Kenichi Matsuyama
{{Short description|Japanese actor (born 1985)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kenichi Matsuyama
| image = Matsuyama Kenichi from "Satoshi- A Move for Tomorrow" at Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2016 (33260944430).jpg
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption = Matsuyama at the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival
| native_name = 松山 ケンイチ
| native_name_lang = ja
| birthname = {{nihongo|Kenichi Matsuyama|松山 研一}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|03|05}}
| birth_place = Mutsu, Aomori, Japan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| agent = Horipro
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 2001–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Koyuki|April 1, 2011}}
| children = 3
| nationality = Japanese
| website =
}}
{{nihongo|Kenichi Matsuyama|松山 ケンイチ|Matsuyama Ken'ichi|born March 5, 1985}} is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films Death Note, Death Note 2: The Last Name and L: Change the World in 2008. He was cast to play lead character Toru Watanabe in the film adaptation of Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, which was released in December 2010.
His stage name uses the katakana spelling of his first name (ケンイチ) instead of the usual kanji (研一).
He graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Toyama High School.
Career
He debuted as a model in 2001 for PARCO. He made his acting debut in the television series Gokusen in 2002 and made his first film appearance in Bright Future in 2003. He starred in the film Winning Pass a year later.
Matsuyama starred in Ultra Miracle Love Story in 2009, using the Tsugaru dialect of Japanese in the film.
He voiced the role of Balthazar Bratt in the Japanese dub of Despicable Me 3 in 2017. He was in the stage play Seven Souls in the Skull Castle the same year.
He played a police detective in the 2023 drama Why Didn't I Tell You a Million Times?
Personal life
On April 1, 2011, he married Koyuki Katō, who co-starred with him in Kamui Gaiden.[http://mdn.mainichi.jp/arts/news/20110420p2g00m0et108000c.html The Mainichi Daily News, 20 April, 2011] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420215957/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/arts/news/20110420p2g00m0et108000c.html |date=April 20, 2011 }} The couple's first child was born in January 2012,{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyograph.com/news/matsuyama-kenichi-koyuki-become-parents/|title=Matsuyama Kenichi, Koyuki become parents|publisher=Tokyograph|date=8 January 2012}} and their second child was born in January 2013 in South Korea.{{cite web |url= http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/01/14/2013011400845.html|title= Japanese Actress Gives Birth in Korea |date= 14 January 2013|work= The Chisunilbo|publisher= Chosun.com|access-date= 15 January 2013}} In July 2015, the couple had their third child.{{cite web |url=http://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1501710|title=松山ケンイチ＆小雪夫妻に第3子誕生 生放送で発表|date=10 July 2015 |language=ja|access-date=7 March 2016}}
