimutaku, is a Japanese singer, actor, radio personality, and the member of SMAP, the best-selling boy band in Asia. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving an unprecedented success as an actor and influencing Japanese culture and language, and established himself as the most successful celebrity in Asia.
A 1996 television series, Long Vacation, in which he landed his first lead role, became a massive success, creating a phrase called the Lonvaca phenomenon. He was given the title, "The King of Ratings", as his subsequent television series continued to generate high ratings and each show becoming a social phenomenon as they aired. Five of his most successful works are ranked in the top ten highest-rated television series in Japanese history. His 2001 series, Hero, is the all-time highest-rated program in Japan. He has also starred in blockbuster films, including Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Love and Honor (2006), and Hero (2007).

Kimura was born in Tokyo, Japan. He lived in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture until he was six years old and later moved to Chiba for school.

Music

In 1987, at age 15, Kimura auditioned to enter Johnny & Associates, a talent agency that recruits and trains young boys, preteens to teens, to become singers and members of boy bands. After five of the other band members auditioning individually from 1986 through 1987, in autumn 1987, twenty boys, from ages ten to seventeen, were put together into a group called The Skate Boys, which was initially created as backup dancers for a famous boy band, Hikaru Genji. In April 1988, producer Johnny Kitagawa chose six out of the twenty boys to create a new boy band and named them "SMAP".

Acting

In 1988, Kimura made his acting debut in a television series, Abunai Shonen III, along with his band members. After appearing in several television series, he first attracted attention after landing a role in a high-rated television series, Asunaro Hakusho, in 1993. The scene where he hugged his co-star Hikari Ishida from behind became popular in Japan and a man hugging a girl from behind was later named "asunaro daki", meaning "asunaro hug". From 1994, men in Japan started copying his fashion and style, as clothes and fashion items became instant hits, the thick, black-rimmed glasses he wore in Asunaro Hakusho, being one of them. The phenomenon was collectively called the "Kimutaku syndrome". He won the Ishihara Yujiro New Artist Award for his performance in Shoot, in which he made his screen debut.

He first landed the lead role in Long Vacation in 1996. The series, which aired every Monday night, saw massive success and was the highest-rated program that year, thus becoming a social phenomenon. Media stated that, "women disappear from the city on Mondays", pointing out the large viewership and how intoxicating the show was for women in Japan. After Kimura playing a young pianist, there was a rapid increase of young men who started taking piano lessons. The cultural impact and influences of the show is commonly referred to as the "Lonvaca (ron-bake) phenomenon". This was also a breakthrough for Kimura as an actor and helped him gain recognition and a more broad fan base. In 2000, he starred in a television series, Beautiful Life, which became a massive hit, with the final episode marking above the 40% household share rating and becoming the highest-rated program for that slot (Sunday 9:00pm). In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero, which became the all-time highest-rated television series in Japan and the only program in history to have all episodes mark above the 30% household share rating. Subsequent television series, such as Good Luck!!, Pride and Engine, also generated high-ratings. Five of his most successful television series, Hero (2001), Beautiful Life (2000), Love Generation (1997), Good Luck!! (2003), and Long Vacation (1996) are ranked in the top ten highest-rated television series in Japanese history.

From 2004, he started participating in films, such as Cannes-nominated film 2046., Howl's Moving Castle (2004), and Love and Honor (2006). Although he was nominated for numerous prestigious awards for Love and Honor, including the Japan Academy Award, his agency, Johnny & Associates, declined all nominations, though some organizations still announced him as the winner, such as the Tokyo Sports Film Awards, headed by Kitano Takeshi and Cinema Junpo. Earning over 40.3 billion yen, the film became the biggest hit for director Yoji Yamada during his four-decade career, as well as becoming the biggest box-office earner in Shochiku's history.

Television

Compared to the other SMAP members, he rarely appears on television, besides starring on the band's weekly variety show SMAPxSMAP, and has maintained his status as an actor. He is the only member of the band who doesn't carry his own television program, though he hosts one TV special every year with comedian Sanma Akashiya on New Year's.

Kimura married singer Shizuka Kudo on December 5, 2000. They have two daughters, Kokomi (心美), born on May 1, 2001 and Mitsuki (光希), born on February 5, 2003.

