Takuya Kimura

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉, Kimura Takuya, born November 13, 1972, nicknamed Kimutaku (キムタク)) and the "Drama King" is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan. He has become one of the most well-known and successful actors/singers/entertainers in Japan and Asia.

Biography

Early life

Born in Tokyo, Kimura lived in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture until he was six years old. Then, he lived and attended elementary school and junior high school in Chiba. His aunt sent in an application to the Johnny & Associates talent agency, which specializes in young male teen idols, and he became a member of Johnny's Juniors, a group of trainees, in 1987. Then he became one of the 12 members in a unit called "Skate Boys". Skate Boys used to be backup dancers of Hikaru Genji, which at the time was a very popular group. In 1988, SMAP was created, and he joined.

Career

The year 1993 was a breakthrough year for Kimura and SMAP. After years of starring in low-budget dramas, Kimura played a leading role in the teen drama Asunaro hakusho as Osamu Toride, a college freshman in love with a friend Narumi Sonoda. The series, based on a then-popular manga of the same name, quickly became a hit. Toride, an ordinary student, the supporting role in Asunaro hakusho made Takuya popular, even far more popular than the leading actors. The thick, black-rimmed glasses he wore in the series sold extremely well. SMAP also released their hit single "$10". In 1994, a phrase "Kimutaku Syndrome" started to be reported in some media. The term refers to a phenomenon in which some young boys copy his fashion.

SMAP

SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the group currently consists of five: Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group's name is an acronym standing for Sports Music Assemble People.

The best selling boyband in Asia by more than 35 million records sold, SMAP released their first CD in 1991 and has since released over fifty singles and twenty albums. Approximately more than half of the singles and a half of the albums have reached the top of the Japanese Oricon music charts. In recent years, the interval between the band's single CD releases has become longer, and they are now released approximately once a year.

The members of SMAP have also pursued careers outside of music, including involvement in television variety shows, dramas, commercials, and movies, making them one of the most popular Johnny's groups. Largely due to their popularity, Johnny & Associates became the most successful agency in Japan, with earnings of almost three billion Japanese yen in 1995.