He speaks in the Shimokita dialect.{{Cite web |date=7 April 2021 |title=「どうだべ？」松山ケンイチの「青森訛り」に反響 「ウチのガヤ」で饒舌農業トークも |url=https://www.j-cast.com/2021/04/07409016.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318081000/https://www.j-cast.com/2021/04/07409016.html |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=16 March 2025 |website=J Cast |language=Japanese}}{{Cite web |date=24 February 2023 |title=松山ケンイチの本名・年齢・身長・出身ほかプロフィールとデビュー当時の話 |url=https://hayarimono.work/matsuyamakenichi-profile/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318081028/https://hayarimono.work/matsuyamakenichi-profile/ |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=18 March 2025 |website=Hayarimono |language=Japanese}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !class="unsortable"| Notes !class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 2003
|Jun | | |
| Worst by Chance
|A bully | | |
| rowspan="4" | 2004
|Winning Pass |Kenta Kobayashi |Lead role | |
| The Locker 2
|Yosuke Shinohara | | |
| Kamachi
| | | |
| The Taste of Tea
|Matsuken | | |
| rowspan="5" | 2005
|Makihara | | |
| Nana
|Shinichi "Shin" Okazaki | | |
| Furyo Shonen no Yume
|Lead role | |
| Custom Made 10.30
|Tamotsu/Shin-Getsu | | |
| Otoko-tachi no Yamato
|Katsumi Kamio (15 years old) | | |
| rowspan="3" | 2006
|Oyayubi Sagashi |Tomohiko Igarashi | | |
| Death Note
|L | | |
| Death Note 2: The Last Name
|L | | |
| rowspan="6" | 2007
|Shōtarō |Anthology film | |
| Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea
|Juchi | | |
| Shindo
|Wao | | |
| Southbound
|Officer Niigaki | | |
| Tsubaki Sanjuro
|Iori Isaka | | |
| Dolphin Blue: Fuji, mo Ichido Sora e
|Kazuya Uemura |Lead role | |
| rowspan="3" | 2008
|L |Lead role | |
| Sex Is No Laughing Matter
|Mirume |Lead role |
| Detroit Metal City
|Souichi Negishi/Johannes Krauser II |Lead role | |
| rowspan="3" | 2009
|Kamui |Lead role | |
| Kaiji
|Makoto Sahara | | |
| Ultra Miracle Love Story
|Yojin |Lead role | |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
|Toru Watanabe |Lead role | |
| Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
|Yuji Miwa |Lead role | |
| rowspan="4" | 2011
|Masaru Kato |Lead role | |
| Gantz: Perfect Answer
|Masaru Kato |Lead role | |
| My Back Page
|Umeyama |Lead role | |
| Usagi Drop
|Daikichi Kawachi |Lead role | |
| 2012
|Train Brain Express |Kei Komachi |Lead role | |
| 2013
| | |
| rowspan="2" | 2014
|Jirō Sawada |Lead role | |
| Climbing to Spring
| Tōru Nagamine |Lead role | |
| rowspan="2" |2015
|Chasuke |Lead role | |
| The Emperor in August
|Takeo Sasaki |Special appearance | |
| rowspan="5" |2016
|Rage |Tetsuya Tashiro | | |
| Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow
|Lead role | |
| Chin-yu-ki: The Journey to the West with Farts
|Tarō Yamada |Lead role | |
| Something Like, Something Like It
|Defunetei Shinden |Lead role | |
| Death Note: Light Up the New World
|L |Cameo | |
| rowspan="3" |2017
| | |
| Yurigokoro
|Yōsuke | | |
| Despicable Me 3
| Balthazar Bratt | Voice; Japanese dub | |
| rowspan="2"|2019
| Kazuo Jinbo | | |
| Promare
|Galo Thymos |Voice; Lead role | |
| rowspan="2"|2020
| | |
| {{ill|Hotel Royal (film)|lt=Hotel Royal|ja|ホテルローヤル_(桜木紫乃)#映画|vertical-align=sup}}
|Miyagawa | |
| rowspan="2"| 2021
|Brave: Gunjō Senki | |
| Blue
|Urita |Lead role |
| rowspan="3"| 2022
|Jun Tanabe |Lead role |
| Dreaming of the Meridian Arc
|Kinoshita / Matakichi | |
| Riverside Mukolitta
|Yamada |Lead role |
| rowspan="2"| 2023
|Do Unto Others |Munenori Shiba |Lead role |
| We're Broke, My Lord!
