{{short description|Japanese actress (1980–2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Yūko Takeuchi | image = Takeuchi Yuko "The Inerasable" at Opening Ceremony of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (22417547052).jpg | image_caption = Takeuchi at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival, 2015 | native_name = 竹内 結子 | native_name_lang = ja | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1980|4|1}} | birth_place = Urawa, Saitama, Japan | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|9|27|1980|4|1|df=y}} | death_place = Tokyo, Japan | other_names = | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1996–2020 | spouse = {{unbulleted list|{{marriage|Nakamura Shidō II|2005|2008|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Taiki Nakabayashi|2019}}}} | children = 2 | agent = Stardust Promotion | website = | awards = }}
{{nihongo|'''Yūko Takeuchi'''|竹内 結子|Takeuchi Yūko|1 April 1980 – 27 September 2020}} was a Japanese actress. She is known for her roles in television series ''Asuka'' (1999), ''Pride'' (2004), ''FlashForward'' (2009), and ''Miss Sherlock'' (2018) as well as films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Yomigaeri'' (2003), and ''Dog in a Sidecar'' (2007).
== Life and career == Takeuchi was born on 1 April 1980 in Urawa, Saitama, Japan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/film/japanese-actor-and-ringu-star-yuko-takeuchi-has-died-aged-40-2762937|title=Japanese actor and 'Ringu' star Yuko Takeuchi has died, aged 40|website=NME |date=27 September 2020}}</ref> She was "discovered" during spring break in Harajuku after junior high school.
Takeuchi was married to Shidō Nakamura II (who had co-starred with Takeuchi in the film ''Be With You'') from 10 May 2005 until their divorce on 29 February 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2020/09/remembering-yuko-takeuchi-through-8-of-her-most-memorable-roles/|title=Remembering Yuko Takeuchi Through 8 of Her Most Memorable Roles|newspaper=Tokyo Weekender |date=28 September 2020}}</ref> She had a son with Nakamura who was born in November 2005. Prior to the couple's divorce, Nakamura had apologized for a drunk driving incident where he was with actress Aya Okamoto and later seen with actress Saki Takaoka. After the drunk driving incident, Takeuchi reportedly moved to live in her management office shortly before filing for divorce in October 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japan-zone.com/news/2006/11/01/speed-divorce-for-shido-yuko/|title=Speed Divorce for Shido, Yuko | Japan Zone}}</ref>
Takeuchi married actor Taiki Nakabayashi on 27 February 2019. Her son, in junior high school at the time was reported to have actively encouraged her second marriage.{{cn|date=March 2024}} In November 2019, she announced she was pregnant and gave birth to her second son in January 2020.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/japanese-actress-yuko-takeuchi-found-dead-at-tokyo-home|title=Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi, 40, found dead at home in apparent suicide|website=Japan Today|date=27 September 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928182853/https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/japanese-actress-yuko-takeuchi-found-dead-at-tokyo-home|archivedate=2020-09-28|accessdate=2022-06-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20190829/mrg19082904000001-n1.html|title=竹内結子が第２子妊娠！中林大樹との子、来年２月出産へ|date=29 August 2019|website=SANSPO.COM（サンスポ）}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202001310000662.html|title=竹内結子が第２子男児出産、母子とも健康すでに退院 – 芸能 : 日刊スポーツ|website=nikkansports.com}}</ref> Takeuchi was known for her earlier roles, starring in Japanese television dramas such as ''Mukodono'' (My Husband), ''The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine'', ''Egao No Hōsoku'', and ''Pride'', as well as NHK's Asadora television series ''Asuka''. In the romantic comedies ''Mukodono'', she and Nagase Tomoya played newlyweds and in ''The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine'', she played a girl with a mysterious past who loves her lunch. In the drama ''Egao no Hōsoku'', her character experiences meeting new people while supporting a manga writer and in ''Pride'', her character is the love interest of a hockey player portrayed by Takuya Kimura.<ref>{{Citation |title=Egao no housoku |date=2003-04-06 |type=Comedy, Romance |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1974593/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |others=Hidetoshi Nishijima, Hiroshi Abe, Yûko Takeuchi |publisher=TBS Service}}</ref>
