Yuya Yagira

Celebrity

Yuya Yagira is an acclaimed Japanese actor, known for his intense and captivating performances. He gained international fame at a young age for becoming the youngest and first Japanese actor to win the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Name: Yuya Yagira

Date of birth: March 26, 1990

Height: Approximately 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) – Note: Height varies slightly across sources; this is a common estimate.

Place of birth: Tokyo, Japan

Family:

  • Parents’ names: Not widely publicized.
  • Spouse: Ellie Toyota (m. 2010), a Japanese model and actress.
  • Children: He has one child (gender and name not widely publicized).
  • Relatives: Not widely publicized.

Profession: Actor

Nationality: Japanese

Religion: Information not consistently available.

College or university attended: Information not consistently available, though he began acting at a very young age.

Biography and What Famous For:

Yuya Yagira debuted as an actor at the age of 12 in the 2004 film “Nobody Knows” (Dare mo Shiranai), directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. This powerful and poignant film, based on a true story of four abandoned children, saw Yagira deliver a performance that stunned critics. For his portrayal of Akira, he made history by becoming the youngest person and the first Japanese actor to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. This achievement instantly launched him onto the international stage.

Following his Cannes success, Yagira continued to build a diverse filmography, showcasing his range in various genres. He has appeared in:

  • “Shining Boy & Little Randy” (2005)
  • “Sugar & Spice” (2006)
  • “The Shock Labyrinth” (2009)
  • “Unforgiven” (2013): A Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood’s film.
  • “Crows Explode” (2014): A popular action film.
  • “Destruction Babies” (2016): A critically acclaimed and intense film for which he won Best Actor at the Kinema Junpo Awards and Yokohama Film Festival.
  • “Gintama” (2017 & 2018): Live-action adaptations of the popular manga/anime, where he plays Hijikata Toshiro.
  • “Hokusai” (2021): Portraying the famous ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai in his younger years.
  • “Asakusa Kid” (2021): Playing the legendary comedian Takeshi Kitano.

In television, he is also recognized for:

  • “Aoi Honō” (2014): A drama series for which he received critical praise.
  • “We’re Millennials. Got a Problem?” (2016): A popular drama series.
  • “Gannibal” (2022-present): A horror-thriller series for Disney+ and Hulu, where his lead role as police officer Daigo Agawa has garnered significant attention and an Asian Excellence Award nomination.

Yuya Yagira is known for his ability to portray complex characters with depth and raw emotion, establishing himself as one of Japan’s most talented actors with significant international appeal.

Have participated (Selected Filmography and Television):

Film:

  • Nobody Knows (2004) – Akira Fukushima
  • Shining Boy & Little Randy (2005)
  • Sugar & Spice (2006)
  • The Shock Labyrinth (2009)
  • Unforgiven (2013)
  • Crows Explode (2014)
  • Destruction Babies (2016)
  • Gintama (2017) – Hijikata Toshiro
  • Gintama 2: Rules Are Meant to Be Broken (2018) – Hijikata Toshiro
  • His Lost Name (2019)
  • Hokusai (2021) – Katsushika Hokusai (young)
  • Asakusa Kid (2021) – Takeshi Kitano
  • The Fish Tale (2022)
  • A Conviction of Marriage (2024)

Television:

  • Aoi Honō (2014)
  • We’re Millennials. Got a problem? (2016)
  • Naotora: The Lady Warlord (2017)
  • Nigatsu no Shosha: Zettai Gokaku no Kyoshitsu (2021)
  • Gannibal (2022-present) – Daigo Agawa
  • Light of My Lion (2024)

Awards:

  • Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2004) – “Nobody Knows”
  • Kinema Junpo Award for Best New Actor (2004) – “Nobody Knows”
  • Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actor (2017) – “Destruction Babies”
  • Yokohama Film Festival Best New Actor (2005) – “Nobody Knows”
  • Yokohama Film Festival Best Actor (2017) – “Destruction Babies”
  • Drama Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor (2016) – “We’re Millennials. Got a problem?”
  • Elan d’or Awards Newcomer of the Year (2022)
  • Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards – Asian Excellence Award (2023) – “Gannibal”