|Matsudaira Shinjirō | |
| 2024
|Jesus |Lead role |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
!Title !Role !class="unsortable"| Notes !class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| 2002
|Kenichi Mouri | | |
| 2003
|Kids War 5 |Yūta Kuroda | | |
| 2005
|Yuji Kawamoto | | |
| rowspan="3" | 2006
|Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi |Tarō / Shingo | | |
| Sono 5 fun mae
|Yuka Takashi |Lead role | |
| Death Note
|Gelus |Voice; Episode: "Koigokoro" | |
| 2007
|Iichiro Sudo/Robo |Lead role | |
| rowspan="2"|2008
|Matsuda Spinoff |L | | |
| Detroit Metal City
|Makoto Hokazono |Voice; Cameo | |
| 2009
|Gamagori Futaro |Lead role | |
| 2010
|Hiramatsu Jiro | | |
| 2012
|Lead role; Taiga drama |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
|Hiroshi |Lead role | |
| Futagashira
| Benzō | Lead role | |
| 2016
| L | Cameo | |
| 2017
| A Life | Sōta Igawa | | |
| rowspan="2" | 2018
| Residential Complex | Daiki Igarashi | | |
| Miyamoto kara Kimi e
| Kazuo Jinbo | |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Shuji Satomi | Miniseries |
| Yuganda Hamon
| Mitazono | |
| 2020
| Komoribito | Masao | Lead role; TV movie |
| rowspan="1"| 2021
| Koichi Tokiwa | | {{Cite web|title=小栗旬で「日本沈没」ドラマ化 小松左京さんの名作SF、「未来への希望」テーマに2023年の日本舞台|url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2020/11/26/kiji/20201126s00041000085000c.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125213217/https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2020/11/26/kiji/20201126s00041000085000c.html|archive-date=November 25, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|website=sponichi.co.jp|language=ja}}{{Cite web|title=小栗旬主演で「日本沈没」TBS日曜劇場でドラマ化 松山ケンイチ・杏らの出演も決定|url=https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/2320990|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125213954/https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/2320990|archive-date=November 25, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020|website=mdpr.jp|date=20 November 2020 |language=ja}} |
| rowspan=2|2023 |
| Why Didn't I Tell You a Million Times?
| Yuzuru Uozumi | |
| 2024
| Tōichirō Katsuraba | Asadora |
| 2025
| Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle? | Yoshiteru Matsukaze | |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
!Award !Category !Nominated Work(s) !Result !{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| 2006
|31st Hochi Film Awards |Best New Actor |rowspan="4"|Death Note |{{Won}} |
| rowspan="4" | 2007
|Best New Talent |{{Won}} |
| rowspan="2"|30th Japan Academy Film Prize
|{{Nom}} |
| Best New Actor
|{{Won}} |
| 31st Elan d'or Awards
|Himself |{{won}} |
| rowspan="1"|2008
|2nd Asia Pacific Producer's Network Award |Best Actor |{{Won}} | |
| rowspan="2" | 2009
|rowspan="2" | 32nd Japan Academy Film Prize |Best Actor |rowspan="2"|Detroit Metal City |{{Nom}} |
| Most Popular Actor
|{{Won}} |
| rowspan="2" | 2010
|64th Mainichi Film Awards |rowspan="2" |Ultra Miracle Love story |{{Won}} | |
| 24th Takasaki Film Festival
|Best Actor |{{Won}} | |
| rowspan="1" | 2011
|24th Nikkan Sports Film Awards |My Back Page, Norwegian Wood, Gantz, Usagi Drop |{{Won}} | |
| rowspan="4" | 2017
|71st Mainichi Film Awards |Best Actor |rowspan="3" |Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow |{{nom}} | |
| 12th Osaka Cinema Festival
|Best Actor |{{won}} | |
| 40th Japan Academy Film Prize
|{{nom}} |
| 59th Blue Ribbon Awards
|Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow, Chinyūki |{{won}} | |
| rowspan="2"|2022
| 76th Mainichi Film Awards | Best Actor | Blue | {{nom}} |
| 35th Nikkan Sports Film Awards
| Best Actor | Riverside Mukolitta and Noise | {{nom}} |
| 2023
| 36th Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Best Actor | rowspan="2"|Do Unto Others | {{Nominated}} |
| 2024
| 66th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Actor | {{Nominated}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130419002932/http://horipro.co.jp/talent/PM026/ Horipro agency profile]
- {{IMDb name|id=1947564}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Kenichi Matsuyama
|list =
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Best Actor}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuyama, Kenichi}}
Category:People from Mutsu, Aomori
Category:Japanese male film actors
Category:Japanese male television actors
Category:Japanese male voice actors
Category:Actors from Aomori Prefecture