Takeuchi's earlier films include ''Hoshi Ni Negaiwo'', ''Yomigaeri'', and ''Be with You'' (''Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu''). Her performances in ''Yomigaeri'' (2003), Be With You'' (2004), and Spring Snow'' ''(2005)'' ''were recognized by the Japanese Academy Awards.''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|date=27 September 2020|title=Yuko Takeuchi Dies Aged 40: Japanese Actress Starred In 'Miss Sherlock' & 'The Ring'|url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/yuko-takeuchi-japanese-actress-miss-sherlock-dies-aged-40-hbo-asia-1234585896/|access-date=27 September 2020|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref> ''She later won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Japanese Academy Awards for her role in the 2014 film'' ''Cape Nostalgia.''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schilling|first=Mark|date=27 September 2020|title=Takeuchi Yuko, Japanese Actress, Dies at 40|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/takeuchi-yuko-dead-dies-japanese-actress-1234784804/|access-date=27 September 2020|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref>
In 2010, Takeuchi appeared on the science fiction American TV serial ''FlashForward'' in two episodes (as a character portrayed in five). Director Michael Nankin called her "Japan's answer to Audrey Hepburn." Takeuchi's dialogue was in Japanese, but she said the experience caused her to make it a goal to master English as she wished she had been able to communicate better with the other cast members and crew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/yuko-takeuchi-goes-on-a-flight-of-fantasy|title=Yuko Takeuchi goes on a flight of fantasy|website=Japan Today|date=21 January 2011 }}</ref>
In 2018, Takeuchi portrayed the titular character in Hulu/HBO Asia series ''Miss Sherlock'', an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Alyssa I.|date=26 April 2018|title=Yuko Takeuchi steps into an iconic role on 'Miss Sherlock' with elementary ease|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/04/26/tv/yuko-takeuchi-steps-iconic-role-miss-sherlock-elementary-ease/|access-date=27 September 2020|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Death==
On 27 September 2020 at 2:00{{nbsp}}a.m. (JST), Takeuchi was found hanged<ref name="auto"/> at her home in Shibuya, Tokyo.<ref>{{cite news|date=27 September 2020|title=Japanese Actress Yuko Takeuchi Dies in Apparent Suicide|publisher=Nippon Communications Foundation|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020092700148/japanese-actress-yuko-takeuchi-dies-in-apparent-suicide.html|access-date=28 September 2020|archive-date=3 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003143011/https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020092700148/japanese-actress-yuko-takeuchi-dies-in-apparent-suicide.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was taken to the hospital, but died shortly afterwards. No suicide note was found.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/explaining-death-of-takeuchi-yuko-japan-struggles-1234785142/ | title=Takeuchi Yuko Death Remains a Mystery for Japan | date=28 September 2020 }}</ref> She was 40 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200927/p2g/00m/0et/012000c |title=Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi, 40, dies in apparent suicide – the Mainichi |website=mainichi.jp |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929021730/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200927/p2g/00m/0et/012000c |archive-date=29 September 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=27 September 2020|title=Miss Sherlock actress Yuko Takeuchi found dead|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54314962|access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref>
