Teruyoshi Uchimura

Here's what gets me about Ucchan: the man can throw his whole dignity into a sketch, playing the purest idiot alive, and then turn around and host a live show with this quiet, steadying warmth that makes everyone around him feel safe. That gap is almost unfair. On a chaotic variety setup like Itte Q, the younger comics go nuts risking life and limb, and he's the one who calmly catches all of it and lands the laugh, which honestly takes a much bigger heart than people give him credit for. And then he goes and directs movies that try to make you cry, so I'm never quite sure what to file him under. Four straight years anchoring NHK's New Year's Eve special would give most people an ulcer, yet he just smiles through it. Guys like him are why comedy feels kind to me.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Teruyoshi Uchimura is a Japanese comedian, television host, actor, and film director best known as one half of the comedy duo Ucchan Nanchan, formed with Kiyotaka Nambara in 1984. He rose to national prominence through numerous variety programs and went on to direct and star in several feature films. From 2017 to 2020 he served as the overall host of the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen for four consecutive years. As of 2024 he continues to host the long-running travel variety program Sekai no Hate made Itte Q!

Name (English)

Teruyoshi Uchimura

Name (Japanese)

内村光良

Reading

うちむら てるよし

Born

July 22, 1964 (age 62)

Origin

Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (present-day Asagiri Town)

Height

169 cm

Weight

approx. 66 kg

Occupation

Comedian / TV Host / Actor / Film Director / Screenwriter / Musician

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Cancer / Dragon

Blood type

AB

Agency

Maseki Geino-sha

Active years

1985–present

Elementary school

Menda Town Municipal Menda Elementary School (later transferred to Hitoyoshi City Municipal Nishise Elementary School)

Junior high

Hitoyoshi City Municipal Second Junior High School

High school

Kumamoto Prefectural Hitoyoshi High School

University

Yokohama Broadcasting and Film School (now Japan Film University), Theatre Department

Debut

1985 — Formed the comedy duo Ucchan Nanchan with Kiyotaka Nambara and debuted under Maseki Geino-sha; made his television debut on Nippon TV's Owarai Star Tanjou!!

Awards & achievements

• 1993 — 16th Japan Academy Prize, New Actor Award (film: Shichinin no Otaku)
• 1993 — 16th Japan Academy Prize, Topic Award, Actor Division (film: Shichinin no Otaku)
• 2012 — Guinness World Record for annual DVD release volume (Uchimura Samaazu)
• 2019 — Hitoyoshi City Citizen's Honor Award

Timeline

1. 1985Formed Ucchan Nanchan with Kiyotaka Nambara and debuted under Maseki Geino-sha; made television debut on Nippon TV's Owarai Star Tanjou!!
2. 1992Film Shichinin no Otaku released; marked his acting debut
3. 1995Music unit Pocket Biscuits formed from the variety program Ucchan Nanchan no Urinari!!; their single YELLOW YELLOW HAPPY became a major hit
4. 2005Married former TV Asahi announcer Yumi Tokunaga
5. 2006Made his film directing debut with Peanuts
6. 2013Second directorial feature Bokutachi no Koukan Nikki released
7. 2016Film Kinmedaru Otoko released, which he directed, wrote, and starred in
8. 2017Appointed overall host of NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (served four consecutive years through 2020)
9. 2024Continued hosting Sekai no Hate made Itte Q!

Spouse

Yumi Tokunaga (married 2005)

Children

Two — eldest daughter born 2009, eldest son born 2013

Hobbies

• Watching films
• Watching NHK morning serial dramas

Specialties

• Comedy sketches (conte)
• Manzai stand-up comedy
• Film directing
• Screenwriting
• Keyboard performance

Works summary

Appearances

207 (1986–2026)

By year (titles with a known year)

1986: 1, 1992: 1, 1993: 1, 1994: 3, 1995: 1, 1996: 1, 1997: 2, 1998: 4, 1999: 1, 2000: 4, 2001: 1, 2002: 4, 2003: 2, 2004: 9, 2005: 2, 2006: 5, 2007: 7, 2008: 5, 2009: 5, 2010: 3, 2011: 7, 2012: 6, 2013: 5, 2014: 7, 2015: 7, 2016: 11, 2017: 11, 2018: 16, 2019: 9, 2020: 9, 2021: 8, 2022: 11, 2023: 9, 2024: 6, 2025: 7, 2026: 3, year unknown: 13

Debut work

Bokuno onna ni teodasuna

Filmography / notable works

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%85%E6%9D%91%E5%85%89%E8%89%AF
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7705350

Tags

• From Kumamoto Prefecture
• Ucchan Nanchan
• Maseki Geino-sha
• Comedy
• Film Director
• TV Host
• Sekai no Hate made Itte Q!

Last updated

October 18, 2026

Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.