Hidetoshi Nishijima (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hidetoshi Nishijima
西島 秀俊
Nishijima at the 2018 Tokyo International Film Festival
Born	(1971-03-29) March 29, 1971 (age 54) Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan
Education	Yokohama National University
Occupation	Actor model
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Ayaka Mori ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2

Hidetoshi Nishijima (born March 29, 1971) is a famous Japanese actor and model. Many people consider him one of Japan's top actors. He has acted in many different types of movies. These include exciting science fiction films like Shin Ultraman (2022) and smaller, artistic films such as Dolls (2002). He became known around the world for his main role in the 2021 movie Drive My Car. For this role, he won the Best Actor award at the Japan Academy Film Prize.

Early Life and Start in Acting

Hidetoshi Nishijima became interested in movies when he was a child. His father helped him discover this love for films. At first, he wanted to work behind the scenes as part of a film crew. However, while he was in college, a friend encouraged him to try out for an acting role. He passed the audition and decided to become an actor instead.

Acting Career Highlights

Nishijima started his acting journey in 1992. His first role was in a TV detective show called Hagure Keiji Junjōha.

In 1993, he became well-known for his role in the popular TV series Asunaro Hakusho. He acted alongside Takuya Kimura in this show. People noticed his great acting and good looks.

During the 1990s, Nishijima was a popular young actor in TV shows. But he decided to leave his big talent agency. He wanted to focus more on making movies. Because of this, he did not appear on regular TV from 1998 to 2002.

First Main Roles and Recognition

Nishijima played his first main role in the 1998 film License to Live, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. He acted with Kōji Yakusho in this movie. He won the Best Actor award at the Japan Film Professional Awards for his work in License to Live.

In 2002, he caught attention again when Takeshi Kitano chose him for the main role in Dolls. This movie was a very important moment in his career.

In 2009, he received the Best Supporting Actor award at the Yokohama Film Festival. This was for his role as a unique character in the movie Vacation.

While he became a successful film actor, Nishijima also started acting in TV series again.

Becoming a Popular Star

In the 2010s, Hidetoshi Nishijima became one of Japan's most loved actors. He starred in many popular TV shows. Some of these include General Rouge no Gaisen, Strawberry Night, Yae's Sakura, and MOZU.

In 2011, he had his first main role with Korean actress Kim Tae-hee. This was in the TV series Boku to Star no 99 Nichi. It was a romantic comedy about an actress and her bodyguard.

Nishijima also played the main character, Shuji, in Amir Naderi's 2011 film Cut. Critics praised his performance in this movie.

He has also appeared in other films like Akihiko Shiota's Canary and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Loft. He also lent his voice to the character Kiro Honjo in Hayao Miyazaki's 2013 animated film The Wind Rises. He has also voiced characters in English movies. For example, he was the voice of Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) in Dumbo. He also voiced Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) in Pokémon Detective Pikachu. He also played Kotaro Minami in the updated 1987 Kamen Rider series called Kamen Rider Black Sun.

In 2017, Nishijima became the first Japanese man to model for Giorgio Armani's special Made-to-Measure clothing line.

In 2019, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 42nd Japan Academy Film Prize. This was for his role in Samurai's Promise. He also starred in the TV series What Did You Eat Yesterday?. This show was about the daily lives of a middle-aged couple. The drama became very popular and was later made into a successful movie.

International Recognition

In 2021, Nishijima starred in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film Drive My Car. His acting in this movie was highly praised. The New York Times even named him one of the "Best Actors of 2021". The film helped him win several awards. These include the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, and the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

In June 2022, Hidetoshi Nishijima was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the famous Oscar awards.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Voice Acting Roles

• Dumbo (2019), Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell)
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019), Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Hidetoshi Nishijima para niños