Yosuke Kubozuka

Yosuke Kubozuka is a Japanese actor and musician who was born on May 7, 1979, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Prior to launching his career in acting, he worked as a model, appearing in numerous print magazines and television advertisements. He completed his secondary education at Kanagawa Prefectural Yokosuka High School.

Kubozuka made his professional acting debut in 1995 with an appearance in the television crime drama Kindaichi Case Files. He gained wider public attention in 1998 by playing the role of honor student Yoshito Kikuchi in the television series GTO. In 2000, he co-starred alongside Tomoya Nagase, Ken Watanabe, and Tomohisa Yamashita in Ikebukuro West Gate Park, portraying Takashi Ando, the leader known as King of the G-Boys. The following year, he played the first love of Kyoko Fukada's character in the drama series Strawberry on the Shortcake, appearing alongside Hideaki Takizawa.

In October 2001, Kubozuka starred in the Isao Yukisada film Go, portraying a Zainichi Korean teenager who becomes romantically involved with a Japanese girl. His work in the film earned him significant critical acclaim, including two awards at the Japan Academy Film Prize for Newcomer of the Year and Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Following his breakthrough, Kubozuka appeared in the 2002 music video for Mr. Children's song Kimi ga Suki, which won the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. He continued to star in feature films such as Ping Pong, Kyoki no Sakura, and Samurai Resurrection. His subsequent film appearances include roles in Tokyo Island, Monsters Club, Helter Skelter, and Martin Scorsese's 2016 film adaptation of Silence.

In addition to his acting work, Kubozuka launched a musical career in 2006 as a reggae artist under the stage name Manji Line. In his personal life, he married in May 2003 and has a son. He survived a 26-meter fall from his ninth-floor apartment in 2004. He announced his divorce in July 2012, retaining custody of his son, and later remarried in December 2015, welcoming a daughter in 2017.