Kudo Yuki (工藤夕貴) is a Japanese actress, singer, former voice actress, and former idol.
The official romanization of her name is Youki Kudoh.
History[]
She was street scouted in Shibuya at age 12 while still in elementary school. She made a debut as an idol a year later and became notable for her sharp tongue and strong attitude despite her young age. However, her singing career did not reach much success after her first single and she began to suffer harassment from both the press and her classmates. One of the directors on her management staff suggested she try acting instead, so she started to shy away from singing and working on improving her acting skills, aiming for Hollywood.[1]
She made her acting debut a year later. The first film she starred in earned a grand prize at the 1st Tokyo International Film Festival which established her grounds as an actress. In 1987 she went on hiatus as a singer to focus on acting, and returned to singing in 1989 under a new record label. Starting in the early 1990s, she began appearing in several award winning films, even winning a "Best Actress" award herself.
She retired from singing in 1995 after her first marriage, but then upon her divorce she returned to the acting industry, this time primarily in Western films. She moved back to Japan in 2005 after she learned her father was gravely ill.
In November 2023, she made her return to music under Yorkie Records, this time in the enka genre.
Discography[]
Albums[]
- [1985.02.16] Sensation
- [1985.09.21] Only You
- [1986.03.21] STRAWBERRY TOWN
- [1986.12.16] Memories
- [1989.08.21] SURPRISE
- [1991.11.21] Cosmopolitan
- [1994.10.21] ACTRESS ~Screen Music Colelction
- [1995.06.21] Picture Bride ~Reggae in Hawaii~
Singles[]
- [1984.12.20] Yasei Jidai (野生時代)
- [1985.04.05] Heroine (ヒロイン)
- [1985.07.21] Tokimeki FALL IN YOU (ときめきFALL IN YOU)
- [1985.11.21] Cinderella Liberty mo Hecchara (シンデレラ・リバティもへっちゃら)
- [1986.02.21] Shi A Wa Se Carnival (し・あ・わ・せカーニバル)
- [1986.08.21] Hohoemu Anata ni Aitai (微笑むあなたに会いたい)
- [1986.11.21] Girlfriend (ガールフレンド)
- [1987.03.21] Kimi no Heart ni Touch (君のハートにタッチ)
- [1989.06.21] Chotto Dake Kuzushitai (ちょっとだけくずしたい)
- [1989.12.16] Glass no Fune 〜mon mec a moi〜 (硝子の舟〜mon mec a moi〜)
- [1990.12.05] Yume ga Kanau (夢が叶う)
- [1991.09.21] Showa (昭和)
- [1993.01.21] Sayonara Samba (さよならサンバ)
- [1993.05.01] Tabidachi no Uta (旅立ちの唄)
- [1994.01.10] Omoide wa Emerald (想い出はエメラルド)
- [1995.03.01] MAYBE TONIGHT
- [2023.11.08] Oto-san Mitemasuka (父さん見てますか)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Her father is enka singer Izawa Hachiro (1937-2007), whose real name was Kudo Hachiro. Her agency tried to conceal this information from the public, but it was quickly found out by the paparazzi soon after her debut.
- Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence, Alcohol AbuseDuring her idol days she had a poor relationship with her father as he was physically abusive to her and her family members due to his extreme alcoholism. This is one of the main reasons why she did not want this information to become public due to the many scandals her father had around the time, including having an affair with a girl one year older than her in 1985, and having a child out of wedlock. He also forced Kudo's mother to live in a separate house, and a housekeeper he hired would often starve Kudo and her sibling for no apparent reason. However, around the time of his death, he wrote Kudo a letter apologizing for everything and he would watch her stage performances despite having little contact with her. He passed away on her birthday and the letter was delivered to her as a gift. This made Kudo rethink her relationship with her father posthumously. Currently, she respects her father and seems to have forgiven him. [2]
- In 2023, Kudo made her debut as an enka singer with the single "Oto-san Mitemasuka" (父さん見てますか/Are You Watching, Dad?). The second song included with the single is a cover of her father's most famous song "Aa Ue no Eki," which she promised to cover someday shortly after his death.
- She has been married twice, her first marriage was to a Hawaiian man from 1995 to 1998, and her second and current marriage is to a Japanese businessman seven years older than her. They married in 2010.
References[]
- ↑ "Yoko Aki's lustrous beauty Yuki Kudo actress ”. Mainichi Shimbun Publishing (August 16, 2015).
- ↑ "Yuki Kudo reveals his violent past: The curse of his father who was a famous singer, and the bullying he received from his housekeeper... ”. Sports Nippon (November 9, 2018)