Masahiro Motoki (本木 雅弘Motoki Masahiro, born December 21, 1965) is a Japanese actor. He portrayed protagonist Daigo Kobayashi inDepartures, which won the81st Academy Awards forBest Foreign Language Film. His performance earned him the Award for Best Actor at the 2009Asia Pacific Screen Awards, at the3rd Asian Film Awards and at the 32ndJapan Academy Prize.^[1]

Motoki started his entertainment career as a member ofboy bandShibugakitai (シブがき隊) (the name of the band contains a portmanteau of tough (渋い,Shibui) and kids (ガキ,gaki), a homonym of astringent persimmon (渋柿,Shibugaki)). The band made its debut in 1982 under the management ofJohnny & Associates and was popular for a good part of the 1980s.

After the band broke up Motoki turned to acting. His first main role in a film was as a Zen monk in the comedyFancy Dance (ファンシイダンス,Fanshii Dansu) directed byMasayuki Suo. Motoki also starred in Suo's next film,Sumo Do, Sumo Don't (シコふんじゃった。,Shiko Funjatta.), which practically introduced him to audiences outside Japan. He then worked with directors such asTakashi Miike (The Bird People in China (中国の鳥人,Chūgoku no Chōjin)) andShinya Tsukamoto (Gemini (双生児,Sōseiji)).

Motoki's breakthrough to international fame came with the 2008 filmDepartures (おくりびと,Okuribito) directed byYōjirō Takita, in which he plays a cellist turned mortician. The film received theBest Foreign Language Film award at the81st Academy Awards, as well assix acting awards for Motoki. The film project started from an idea of Motoki's after he read a book written by a professional mortician.

He married essayist and musicianYayako Uchida, the daughter of actressKirin Kiki and rock'n roll singerYuya Uchida, in 1995. As amukoyōshi, he took his wife's surname, which is thus his legal surname.^[2] The couple have three children.

• Masahiro Motoki atIMDb