Yuya Yagira: Japanese Actor and Cannes Best Actor Winner

Yuya Yagira (born March 26, 1990) is a Japanese actor represented by the talent agency Stardust Promotion. He gained international prominence at a young age for his performance in Hirokazu Kore-eda's acclaimed 2004 drama film Nobody Knows.

Early Career and Breakthrough

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Yagira made his major feature film debut in Nobody Knows (2004), directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. His portrayal of Akira Fukushima, an older brother left to care for his younger siblings in Tokyo, received widespread critical acclaim. At the 57th Cannes Film Festival in 2004, Yagira was awarded the Best Actor prize. He remains notable as one of the youngest recipients of the award in the festival's history.

Film and Television Career

Following his breakthrough, Yagira has maintained an active career in Japanese cinema and television, taking on diverse character roles across various genres. Some of his notable film credits include roles in The Fable (2019), Gintama (2017), Destruction Babies (2016), and Asakusa Kid (2021), in which he portrayed Takeshi Kitano.

In television, Yagira has appeared in numerous NHK taiga dramas and commercial network series, including Mare (2015), We're Millennials Got a Problem? (2016), and the Disney+ thriller series Gannibal (2022–2025), where he stars as police officer Daigo Agawa.

Personal Life

On December 1, 2009, Yagira announced his engagement to actress Ellie Toyota. The couple, who had attended the same high school and shared representation under Stardust Promotion, married in January 2010.