Ryōko Hirosue (広末 涼子, Hirosue Ryōko; born 18 July 1980) is a Japanese actress and singer, best known to international audiences for her roles in the Luc Besson-produced Wasabi (2001) and the Academy Award-winning Japanese film Departures (2008). She also starred in the 2008 comedy series Yasuko to Kenji.
Hirosue was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture and grew up in Kōchi city, Kōchi prefecture, Japan. She joined the "P&G" cosmetic model competition at age 14 and made her television debut the following year singing on the program, TK Music Camp. She made her television drama debut and is well known for her work as a spokesmodel for NTT DoCoMo. She studied at Waseda University but did not graduate.
Hirosue made her television debut in 1995 at age 15 in Fuji TV's Heart ni S. She was also named "Best Newcomer" at the 10th Television Drama Academy Awards the same year when she starred in Fuji TV's comedy series Shota no Sushi. In 1997, she appeared in the finale of medical drama Hoshi no Kinka and the special episode of Odoru Daisousasen before making her breakthrough performance in Fuji TV's comedy series Beach Boys, where she was awarded "Best Supporting Actress" at the 14th Television Drama Academy Awards. Hirosue also made her film debut in the same year when she appeared in 20-seki Nostalgia which won her critical acclaim. She was awarded the Sponichi Grand Prize New Talent Award at the Mainichi Film Awards, Best New Talent at the Yokohama Film Festival and perhaps most importantly, the Newcomer of the Year award at the 21st Japanese Academy Awards.
In 1998, Hirosue reprised her role in the special episode of Beach Boys while also appearing in four other television dramas in the same year. In 1999, she returned to the big screen in Poppoya and Himitsu. Her performances in both films won her much praise from award-giving bodies of Japan and she received two nominations at the 23rd Japanese Academy Awards for Best Actress (for Himitsu) and Best Supporting Actress (for Poppoya). Her international profile also increased when she received the Best Actress prize for her performance in Himitsu at the 30th Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival.
She returned prominently to television in 2000 playing Yuki Katase in the drama Summer Snow, which won 5 awards at the 26th Television Drama Academy Awards including "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Drama" before showing off her comedic chops in TBS's Oyaji. The latter role again won her "Best Supporting Actress" at the 27th awards ceremony.
2001–2005: Hollywood debut and international breakthrough
In 2001, Hirosue made her international film debut in the French Film Wasabi written by Luc Besson and directed by Gérard Krawczyk. Not being able to speak French for her role, she had to learn her lines phonetically. She also reunited for the fourth time on television with her frequent co-star Yutaka Takenouchi (they starred together in Long Vacation, Beach Boys and Seikimatsu no Uta) in Fuji TV's romantic comedy series Dekichatta Kekkon, starring as an expectant couple who did not know each other well before their one-night stand leading to the planning of a shotgun wedding. The series also starred Hiroshi Abe who won Best Supporting Actor at the 30th Television Drama Academy Awards.
In 2002, Hirosue appeared in the film Renai Shashin and the low-rated television drama Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu before capping the year in the family drama series Otousan. She reunited with her Summer Snow lead co-star, Tsuyoshi Dōmoto, in 2003's romance series Moto Kare. Her portrayal as the initially flippant ex-girlfriend, Makoto Saeki, won her "Best Supporting Actress" yet again at the 38th Television Drama Academy Awards.
Hirosue married model Takahiro Okazawa on December 2003. And gave birth to her first child in 2004. Her marriage and new motherhood decreased her workload and she only made one appearance in 2004 in the film Hana and Alice and one appearance on 2005's Fuji TV's romance drama Slow Dance.
2006–2023: Continued success, Shukan Bunshun report, and hiatus
Hirosue returned to film and television in 2006 by appearing in three television dramas, a TV movie and a film. In 2007, she co-starred for the third time with Hiroshi Abe (her fellow actor in Dekichatta Kekkon and Haruka Naru Yakusoku) in the film Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust. She also appeared in two TV movies, Mama ga Ryori o Tsukuru Wake, broadcast by Fuji TV, and Long Wedding Road!, which was broadcast by TBS. Hirosue also made a guest appearance in the third episode, "Rattles", of the detective series Galileo.
She had a supporting role in NTV's comedy series Yasuko to Kenji in 2008.
She portrayed Mika Kobayashi opposite Masahiro Motoki in the 2008 Japanese film Departures, which won the 81st Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2009, she is starring in the remake of the mystery film Zero Focus and the adaptation to film of the novel Villon's Wife by Osamu Dazai.
She co-starred in the 2010 film Flowers with Yū Aoi, Kyōka Suzuki, Yūko Takeuchi, Rena Tanaka and Yukie Nakama.
in 2026, Hirose started Fuji TV series Naomi and Kaneko is based Hideo Okuda's novel with same name.
In June 2023, after her affair was exposed by the tabloid magazine Shukan Bunshun, she announced she would retire from the entertainment industry.
2024–2025: Resumption of activities, going independent, accident, and second hiatus