== Filmography == ===Film=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |- ! scope="row" rowspan=2| 1998 | ''Innocent World'' | Ami | |- | ''Ring'' | Tomoko Oishi | |- ! scope="row"| 1999 | ''Big Show! Sing in Hawaii'' | Satomi Takahashi | |- ! scope="row" rowspan=2| 2003 | ''Night of the Shooting Star'' | Kana Aoshima | |- | ''Yomigaeri'' | Aoi Tachibana | |- ! scope="row" rowspan=2| 2004 | ''Heaven's Bookstore – <br> The Light of Love'' | Shoko Hiyama /<br> Kanako Nagase | |- | ''Be with You'' | Mio Aio | |- ! scope="row"| 2005 | ''Spring Snow'' | Satoko Ayakura | |- ! scope="row" rowspan=4| 2007 | ''A Dog on Sidecar'' | Yōko | |- | ''The World According to Chocolat'' | Chocolat | |- | ''Closed Note'' | Ibuki Mano | |- | ''Midnight Eagle'' | Keiko Arisawa | |- ! scope="row"| 2008 | ''The Glorious Team Batista'' | Kimiko Taguchi | |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2009 | ''The Triumphant of General Rouge'' | Kimiko Taguchi | |- | ''No More Cry'' | Tetsuko Yamagishi | |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| 2010 | ''Golden Slumbers'' | Haruko Higuchi | |- | ''Flowers'' | Kaoru | |- ! scope="row" rowspan="3"| 2011 | ''1,778 Stories of Me and My Wife'' | Setsuko | |- | ''A Ghost of a Chance'' | | |- | ''Hayabusa'' | Megumi | 20th Century Fox |- ! scope="row"| 2014 | ''Cape Nostalgia''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=349294|script-title=ja:ふしぎな岬の物語(2014)|access-date= 23 October 2014|work= allcinema|publisher= Stingray|language= ja}}</ref> | | |- ! scope="row" rowspan="3"| 2016 | ''Creepy'' | Yasuko Takakura | |- | ''The Magnificent Nine'' | Toki | |- | ''The Inerasable'' | I | |- ! scope="row" | 2018 | ''The Travelling Cat Chronicles'' | | |- ! scope="row" rowspan=3| 2019 | ''The Confidence Man JP: The Movie'' | | |- | ''A Long Goodbye''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/movie/89792/|title= 長いお別れ|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref> | | |- | ''The 47 Ronin in Debt''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/movie/90445/|title= 決算! 忠臣蔵|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref> | Riku | |- ! scope="row" rowspan=3| 2020 | ''The Confidence Man JP: <br>Episode of the Princess''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/movie/92106/|title= コンフィデンスマンJP プリンセス編|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref>
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=== Television === * ''Cyborg'' (1996 Fuji TV) * ''Nice Guy'' (1997 Fuji TV) * ''Shin-D'' (1997 NTV) * ''Frozen Summer'' (1998 NTV) as Junko Moriguchi * ''Setsunai'' (1998 TV Asahi) * ''Dangerous Police Forever'' (1998 NTV) as Asuka Fubuki * ''Kantaro Terauchi's Family in autumn 1998'' (1998 TBS) as Misuzu Kawachi * ''Nanisama'' (1998 TBS) as Yuri Kimura * ''Romance'' (1999 NTV) as Kotoe Kurasawa * ''Asuka'' (1999 NHK Asadora) as Asuka Miyamoto<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www2.nhk.or.jp/archives/movies/?id=D0009010466_00000|title= 連続テレビ小説 あすか〈第61作〉|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= NHK|language=ja}}</ref> * ''Friends'' (2000 TBS) as Miyuki Matsuno * ''Stories of 100 Years'' in episode 2 (2000 TBS) as Toshiko Nagai * ''Style!'' (2000 TV Asahi) as Shiori Sakakibara * ''A White Shadow'' (2001 TBS) as Noriko Shimura * ''Mukodono!'' (2001 Fuji TV) as Sakura Arai * ''School Teacher'' (2001 TBS) as Motoko Asakura * ''The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine'' (2002 Fuji TV) as Natsumi Mugita<ref>{{cite web |url= https://thetv.jp/program/0000000439/cast/|title= ランチの女王の出演者・キャスト一覧|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= The Television|language=ja}}</ref> * ''The Law of the Smile'' (2003 TBS) as Yumi Kurasawa * ''Autumn in Warsaw'' (2003 YTV) as Yoko Aoki * ''Pride'' (2004 Fuji TV) as Aki Murase * ''New York Love Story'' (2004 Fuji TV) as Eiko Fujikura * ''Fukigen na Jiin (The Selfish Gene)'' (2005) as Yoshiko Aoi * ''Bara no nai Hanaya'' (2008) as Miou Shirato * ''FlashForward'' (2009 ABC) as Keiko Arahida * ''Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku'' (2010) as Shiori Kitamura * ''Strawberry Night'' (2012) as Reiko Himekawa * ''cheap flight'' (2013) * ''Sanada Maru'' (2016 NHK) as Yodo-dono<ref>{{cite web |url= https://haiyaku.web.fc2.com/16-taiga.html|title= 真田丸|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= Haiyaku Jiten|language=ja}}</ref> * ''Kamoshirenai Joyū tachi'' (2016 Fuji TV) as herself * ''A Life'' (2017 TBS) as Mifuyu Danjō * ''Miss Sherlock'' (2018 Hulu, HBO) as Sara "Sherlock" Shelly Futaba (Sherlock Holmes) * ''Innocent Days'' (2018 Wowow) as Yukino Tanaka * ''Queen'' (2019 Fuji TV)
