Ryoko Hirosue is a Japanese actress and pop star, best known in the West for her roles in the Luc Besson-produced Wasabi and the Academy Award-winning Japanese film Departures. Hirosue made her television debut in 1995 at the age of 15 in Fuji TV’s Heart ni S. She was also named “Best Newcomer” at the 10th Television Drama Academy Awards the same year when she starred in Fuji TV’s comedy series, Shota no Sushi. In 1997, she appeared in the finalé of medical drama, Hoshi no Kinka and the special episode of Odoru Daisousasen before making her breakthrough performance in Fuji TV’s comedy series, Beach Boys, where she was awarded “Best Supporting Actress” at the 14th Television Drama Academy Awards. Hirosue also made her film debut in the same year when she appeared in 20-seki Nostalgia which won her critical acclaim. She was awarded the Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award at the Mainichi Film Awards, Best New Talent at the Yokohama Film Festival and perhaps most importantly, the Newcomer of the Year award at the 21st Japanese Academy Awards. She returned prominently to television in 2000 playing Yuki Katase in the drama, Summer Snow, which won 5 awards at the 26th Television Drama Academy Awards including “Best Supporting Actress” and “Best Drama” before showing off her comedic chops in TBS’s Oyaji. The latter role again won her “Best Supporting Actress” at the 27th awards ceremony. In 2001, Hirosue made her international film debut in Luc Besson’s Wasabi. In 2002, Hirosue appeared in the film, Renai Shashin, and the low-rated television drama, Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu before capping the year in the family drama series, Otousan. She reunited with her Summer Snow lead co-star, Tsuyoshi Dōmoto, in 2003’s romance series, Moto Kare. Her portrayal as the initially flippant ex-girlfriend, Makoto Saeki, won her “Best Supporting Actress” yet again at the 38th Television Drama Academy Awards. Hirosue returned to film and television in 2006 by appearing in three television dramas, a TV movie and a film. In 2007, she co-starred for the third time with Hiroshi Abe (her fellow actor in Dekichatta Kekkon and Haruka naru Yakusoku) in the film, Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust. She also appeared in two TV movies, Mama ga Ryori wo Tsukuru Wake, aired by Fuji TV and Long Wedding Road! which was broadcast by TBS. Hirosue also made a guest appearance in the third episode of detective-mystery series, Galileo. She had a supporting role in NTV’s comedy series, Yasuko to Kenji in 2008. She portrayed Mika Kobayashi opposite Masahiro Motoki in the 2008 Japanese film Departures, which won the 81st Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film. In 2009 she is starring in the remake of the mystery film Zero Focus and the adaptation to film of the novel Villon’s Wife by Osamu Dasai.