Philanthropy

Product endorsement

Takuya Kimura's costume in Hero

Film

Television (as actor)

Television (as personality)

Radio

Theatre

(References:)

• 7th Nikkan Sports Film Awards: Ishihara Yujiro New Artist Award ... Shoot! (1994)
• Elan d'Or Award : Newcomer of the Year ... Shoot! (1994)
• 11th Japan Jeans Makers Association: Best Jeanist (1994)
• 3rd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Outfit ... Wakamono no Subete (1994)
• 31st Galaxy Award - Individual Performance award ... Wakamono no Subete (1995)
• 7th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Outfit ... Jinsei wa Jojo da (1995)
• 12th Japan Jeans Makers Association: Best Jeanist (1995)
• 13th Japan Jeans Makers Association: Best Jeanist (1996)
• 9th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Long Vacation (1996)
• 10th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Concerto (1996)
• 6th TV Life Annual Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Long Vacation (1996)
• 14th Japan Jeans Makers Association: Best Jeanist (1997)
• 13th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Cast ... Gift (1997)
• 15th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Love Generation (1997)
• 7th TV Life Annual Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Gift, Love Generation (1997)
• 15th Japan Jeans Makers Association: Best Jeanist (Hall of Fame) (1998)
• 1st Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor... Love Generation (1998)
• 19th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Nemureru Mori (1998)
• 3rd Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Beautiful Life (1999)
• 24th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Beautiful Life (1999)
• 26th Broadcasting Culture Fund Award (by Hoso Bunka Foundation) : Best Actor... Beautiful Life (2000)
• 10th TV Life Annual Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Beautiful Life (2000)
• TV Station Drama Awards : Best Actor ... Beautiful Life (2000)
• 28th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Hero (2001)
• 4th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Hero (2001)
• 11th TV Life Annual Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Hero (2001)
• TV Station Drama Awards : Best Actor ... Hero (2001)
• 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (2002)
• 6th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Best Actor ... Good Luck!! (2003)
• 45th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor (Nominated)... Engine (2005)
• Declined nominations for the 49th Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actor Award (2006) ... movie Love and Honor (2006)
• Declined nominations for the 30th Japanese Academy Awards for Best Actor Award (2006) ... movie Love and Honor (2006)
• 61st Japan Film Awards: Best Actor (Nominated) ... movie Love and Honor (2006)
• 16th Tokyo Sports Film Awards: Best Actor ... movie Love and Honor (2006)
• 20th Nikkan Sports Film Awards 2007: Best Actor ... movie Love and Honor (2006)
• 2nd Seoul Drama Awards 2007: Best performance by an actor in a leading role ... Karei naru Ichizoku (2007)
• 52nd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Karei naru Ichizoku (2007)
• 4th TV Navi Drama of the Year 2007: Best performance by an actor in a leading role ... Karei naru Ichizoku (2007)
• 57th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Change! (2008)
• 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix "Spring 2008": Best Actor ... Change! (2008)
• 62nd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor (Nominated)... Mr. Brain (2009)
• 66th Japan Film Awards: Best Actor ... Nankyoku Tairiku: Kami no Ryoiki ni Idomunda Otoko to Inu no Monogatari (2011)
• 52nd ACC CM Festival: Best Acting in TV commercial... Toyota Motor Corporation "REBORN" CM series (2012)
• 16th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix "Annual 2012": Best Actor ... Priceless (2012)
• 75th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Priceless (2012)
• 17th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix "Fall 2013": Best Actor ... Ando Lloyd: A.I. knows Love? (2013)
• 10th TV Navi Drama of the Year 2013: Best performance by an actor in a leading role ... Ando Lloyd: A.I. knows Love? (2013)
• 82th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor ... Hero 2 (2014)

• "30 November,1994 Nikkan Sports Film Award - Yujiro Ishihara New Artist Award". Retrieved 2 June 2014. 
• "Best Jeanist Award- past winner". Retrieved 3 June 2014. 
• "Television Drama Academy Awards". Retrieved 2 June 2014. 
• "Nikkan Sports Film Award 2007". Retrieved 2 June 2014. 
• "Japan Film Awards". Retrieved 3 June 2014. 
• "第26回放送文化基金賞は『ビューティフルライフ』が受賞　本賞のほか男優、女優、脚本の各部門で受賞". Retrieved 3 June 2014. 
• "北野武×木村拓哉共演ReBORN系列CM获奖". Retrieved 3 June 2014. 

• Kai-Ho-Ku (April 24, 2003) ISBN 978-4087803778
• Kai-Ho-Ku 2 (September 30, 2011) ISBN 978-4087806137
• Takuya Kimura (1996) ISBN 978-4533026430
• Percentage (November 11, 2006) ISBN 978-4838717262
• Takuya Kimura x Men's Non-No Endless (September 30, 2011) ISBN 978-4087806144