Takashi Fujii, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of Matthew's Best Hit TV (as the character Matthew Minami, and various other related shows on TV Asahi, a major television network in Japan. On May 7, 2005, he officially announced his intention to marry Otoha, a Japanese idol, and they were married on July 30, 2005 at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo, with an audience of 340 guests including many famous Japanese personalities and celebrities. On May 7, 2007, he and his wife Otoha announced that they are expecting a child.
Acting career
An established celebrity among Japanese television, Takashi Fujii is most active as an actor and a comedic host. In the western world, and particularly the United States, he is perhaps best known for his appearance as Matthew Minami, hosting his own show, with Bill Murray's character Bob Harris in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation. As Matthew, his trademark blonde wig and garish suits complement his effeminate but wacky personality. Although Bill Murray has never been a guest, Fujii actually hosted such a program, now called Matthew's Best Hit UV, largely consisting ofmusicians and popular Japanese celebrities, the show's guests are often subject to fierce competition by Matthew Minami himself. The character Matthew Minami also appears in a handful of programs and shorts related to Best Hit TV. Takashi Fujii is also a popular talent himself and appears frequently on many Japanese variety shows. He is considerably less flamboyant while appearing as himself, but his frequent seemingly random comments and odd gestures are all part of his signature performances. He has even made appearances in the US and China showing off both his comedy and music. Takashi Fujii is currently featured on the following programs :
Takashi Fujii has also made numerous other minor appearances as well as contributing his voice talent on various animated movies including 2004's Mind Game.
Music career
Although Fujii is less active as a musician, his style has transferred successfully into the world of J-pop. His single, "OH MY JULIET!", was produced by popular J-pop artist Tommy february6. The song was subsequently featured in the soundtrack to the movie Babel. Along with Tomoko Kawase, he has also worked with well-known artists such as Daisuke Asakura, Tetsuya Komuro, Seiko Matsuda, and Fayray. In 2004, he did a "World Tour" concert in Los Angeles, U.S. and Shanghai, China.
