Mao Inoue

In Youkame no Semi (literally “eighth day cicada” but known in English as Rebirth, her portrayal of a daughter with a difficult past earned her several film awards, including her first "Best Starring Actress" Award in the 35th Japan Film Academy Awards. The film also won nine other awards that year.

She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as Akane Imai (今井 茜) in Kids War (キッズ・ウォー), as Makino Tsukushi in the popular Hana Yori Dango series, and as Sugi Fumi (ja) in the 54th taiga drama Hana Moyu.

She also appeared in a number of films including I Give My First Love to You Rebirth and The Snow White Murder Case.

Inoue Mao started her career as an actress when she was five years old.

For her role, she won "Best Actress" in the 70th The Television Drama Academy Awards.

Mao Inoue (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress.

Her debut as an actress was when she was five years old.

She appears in the series Kids War from 1999 to 2003.

In 2005, Mao took the lead role in the drama adaptation of the popular manga Hana Yori Dango, with Arashi member Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda and Tsuyoshi Abe.

Mao was awarded Best Actress by Television Drama Academy in the same year that the drama was aired.

In 2006, she co-starred in her first film: Check It Out, Yo! with Hayato Ichihara, Yūta Hiraoka, and Tasuku Emoto.

The film was in theaters April 22, 2006.

In early 2007, Hana Yori Dango Returns aired and was better-received than the first season.

In the same year, Inoue co-starred in the drama First Kiss with Check It Out, Yo! co-star Yūta Hiraoka.

Her performances led to her the lead role in the drama special Hanaikusa as a maiko-turned-geisha.

After the success of the two Hana Yori Dango dramas, a film was announced in August 2007, just months after the end of the 2007 sequel.

It was Inoue's first starring role in a film.

In 2008, she played the lead role in a drama special Anmitsu Hime as a princess, followed by Anmitsu Hime 2 in the following year, where she sang the theme song with Shoko Nakagawa.

The film was released on June 28, 2008.

It topped the box office in Japan for several weeks and became the second fastest earning film in 2008.

It was also successful in many parts of Asia, bringing the name "10 billion yen actress" to Inoue Mao.

Mao stepped back from acting to concentrate on her studies.

Following her graduation from Meiji University in March 2009, she started filming for the film adaptation of the manga Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, in which she shared the lead with Masaki Okada; it was released in theaters in October 2009.

In April of the following year, My Darling is a Foreigner was released in theaters with Inoue starring opposite Jonathan Sherr.

Three years after her last drama, she reunited with Hana Yori Dango co-star Shun Oguri for the drama Jūi Dolittle (獣医ドリトル), which began airing in October 2010.

It was also announced in late September 2010 that Inoue Mao would star in the film Youkame no Semi which was released in April 2011.

Both films were successful at the box office.

She also starred in the 84th asadora drama Ohisama (おひさま), portraying a young woman who lived through World War II in Nagano prefecture It was planned to air from March 28, 2011, to September 24, 2011, but it was delayed due to the earthquake and tsunami.

It started to air on April 4, 2011.

In February 2011, Mao costarred in a film starring Yutaka Takenouchi, called Taiheiyou no kiseki ~Fox to yobareta otoko (Oba: Miracle in the Pacific), about World War II holdout Captain Sakae Oba.

Filming took place in Thailand.

Inoue Mao was chosen to chair the Red team in the New Year's Eve Singing Contest Kōhaku Uta Gassen 2011.

This team became the first female-led Red team to win the Kōuhaku Uta Gassen in seven years.

Because of her performance in Oba: Miracle in the Pacific, she was chosen to star in the comedy Tug of War!, which will be released in 2012.

It was announced in May 2012 that Inoue Mao would play the lead role in a summer drama called Tokkan Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choushukan, reuniting her with director Tsuna Hiichatta.

The drama will air in July 2012.

She appeared alongside V6's member Junichi Okada and Haruma Miura in the war film Eien no Zero.

Filming started June 2012 and released in December 2013.

The film topped the Japan Box Office for 8 consecutive weeks and broke box office records.

The film also won The Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.