Juri Ueno

Juri Ueno, born May 25, 1984, is a Japanese actress. Her entertainment career began in 2001 when she appeared in a P&G shampoo commercial, officially entering the industry. Early on she joined the modeling agency Will Corporation and attracted attention after being recruited through a Shogakukan fashion magazine audition.

In 2003 Ueno appeared in the NHK morning drama "Sunny Family" (晴朗家族), playing the third daughter Iwata Akiko, and gradually showed her acting talent. In 2004 she starred in the film Swing Girls, playing Tomoko Suzuki; for that role she won the Newcomer Award at the 28th Japan Academy Film Prize and the Best Newcomer Award at the Mainichi Film Awards, becoming a highly watched rising actress. That year she also appeared in several other TV dramas and films, steadily building experience.

In 2006 she starred in Fuji TV’s Monday 9pm drama slot (getsuku), Nodame Cantabile, portraying the genius pianist Noda Megumi; the series was a huge hit and cemented her standing in the entertainment world. In 2008 she appeared in Fuji TV’s spring Thursday 10pm drama Last Friends as Ruka Kishimoto, earning multiple honors including the Galaxy Award and the Television Drama Academy Awards’ Best Supporting Actress. That year she also took part in directing for the first time, participating in parts of the production of the film Rainbow Goddess.

In 2009 she starred in the short drama Juri Ueno and Five Bags, showing a variety of character images. In 2011 she starred in the NHK taiga drama Gō: The Women of the Sengoku, playing Asai Gō, adding luster to her career. That same year she was active in disaster relief efforts, recording the song "Let's Try Again" to raise funds for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

From 2014 onward, Ueno took part in several highly regarded TV dramas, including Alice’s Thorn, Infernal Twin Dragons and Medical Examiner Asagao, and won acting awards multiple times. In 2018 she received the Television Drama Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and in 2019 she won Best Actress for her leading role in Medical Examiner Asagao. Her works have been broadcast widely in Japan and internationally and have generally received positive reviews.

In her private life, in 2016 she publicly announced her marriage to Shō Wada, the lead singer of the rock band Triceratops. That year the couple attended media events in Tokyo, showing a sweet married life. She remains active in performing, continuing to release film and TV work and also engaging in music and publishing.