was a Japanese singer and actress. She made her debut in the 1985 drama Maido Osawagase Shimasu, where her performance led to instant stardom. Nakayama released her debut single, "C", shortly after, and finished the year with her film debut in the blockbuster Be-Bop High School. She became one of the most popular idols during its "Golden Age" in the 1980s. Nicknamed , Nakayama occasionally used the pseudonyms or when she wrote song lyrics.
After pivoting towards a dance-oriented sound, she achieved five consecutive number one singles. Her best known songs from this period include "Waku Waku Sasete", "50/50", "Catch Me" and "You're My Only Shinin' Star". In the 1990s, she wrote lyrics and recorded ballads, resulting in several platinum singles and her biggest sales: "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." (1991), "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" (1992) with Wands, and "Tada Nakitaku Naru no" (1994).
Nakayama received positive reviews for her lead roles in Love Letter (1995) and Tokyo Weather (1997).
Early life and education Nakayama was born on 1 March 1970, in Saku, Nagano. After her mother remarried, her family moved to Koganei, Tokyo, where Nakayama attended Koganei Municipal Junior High School.
Career
Singing After a talent scout discovered her in Harajuku, Nakayama debuted on 21 June 1985 with her single "C", and with her starring role in the film Be-Bop High School. Throughout her career as a singer and actress, she recorded 22 studio albums and scored eight No. 1 singles on Oricon charts, two of which sold over one million copies each. She also starred in a 1987 Famicom Disk System adventure game produced by Nintendo titled Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School, in which she played a high school student who tries to conceal her actual identity.
By the 1990s, her artistry began to mature as she penned lyrics and recorded ballads, resulting in several platinum singles and her biggest sales: "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." (1991), "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" (1992) with Wands, and "Tada Nakitaku Naru no" (1994). Nicknamed , Nakayama occasionally used the pseudonyms or when she wrote song lyrics.
Acting In 1995, director Shunji Iwai cast Nakayama in the starring dual roles of Hiroko Watanabe and Itsuki Fujii in the film Love Letter. The film was a huge box-office success, and Nakayama won Best Actress awards for her role in the film at the 38th Blue Ribbon Awards, the 17th Yokohama Film Festival and the 18th Hochi Film Awards.
On 8 November 2021, Nakayama starred alongside King & Prince member Yuta Jinguji in the stage play at The Globe Tokyo. The play ran until December 5.
From 1985, she was represented by Big Apple Co., Ltd.
Awards Nakayama was nominated for a Best Actress Japanese Academy Award in 1998 for her role in Tokyo Biyori, and has appeared in numerous TV series including Love Story (2001).
Personal life Nakayama's younger sister is Shinobu Nakayama, also an actress and retired pop singer. She also has a younger brother named Tomoaki.
Two years after her friend Yasuko Endō died by suicide, Nakayama wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song, "Long Distance to Heaven," that she performed during a 1988 concert tour. A requiem for Endō, the song commemorated Endō's cancelled debut single "In the Distance." It was included in her July 1988 album Mind Game, and mentioned in her 1991 essay collection P.S. I Love You. Without specifying Endō's name, Nakayama wrote about her in her 2009 photo essay collection Nazenara Yasashii Machi ga Atta Kara.
In 2002, Nakayama married musician Hitonari Tsuji after an eight-month relationship. They moved to Paris, where they had a son a year later. In 2014, Nakayama and Tsuji divorced, and Nakayama moved back to Japan, with Tsuji retaining custody of their son.
Death and impact Nakayama was found dead in her house by her staff in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo on December 6th 2024 at the age of 54. Her Christmas show in Osaka had been scheduled for that day, but it had been canceled due to her declining health. According to investigators, Nakayama's colleague visited her house after finding out that she did not show up for work that day. Police later announced that they found no signs of foul play after conducting an autopsy, while agency Big Apple said in a statement that Nakayama died due to an accident while she was bathing. The agency added that they are considering the possibility of hosting a public life celebration for Nakayama. On December 12th, Nakayama's remains were cremated at a private funeral attended by her sister Shinobu.
