Juri Ueno (Juri Ueno, born May 25, 1986) is a Japanese actress. She rose to prominence after appearing in the 2005 film Swing Girls, for which she received the Newcomer of the Year award at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno rose to prominence as the title character in the live-action adaptations of the manga Nodame Cantabile, for which she won Best Lead Actress at the 51st Television Drama Academy Awards in 2007. She went on to win Best Supporting Actress at the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix and the 57th Television Drama Academy Awards in 2008 for her part in the television series Last Friends.
Career
Ueno made her television debut in the NHK series Seizon at the age of 16 in 2002 before making her first significant film appearance in 2003 in Chirosoku no Natsu, which earned her the Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award at the Mainichi Film Awards, as well as her performance in the 2004 film Swing Girls. Swing Girls gave her critical acclaim and accolades for Best Newcomer at the Yokohama Film Festival (she was also honoured for her role in Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi) and the Japanese Academy accolades.
In 2004, Ueno appeared as Misae Hoshino in TBS's romance drama Orange Days, and in 2005, she co-starred with Takuya Kimura in Fuji TV's romantic comedy Engine as Misae Hoshino. The same year, she co-starred with Kazuya Kamenashi in the special television movie Kinda'ichi Shnen no Jikenbo, taking over the role of Miyuki Nanase from Anne Suzuki.
Ueno's fame skyrocketed after she was cast as Megumi Noda ("Nodame") in the 2006 live-action television adaptation of the popular manga Nodame Cantabile. The series' 11-episode run, which co-starred Hiroshi Tamaki, was a success, with an average viewership rate of 18.79%, with the season finale receiving 21.7% of the viewership share for its time slot. At the 51st Television Drama Academy Awards, Ueno's portrayal of the eccentric and disorganised but immensely friendly and skilled pianist won her "Best Lead Actress," while the show received "Best Drama." The show was also recognised internationally, winning "Best Miniseries" at the 2nd Seoul Drama Festival. Ueno and Tamaki reprised their roles in the two-part special Nodame Cantabile Shinshun Special in Europe in 2007, which chronicled their individual attempts to achieve success on Europe's legendary classical music stage while being separated from each other.
Ueno returned with Nodame co-stars Eita and Asami Mizukawa in the 2008 Fuji TV drama Last Friends as Ruka Kishimoto, a skilled motocross racer with a hidden secret she cannot reveal with friends or family. Taeko Asano, the screenwriter of Last Friends, lauded Ueno's performance as Ruka, calling her a "natural genius" who transformed into "the character itself." Ueno was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" at both the 12th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix and the 57th Television Drama Academy Awards for her performance. For her part in Wanko, she was named "Best Student Voice Actress" at the 2008 MTV Student Voice Awards.
She was chosen one of the "Women of the Year 2008" by Vogue Japan.
It was reported on December 9, 2008, that she would reprise her role as "Nodame" in a new Nodame Cantabile two-movie sequel set for release in 2010, with filming to begin in May 2009.
On January 25, 2010, it was revealed that Ueno would star in the 2011 NHK Taiga drama G, which was based on an original story written by Atsuhime writer Kumiko Tabuchi (, Tabuchi Kumiko). Filming began in August of 2010. Ueno's first role in a historical drama is in this series. G is NHK's 50th Taiga drama, and only its 10th with a female protagonist. Ueno, along with Eita, Hero Jaejoong, Megumi Seki, and Tetsuji Tamayama, took on the character of "Haru" in the spring J-Drama Sunao ni Narenakute, which depicts the narrative of the developing relationship between five individuals through Twitter.
On September 11, 2010, Ueno appeared as a guest on MBC's We Got Married Season 2 to promote Nodame Cantabile - The Movie and met SNSD's Seohyun and CN Blue's Jung Yong-hwa. She returned to acting in 2013 with a prominent part in the romantic film Girl in the Sunny Place, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, opposite actor Jun Matsumoto. On October 12, the film was released in Japanese theatres and was a commercial triumph, topping the box office and grossing $763 million after eight days.
In 2014, she played as Mizuno Asumi in the TBS revenge drama Alice no Toge, a young lady who becomes a doctor at the hospital where her father was treated in order to exact revenge on those responsible for his death. This was followed by a starring role in the TBS television drama Ouroboros, based on the manga of the same name, in which he co-starred with Toma Ikuta and Shun Oguri. This is her debut appearance in a detective drama. She also appeared in the romantic Web drama Secret Message opposite Korean artist TOP.
