Tomohisa Yamashita

Born Tomohisa Aoki on April 9, 1985, in Funabashi, Japan, Tomohisa Yamashita is known by his nicknames Yamapi and Tomo. He began his career in entertainment early, joining Johnny & Associates as a trainee in 1996 at age 11. Initially, he appeared on music shows as a backup dancer and in the NHK TV’s ‘Shounen Club’. Mentored by Takizawa Hideaki, he quickly gained popularity among Johnny’s Junior members. His acting debut came in 1998 with a small role in NHK’s ‘Shonentachi’, marking the beginning of a prolific career. He later graduated from Horikoshi Gakuen’s performing arts course and subsequently earned a Commerce degree with a major in marketing from Meiji University in 2008.

Yamashita’s career saw significant progression with roles in acclaimed television dramas. His breakthrough acting role was as Kusano Akira in ‘Nobuta wo Produce’ in 2005, which garnered substantial attention. This was followed by his first lead role in ‘Kurosagi’ in 2006, further establishing his presence in the Japanese drama scene. In music, he debuted as part of the idol group NEWS in 2004 and launched his solo music career in 2006 with the single ‘Daite Senorita’, which sold over 800,000 copies. He further solidified his solo music career after leaving NEWS in 2011 to focus on individual projects, including releasing several studio albums and singles, and embarking on successful concert tours like the ‘Supergood, Superbad: Asia Tour 2011’.

Transitioning into international roles, Yamashita has expanded his acting endeavors globally. Notable international projects include his lead role in ‘The Head’ (2020), an international psychological thriller, and appearances in Hollywood productions such as ‘The Man from Toronto’ (2021) alongside Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson. He also starred as Akira in HBO Max’s ‘Tokyo Vice’ (2022) and as Issei Tomine in the live-action adaptation of the manga ‘Drops of God’ (2023) for Hulu Japan and Apple TV+. Beyond acting and music, Yamashita has hosted television and radio programs and holds prestigious brand ambassadorships, demonstrating his influence across various media platforms.