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Mao Inoue
Japanese actress and model (born 1987) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mao Inoue (井上 真央, Inoue Mao, born January 9, 1987),[1][2] is a Japanese actress. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as Makino Tsukushi in the Boys Over Flowers series[3][4] and as Sugi Fumi (ja) in the 54th taiga drama Burning Flower. She has also appeared in several films, including I Give My First Love to You, Rebirth, and The Snow White Murder Case.
![Thumb](#/media/File:Inoue_Mao_from_"Sunset_Sunrise"_at_Red_Carpet_of_the_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_2024_(54578082078)_(cropped).jpg)
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Career
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Dramas and films
Inoue Mao began her acting career at the age of five, appearing in the television series Kids War from 1999 to 2003. She gained widespread recognition in 2005 for her portrayal of Tsukushi Makino in Boys Over Flowers, earning her a Best Actress Award from the Television Drama Academy.[5]
Inoue made her film debut in 2006 with Check It Out, Yo! and subsequently starred in the television drama First Kiss alongside Yūta Hiraoka. She continued to take on prominent roles in television, including the drama special Hanaikusa, in which she played a maiko-turned-geisha, and Anmitsu Hime (2008), where she portrayed a princess. She reprised her role in Anmitsu Hime 2 (2009), also contributing to the theme song alongside Shoko Nakagawa.
Following the success of Boys Over Flowers and its 2007 sequel,[6] Inoue starred in the film adaptation, Boys Over Flowers: Final (2008). The film topped the Japanese box office and became the second-biggest-earning film of that year, contributing to her nickname, the "10 Billion Yen Actress."
After a brief break from acting to focus on her studies at Meiji University, Inoue returned to acting in Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu (2009), in which she shared the lead with Masaki Okada; it was released in theaters in October 2009. In April of the following year, My Darling is a Foreigner was released in theaters with Inoue starring opposite Jonathan Sherr.
Three years after her last drama, she reunited with Boys Over Flowers co-star Shun Oguri for the drama Jūi Dolittle (獣医ドリトル, Veterinarian Dolittle), which began airing in October 2010.[7] She also starred in the 84th asadora drama Ohisama (おひさま, The Sun), portraying a young woman who lived through World War II in Nagano prefecture.[8] For her role, she won "Best Actress" in the 70th The Television Drama Academy Awards.
In February 2011, Inoue, together with Yutaka Takenouchi, co-starred in Oba: The Last Samurai, a film about World War II holdout Captain Sakae Ōba. Filming took place in Thailand. It was also announced in late September 2010 that Inoue would star in the film Rebirth which was released in April 2011.[9] Both films were successful at the box office. In Rebirth, her portrayal of a daughter with a difficult past earned her several film awards, including her first "Best Starring Actress" award in the 35th Japan Film Academy Awards.[10] The film also won nine other awards that year.
Inoue was chosen to chair the Red team in the New Year's Eve Singing Contest Kōhaku Uta Gassen 2011. This team became the first female-led Red team to win the Kōuhaku Uta Gassen in seven years.
Because of her performance in Oba: Miracle in the Pacific, she was chosen to star in the comedy Tug of War! Released in 2012.[11][needs update]
It was announced in May 2012 that Inoue would play the lead role in a summer drama called Tokkan Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choushukan,[12] reuniting her with director Tsuna Hiichatta. The drama aired in July 2012.
She appeared alongside V6's member Junichi Okada and Haruma Miura in the war film The Eternal Zero in 2013.[13] The film topped the Japan Box Office for eight consecutive weeks and broke box office records. The film also won The Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
It was announced that she would reunite with some of her co-stars and her Tug of War! Director in the comedy film King of Apology, which was released in September 2013.
In March 2014, Inoue appeared in a leading role in the mystery suspense film The Snow White Murder Case, directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura.[14]
In June 2014, it was announced that Inoue would play the lead role of Sugi Fumi in the 2015 NHK taiga drama, Burning Flower. After the series experienced historically low ratings during its run, Inoue publicly took responsibility for the viewership, stating, "I am the starring actress, so it has to be from my lack of ability."[15][16]
Following this, she took a year and a half hiatus from acting and later returned to Television in the Fuji TV drama School Counselor, which aired in the fall.[17]
In 2019, Inoue starred in the comedic period film Talking the Pictures and in the special 5-episode NHK drama Boy Torajiro. The following year, on January 8, 2020, her film Angry Rice Wives, set during the 1918 Rice Riots, was released in cinemas across Japan.
In May 2020, it was confirmed that Inoue would appear in the NTV drama Pay To Ace, alongside Yuya Yagira and Shigeaki Kato. The series was originally scheduled to air in July 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[clarification needed]
Print and television endorsements
Aside from acting in films, Inoue has been chosen to represent Mizuho Bank and Chocola BB Eisai series, NTT fleet West and Asahi Breweries's Asahi Direct Shot, collaborating with Tomohisa Yamashita. She also appears on the covers of various magazines, such as Bomb, Steady, Weekly Shonen, among others.
Voice acting
In 2014, Inoue debuted as a voice actress, providing the voice of Apple Boy in one of the Anpanman films. The anime film was released in July 2014.
Her next voice project was the animated film 3DCG Rudolf and the Black Cat. It was announced on July 31, 2015. The film was released on August 6, 2016.
Stage
Inoue was cast in a stage play called MIWA in 2013.
Inoue starred in the stage play Anger, which ran from January to April 2016.
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Personal life
Inoue revealed in a show that her mother encouraged her to participate in acting, art and music at age 4.[where?] Though acting was not her priority early on, she decided to continue upon receiving her first fan letter. Although she entered show business at a young age, she gave her school priority. In 2004, she rose in popularity from her role in the Kid's War series. Despite this, she chose to put her acting on hold as she concentrated on graduating from the University of Japan. In 2005, at age 18, Inoue enrolled in Meiji University, majoring in theater and literature; she chose Chinese as her second language elective. In March 2009, she graduated from Meiji University.[18]
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Filmography
Television dramas
Films
Other television
- 2011: 62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen - MC[47]
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Awards and nominations
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References
External links
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