Written by Laura (Yutaka Online)
Yutaka Takenouchi was born on January 2, 1971, in Tokyo, Japan. He attended elementary school and junior high school in Tokorozawa and graduated from Honan High School. He first began his career as a model after winning the Zassi Dokusho Model Audition in 1989. Between the years of 1989 and 1994, Yutaka was very active in his modeling career. He had the opportunity to work with other people from all around the world which provided him with the opportunity to develop his English conversational skills.
Although his modeling career provided him with some valuable experience, it was also the most difficult time for him. In the six years, he had times where he didn't have any job offers. At that time, he was living with his family, but his father opposed his career as a model. For his own pride, Yutaka left his home without saying a word to his family, living in a life with only 400 yen per day. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt one day, even without money to buy a pack of cigarettes from the vending machine. He stood in front of the vending machine and began crying. Hating himself for being like this, Yutaka realized that he had no choice but to return to his home since his family would always welcome him home. Until now, whenever he stands in front of a vending machine, he would be reminded of his unbearable past.
In 1994, he debuted into the world of on-screen acting with the drama "My First Job" (Boku no Syuushoku). Later, he starred in "Heaven's Coins" and won the Golden Arrow Award for the Best New Actor for his role as Takumi Nagai. In the following year, he won the Best Supporting Actor in the Television Drama Academy Award for his role in "Long Vacation." In 1997, he first took the lead roles in "An Ideal Marriage" and "Beach Boys" opposite Takashi Sorimachi.
In 1998, "With Love," perhaps one of Yutaka's most well-known dramas, rocketed him to stardom. His role as Takashi Hasegawa won the hearts of many tv viewers and brought his career to the next level. In addition, he won the Best Actor Award in the Television Drama Academy Award. In the following years, he starred in several dramas including "Last Song," "Ice World," "Merry Christmas in Summer," and "Shotgun Marriage."
The year of 2001 was a turning point of Yutaka's acting career. What Yutaka wanted was to be more than a TV actor. Breaking into the film industry, he made his debut in "Calmi Cuori Appasionati" and won the Best Actor Award in the 2001 Movie Academy Award. Rather than taking on roles as a romantic leading man, Yutaka starred in "Psycho Doctor," "Time Limit," and "Drop-out Teacher Returns to School." All three were quite different from his previous works. "China's Last Princess" and "Proof of the Man" gave him the opportunities to demonstrate his language abilites in Mandarin and English.
Yutaka Takenouchi is set to be one of the most celebrated actors in Japan for a long time to come. His gorgeous looks are not the only reasons for his popularity but also his true talents and modest personality. We wish Yutaka the best!