Ueno appeared in 'Is Love Sustainable?' in 2021.
On May 26, 2016, Ueno married Triceratops band member Sho Wada.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Josee, the Tiger and the Fish | Kanae | |
2004 | Swing Girls | Tomoko Suzuki (Tenor Sax) | Lead role |
The Stars Converge | Mari Sugiyama | ||
2005 | Summer Time Machine Blues | Haruka Shibata | |
Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers | Suzume Katakura | Lead role | |
2006 | Arch Angels | Fumio Shijo | |
Christmas on July 24th Avenue | Megumi Kamibayashi | ||
Rainbow Song | Aoi Sato | ||
Shiawase no Switch | Rei Inada | Lead role | |
Sea Without Exit | Minako Narumi | ||
2008 | Child by Children | ||
Goo Goo, The Cat | Naomi | ||
Kung-Fu Kun | |||
Wanko the Movie 2 | Narrator | ||
Naoko | Naoko Shinomiya | Lead role | |
2009 | Killer Virgin Road | Hiroko | Lead role |
Nodame Cantabile The Movie I | Noda Megumi aka "Nodame" | Lead role | |
2010 | Nodame Cantabile The Movie II | Noda Megumi aka "Nodame" | Lead role |
2013 | Girl in the Sunny Place | Mao Watarai | |
2015 | The Beauty Inside | Woo-jin | South Korean film |
2016 | Yell for the Blue Sky | Yōko Sugimura | |
My Dad and Mr. Ito | Aya | Lead role |
Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Sayonara, Ozu sensei | Fuji TV | ||
2002 | Seizon | NHK | ||
2003 | The In-Laws | Kaori Matsui | ||
Teru Teru Kazoku | Akiko Iwata | NHK | Asadora | |
2004 | Orange Days | Ayumi Kirishima | TBS | |
2005 | Engine | Misae Hoshino | ||
Kyuketsuki Densetsu Satsujin Jiken | Miyuki Nanase | TV movie | ||
2006 | Bokutachi no Sensou | Minami Kamoshita | TV movie | |
Tsubasa No Oreta Tenshitachi | Ryoko Shimojo | Lead role | ||
Nodame Cantabile | Megumi Noda | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
2007 | Jodan Ja Nai! | Eren Takamura | TBS | |
Marumaru Chibi Maruko-chan SP | Maruko-chan | Fuji TV | ||
2008 | Nodame Cantabile New Year Special in Europe | Megumi Noda | Fuji TV | Lead role |
Loss Time Life | Fuji TV | Lead role | ||
Last Friends | Ruka Kishimoto | Fuji TV | ||
2009 | Ueno Juri to Itsutsu no Kaban | Herself | Wowow | Lead role |
2010 | Sunao ni Narenakute | Tukiko Mizuno | Fuji TV | Lead role |
2011 | Gō | Gō | NHK | Lead role, Taiga drama |
2014 | Europe Kikaku 26th Century Fox | Fumiko Sawano | Fuji TV | |
Alisu no Toge | Asumi Mizuno | TBS | Lead role | |
Hard to say I love you | Haru | Fuji TV | ||
2015 | Ouroboros | Inspector Mizuki Hibino | TBS | |
The Secret Message | Haruka | Naver TV Cast-LINE | Lead role | |
2016 | The State of Union | Hanako Kumagai | TBS | |
2018 | Good Doctor | Natsumi Seto | Fuji TV | |
2019 | Medical Examiner Asagao | Asagao Maki | Fuji TV | Lead role |
2020 | Ship of Theseus | Yuki Tamura | TBS | Special appearance |
2022 | He's Expecting | Aki Seto | Netflix | Lead role |
Body Measurements | 32-23-33 inches |
Bodytype | Slim |
Height | 5 feet 5¼ inches (1.66 m) |
Weight | 50 kg (110 lbs) |
Waist | 23 |
Hair Color | Brown Dark |
Eye Color | Brown Dark |
Gender | Female |
Age | 36 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | May 25, 1986 |
Full Name | Juri Ueno |
Profession | Actress |
Nationality | Japanese |
Birthplace | Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Qualification: High School Graduate
Profession: Actress
Known For: Nodame kantâbire
Net Worth: $400,000 Approx
Sister: juri ueno dj saori, Mana Ueno Musician
Marital Status: Married
Husband: Sho Wada (m. 2016)