Hiroshi Abe (actor)

is a Japanese model and actor. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He began his career as a model, but he successfully made the transition to acting, becoming one of the most regularly visible presences in Japanese media. He is a 1988 graduate of Chuo University.

His modeling debut was in March 1985, winning Shueisha`s "3rd Nonno Boyfriend Champion" (Nonno was one of the most popular Japanese teen magazines). He showed up regularly on Nonno's cover, and when "Men's Nonno" premiered, he was the cover model for the first 43 issues. He is noted for his height (roughly 6' 5" ≈ 1.96 m), as most Japanese actors are much shorter.

His sense of humor got him noticed as more than just a pretty face, and he was soon making regular appearances on popular Fuji TV noontime variety show "Waratte Iitomo", in the "cool guys" section. In 1988, during his last year of college, he made his first foray into professional acting with the movie "Haikara-san Ga Touru" ("Trendy Girl Passes By"). It was a bumpy start, but he showed a special talent for comedic roles, and he was soon one of Japan's leading actors. He has appeared in dozens of television shows, movies, commercials, and stage dramas.

Filmography

Television

His first Japanese television drama was "Let's have Romance" (Koi wo simashō Yumin wo kikinagara) (1988. As of 2003, he has starred or co-starred in an astonishing 84 shows, appearing in at least one per three-month cycle since 1996.

Leading Actor in:
*"TRICK" series (2000 summer, 2002 winter, 2003 autumn)
*"Smile" ("Egao no Hōsoku") (2003 spring)
*"Rika" (2003 March) (Won for Best Horror Film of the year)
*"The Last Lawyer" (2003 winter)
*"My Little Chef" (2002 summer)
*"Glorious Yorujuro" (Appare Yorujūrō) (1996 Sep-1997 March)
*"Dragon Zakura" (2005 summer)
*"Kekkon Dekinai Otoko" (2006 summer)
*"At Home Dad" (2004 summer)

Some others he co-starred in:
*"MUSASHI" (2003) (a historical saga series on NHK, most known TV programs in Japan)
*"Raining Through Midnight" (Mayonaka no ame) (2002 autumn)
*"Wedding Planner" (2003 spring)
*"Antique"(2001 autumn)
*"Hero" (2001 winter) (One of the most watched programs in Japanese history)
*"YASHA"(2000 spring)
*"Honeymoon Divorce" (Narita Rikon) (1997 Autumn)

He also stars in "Special Research Project 200X", and occasionally narrates.

Films

As of 2003 he has starred in 36 movies, starting with "Haikara-san Ga Touru" (1988). Recent films include:
* Yamato Takeru (1994)
* Moon Over Tao (1997)
* (1999)
* Tokyo Raiders (2000)
* Blood Sucking Space(2001) ("Chi wo sū uchū")
* RUSH! (2001)
* Platonic Sex (2001)
* TRICK (2002)
* Hana and Alice / 花とアリス / "Hana to Arisu" (2004)
* Hotel Venus / ホテル　ビーナス / "Hoteru bīnasu" (2004)
* Survive Style 5+ (2004)
* My Lover is a Sniper: The Movie / 恋人はスナイパー　劇場版 (2004)
* The man behind the scissors / ハサミ男 / "Hasami otoko" (2004)
* Ubume no Natsu (2005)
* Hokuto no Ken (voice) (2006)
* Trick 2 (2006)
* Forbidden Siren (film) (2006)
* (2007)
* Taitei no Ken (2007)
* Chocolate (2008)
* Mōryō no Hako (2008)

Stage

*2004 Chikamatu Double Suicide Chikamatu Shinchuu monogatari-sore ha koi)
*2002, 1998, 1993-96 Atami Murder-Monte Carlo Illusion (Atami satujinn jikenn-monntekaruro iryu-jonn)
*2001 One Who Brings It Up (mochiageru hito)
*2000 New Jigokuhen (SinJigokuhen) (Famous novel from Japanese literature)
*1992 Sometime, Somewhere (aruhi dokokade)

Other

He has released eight photo collections, two records, four videos, and two radio programs in his career. He is represented by entertainment agency Moda Office.

Related Links

*imdb|0008346