celeb-db日本語
Y

Yūya Yagira

柳楽優弥 / やぎら ゆうや

Japanese actor and the youngest-ever Cannes Best Actor winner

March 26, 1990 (age 36) ・ Tokyo, Japan

  • From Tokyo
  • Child Actor
  • Film Actor
  • Actor

My Take

I have such a soft spot for Yūya Yagira. Picture it: a kid barely into his teens, walking off with Best Actor at Cannes for Kore-eda's Nobody Knows, the youngest ever and the first Japanese performer to take it home, doing it all with these huge, quietly devastating eyes that barely needed dialogue. What gets me, though, isn't the trophy, it's the long game. He didn't coast on that golden child label or let it crush him; he disappeared, struggled, and clawed his way back as a real working actor. The grown-up Yagira keeps that translucent boyish hurt but layers on this low, menacing weight that can anchor a proper villain. He just makes a frame feel tense. Honestly, I think he only gets richer and grittier from here, and I'm here for every bit of it.

Overview

Yūya Yagira is a Japanese actor born on March 26, 1990, in Tokyo. In 2004, while still a teenager, he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Japanese actor to receive that honor. He attended Horikoshi High School, a school known for its many entertainment-industry students. He has continued to work as an actor across film and television throughout his career.

1. Profile

Name (English)
Yūya Yagira
Name (Japanese)
柳楽優弥
Reading
やぎら ゆうや
Born
March 26, 1990 (age 36)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
Aries / Horse (午)
Origin
Tokyo, Japan
Blood type
Private
Height
Private
Agency
Private
Active years
Unknown
Occupation
Actor / Child Actor / Film Actor

2. Background

Elementary school
Private
Junior high
Private
High school
Horikoshi High School
University
Private
Debut
Unknown

Awards & achievements

  • 2004 — Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award

3. Relationships

Spouse
Private
Children
Private
Parents
Private
Siblings
Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

7. About this entry

Tags

  • From Tokyo
  • Child Actor
  • Film Actor
  • Actor
Last updated
2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.