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).
Takeuchi was born on 1 April 1980 in Urawa, Saitama, Japan.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[citation needed] In November 2019, she announced she was pregnant and gave birth to her second son in January 2020.[4][5][6]
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.[7]
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.[8]She later won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the Japanese Academy Awards for her role in the 2014 filmCape Nostalgia.[9]
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.[10]
On 27 September 2020 at 2:00a.m. (JST), Takeuchi was found hanged[4] at her home in Shibuya, Tokyo.[12] She was taken to the hospital, but died shortly afterwards. No suicide note has been found.[13] She was 40 years old.[14][15]
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