Mari Yamamoto (born February 4, 1986) is a Japanese actress and journalist.
Born in Japan, Yamamoto would move with her family to London in 1991, before eventually returning to live in Tokyo in 1994 at the age of 8. She described the experience as akin to being an outsider, where she'd be considered "very Japanese everywhere in the world" but "wasn’t quite Japanese enough" in Japan itself.
Yamamoto would study international relations at the International Christian University in Tokyo, where she would obtain her Bachelor of Arts, before moving to New York City to study method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. During this time she was also part of The Bats acting company at The Flea Theater. She returned to Tokyo following this, and began working in journalism, writing articles for The Daily Beast alongside American journalist Jake Adelstein. Adelstein's book Tokyo Vice was being adapted into a television series for HBO Max, which would see Yamamoto recruited to work on the show's writing staff. She would become a producer on the series in its second season.
In 2022, Yamamoto starred in a recurring role in the Apple TV+ series Pachinko as Hana. That same year she would join the cast of Apple's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. In March 2024, she was cast to star opposite Brendan Fraser in the film Rental Family.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Allure | Hana | |
| 2015 | Bourek | Fujiko | |
| Sayonara | — | ||
| 2017 | Jimami Tofu | Yuki | |
| 2021 | Kate | Kanako | |
| TBA | Rental Family † | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2024 | Tokyo Vice | — | Script consultant (season 1); associate producer (season 2) |
| 2022 | Pachinko | Hana | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2023–2024 | Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Keiko Miura | Main role, 8 episodes |
References
- Letonja, Jana (February 5, 2024). "In Conversation with Mari Yamamoto". Numéro. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Shoji, Kaori (May 18, 2019). "Mari Yamamoto: Staying international on and off camera". The Japan Times. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Engstrom, Alison (February 27, 2024). "In Conversation with Mari Yamamoto". Rose & Ivy Journal. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- Gioia, Michael (November 20, 2012). "Ed Sylvanus Iskandar Will Direct NYC Premiere of Amy Freed's Restoration Comedy at The Flea". Playbill. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- "Mari Yamamoto". The Daily Beast. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- Schager, Nick (March 21, 2022). "Pachinko Is Apple TV+'s Stunning Tribute to Korean Women". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- Cordero, Rosy (August 18, 2022). "Pachinko Star Mari Yamamoto Boards Apple Series Based On Legendary's Monsterverse Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- Lang, Brent (March 5, 2024). "Mari Yamamoto Starring Opposite Brendan Fraser in Searchlight's Rental Family (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 March 2024.