Mei Nagano

Mei Nagano is a Japanese actress who first drew widespread public attention with her performances in the 2015 romantic comedy film My Love Story! and the 2018 NHK morning drama Half Blue Sky. Over the course of her career, she has established a prominent screen presence through starring roles in both feature films and television series.

Born in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, on September 24, 1999, Nagano grew up in a family that includes her parents and an older brother who is three years her senior. She entered the entertainment industry after being scouted in Kichijōji, Tokyo, during her third year of elementary school. She launched her acting career in 2009 with a minor appearance in the action-adventure movie Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle.

Alongside her early acting roles, Nagano established herself as a fashion model. She worked regularly for the Japanese magazines Nico☆Petite and nicola, and later secured an exclusive modeling contract with Seventeen in August 2016. During this period, she also expanded her visible profile by appearing in commercial advertisements for prominent brands such as Calpis Water, Sekisui House, Townwork, UQ Mobile, and Alpen.

Her acting career gained momentum in 2015 when she played the female lead, Rinko Yamato, in the feature film My Love Story!. In 2016, she secured her first starring television role as high school student Yuiko Yoshioka in the teen drama series Koe Koi. That same year, she provided the Japanese voice dubbing for the character Zaya in the feature film Gods of Egypt.

Nagano's career reached new heights in 2017 and 2018. After starring in the romantic film Daytime Shooting Star, she was selected to lead the cast of NHK's 98th Asadora broadcast, Half Blue Sky, which began airing in April 2018. Her performance earned her the Best Actress award at the 98th Japan Television Drama Academy Awards. She followed this success in 2019 by co-starring in the drama series Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom alongside Masaki Suda, winning Best Supporting Actress at the 100th Japan Television Drama Academy Awards.

Nagano continued to secure major roles in notable film and television projects, including the movies Masked Ward in 2020 and Motherhood in 2022. For her performance in the 2021 film And So the Baton Is Passed, she earned a Best Actress nomination at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize and won the Best Actress award at the 64th Blue Ribbon Awards. Her subsequent projects include the television drama Unicorn ni Notte and the September 2022 live-action movie adaptation of the manga My Broken Mariko.