===Other=== ==== Narrator ==== * Wonderful Spaceship Earth (2002 TV Asahi) * If the World is 100 Villages 6 (2009 TV Fuji) * The Nonfiction (2010 TV Fuji) * Eko's manners (2011 BS Asahi)
==== Dubbing roles ==== *''Inside Out'' – Joy (Amy Poehler)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thecinema.jp/vod/insidehead-movie/|title= インサイド・ヘッド|access-date= 6 February 2023|work= The Cinema|archive-date= 7 February 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230207020343/https://www.thecinema.jp/vod/insidehead-movie/|url-status= dead}}</ref> *''Titanic'' (2001 Fuji TV edition) – Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet)
== Works ==
=== Essay ===
* Nioi Fechi (2004 Pia) * Nioi Fechi 2 calorie off (2006 Pia)
=== Photo essay === * Tabibon (travel diary of Tahiti) (2007 SDP)
=== Supplies-of-provisions catalog ===
* Takeuchi Marche
=== Single === * Tada Kaze Wa Fukukara (1998 Pony Canyon)
== Awards and nominations == {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Work(s) ! Result ! {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |- |2002 |26th Elan d'or Awards |Newcomer of the Year |Herself |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.producer.or.jp/elandor-list.html|title=ja:エランドール賞歴代受賞者一覧|trans-title=List of Élan d'Or awardee|access-date=14 August 2025|publisher=All Nippon Producers Association|language=ja}}</ref> |- |2002 |6th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix |Best Actress |''The Queen of Lunchtime Cuisine'' |{{won}} |<ref name=NSDGP>{{cite web |url= https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/award/ns-dramagp/ns-dgp-result.html|title= 日刊スポーツ・ドラマグランプリ 歴代の受賞者・受賞作品|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= Nikkan Sports|language=ja}}</ref> |- |2003 |7th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix |Best Actress |''Pride'' |{{won}} |<ref name=NSDGP/> |- |2004 |27th Japan Academy Film Prize |Best Actress |''Yomigaeri'' |{{nom}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/award/japan-academy/2004/|title= 第27回 日本アカデミー賞 (2004年)|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref> |- |2005 |28th Japan Academy Film Prize |Best Actress |''Be with You'' |{{nom}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/award/japan-academy/2005/|title= 第28回 日本アカデミー賞 (2005年)|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref> |- |2006 |29th Japan Academy Film Prize |Best Actress |''Spring Snow'' |{{nom}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://eiga.com/award/japan-academy/2006/|title= 第29回 日本アカデミー賞 (2006年)|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= eiga.com|language=ja}}</ref> |- |2007 |20th Nikkan Sports Film Awards |Best Actress |''Dog in a Sidecar'' |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/award/ns-cinema/history/|title= 日刊スポーツ映画大賞 歴代受賞者・作品|access-date= 14 August 2025|website= Nikkan Sports|language=ja}}</ref> |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|id=0847624}} {{Navboxes |title = Awards |list = {{Kinema Junpo Awards for Best Actress}} {{Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Actress}} {{Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Actress}} }} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takeuchi, Yuko}} Category:1980 births Category:2020 deaths Category:2020 suicides Category:20th-century Japanese actresses Category:21st-century Japanese actresses Category:Japanese film actresses Category:Japanese television actresses Category:Female suicides Category:Actors from Saitama (city) Category:Japanese expatriates in the United States Category:Stardust Promotion artists Category:Asadora lead actors Category:Suicides by hanging in Japan Category:Suicides in Tokyo Category:Actors and actresses who died by suicide