A public memorial was held at the Tokyo International Forum on April 22nd 2025. A special tribute concert to commemorate Nakayama's 40th anniversary was held at NHK Hall on June 18th. The venue was originally planned by Nakayama as the penultimate show of her 2025 tour.
Discography
Studio albums C (1985) After School (1985) Summer Breeze (1986) Exotique (1986) One and Only (1987) Catch the Nite (1988) Mind Game (1988) Angel Hearts (1988) Hide 'n' Seek (1989) Merry Merry (1989) All for You (1990) Jeweluna (1990) Dé eaya (1991) Mellow (1992) Wagamama na Actress (1993) Pure White (1994) Mid Blue (1995) Deep Lip French (1996) Groovin' Blue (1997) Olive (1998) Manifesto (1999) Neuf Neuf (2019)
Filmography
Film Release dateTitleDistributorRoleDirectorCo-starsTheme song12/14/1985Be-Bop High SchoolTōei Co., Ltd.Kyōko IzumiHiroyuki NasuKojiro Shimizu, Tōru Nakamura, Masumi MiyazakiMiho Nakayama/"Be-Bop High School"8/9/1986Be-Bop High School: Kōkō Yotarō ElegyTōei Co., Ltd.Kyōko IzumiHiroyuki NasuKojiro Shimizu, Tōru Nakamura, Masumi MiyazakiMiho Nakayama/"Jingi Aishite Moraimasu"8/26/1989Who Do I Choose? TohoNobuko KuwataShūsuke KanekoHiroyuki Sanada, Tōru Kazama, Rie MiyazawaMiho Nakayama/"Virgin Eyes"8/31/1991Nami no Kazu dake Dakishimete TohoMariko TanakaYasuo BabaYuji Oda, Yuki Matsushita, Tetsuya Bessho3/25/1995Love Letter Herald AceHiroko Watanabe/Itsuki FujiiShunji IwaiEtsushi Toyokawa, Miki Sakai, Takashi Kashiwabara10/18/1997Tokyo Weather Toho Yōko ShimatsuNaoto TakenakaNaoto Takenaka, Takako Matsu, Tomokazu MiuraTaeko Ōnuki/"Himawari"1/23/2010Sayonara Someday Asmik AceKutsuko ManakaJohn H. LeeHidetoshi Nishijima, Yuriko Ishida, Takehiro Hira, Takahiro Nishijima, Masaya KatoMika Nakashima/"Always"10/6/2012I Have to Buy New Shoes Tōei Co., Ltd.Aoi TeshigawaraEriko KitagawaOsamu Mukai, Mirei Kiritani4/27/2018Marmalade Boy Warner Bros.Chiyako MatsuuraRyūichi HirokiHinako Sakurai, Ryo Yoshizawa, Michitaka Tsutsui, Shōsuke Tanihara, Rei DanGReeeeN/"Koi"5/12/2018Butterfly Sleep Kadokawa PicturesRyoko MatsumuraJeong Jae-eun Kim Jae-wook, Anna Ishibashi, Shun Sugata, Masanobu Katsumura, Masatoshi Nagase1/25/2019Ai Uta: My Promise to Nakuhito Tōei Co., Ltd.Saeko HashinoTaisuke KawamuraRyusei Yokohama, Kaya Kiyohara, Hiroki Iijima, Riko Narumi, Naomi ZaizenGReeeeN/"Yakusoku x No title"10/25/2019108: Revenge and Adventure of Goro Kaiba Phantom Film Co., Ltd.Ayako KaibaSuzuki MatsuoSuzuki Matsuo, Shunsuke Daitō, Louis Kurihara, LiLiCo, Seizō Fukumoto Gen Hoshino/"Yoru no Bōto"1/17/2020Last Letter TohoSakaeShunji IwaiTakako Matsu, Masaharu Fukuyama, Suzu Hirose, Nana Mori, Etsushi ToyokawaNana Mori/"Kaeru no Uta"5/6/2022Lesson in Murder The KlockWorx Co., Ltd.Eriko KakeiKazuya ShiraishiSadao Abe, Kenshi Okada, Takanori Iwata, Yū Miyazaki
Television series