(born 29 November 1971) is a Japanese actress based in the United Kingdom. She is known for her roles as Toshiko Sato in Doctor Who and Torchwood, Yasuko Namba in Everest, Sarah in Absolutely Fabulous, Nicola in Spice World, and Betsy Braddock/Psylocke in X-Men '97.
Early life Naoko Mori was born on 29 November 1971 in Nagoya to a Ryukyuan mother and a Japanese American father. When Mori was four years old, she moved to New Jersey due to her father's work. She returned to Japan when she was ten and moved to London two years later. When her parents were posted back to Japan, Mori was given the choice of either moving back to Japan with her parents or remaining in London on her own."The Wright Stuff – Naoko Mori and the papers" YouTube video She chose to stay in London, partly because she wanted to finish her GCSEs and gain some qualifications. She attended the Royal Russell School. Mori's father opened a bank account for her, handed her a cheque book and told her to find a flat or a bedsit for herself to live in. Mori said that being on her own at such a young age helped her to be a very independent person, although it was still a scary world to be faced so young.
Career
While studying for her A-levels, she auditioned and joined London's West End production of the Vietnam War musical Miss Saigon. She later went on to play Kim and became the first Japanese national to play a lead role in the West End. From 1993 to 1994, Mori had a regular role on the hospital drama Casualty as the hospital receptionist Mie Nishikawa. Film roles followed, including appearances in the 1997 musical comedy film Spice World and Topsy-Turvy (1999). Mori also appeared in the television programmes Thief Takers (1997), Judge John Deed (2001), Spooks (2002), Mile High (2003) and Powers (2004).Action TV Online – Powers episode guide In 1995, she had a small role as a Japanese computer hacker in the film Hackers. Mori had a major role in the 2005 BBC docu-drama Hiroshima, which contained dramatic re-enactments of the 1945 atomic bombings. Mori also provided the voice acting for the villainess Mai Hem for the game Perfect Dark Zero.
In 2005, Mori had a small role as Dr. Sato in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London". Producer Russell T Davies took note of her performance and decided to bring the character back as a regular in the first two series of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.. Mori's Torchwood character, Toshiko Sato, was killed in "Exit Wounds", the final episode of Torchwood second series, but Mori did not rule out the possibility of returning to the show at a later date. Since her exit from the show, Mori has reprised the character in multiple Torchwood audio dramas by Big Finish Productions, some of them with her as a lead with a guest cast, but some with her as part of the team with the rest of the main cast. She returned to the West End on 20 November 2006, when she took over the role of Christmas Eve from Ann Harada in the London production of Avenue Q, a role which she played until 14 April 2007. Mori portrayed Yoko Ono in the BBC Four production Lennon Naked, which was broadcast in the UK on 23 June 2010."Fatherhood Season – Lennon Naked" 23 June 2010, BBC The film reunited her with Christopher Eccleston, who played John Lennon, opposite whom she played Toshiko Sato in her Doctor Who appearance. Before joining Torchwood, Mori acted as Kim in Miss Saigon alongside future co-star John Barrowman as Chris.
Mori appeared in the film Everest (2015), as Yasuko Namba, opposite Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, and Sam Worthington.
In 2018, Mori played Lady Thiang in The King and I in London.Bano, Tim. "The King and I review at London Palladium – an opulent and intelligent revival", The Stage, 3 July 2018
She was also the voice of Nagisa Kisaragi in the 2018 version of Firestorm, and the voice of Betsy Braddock/Psylocke in the second season of X-Men '97 in 2026.
Personal life Mori is a Japanese Buddhist. She has an elder brother with whom she grew up in New Jersey. At the age of 16 or 17 she moved into a flat on her own in London. This was when her career expanded. She wanted to become a singer before she was an actress."Interview: Naoko Mori from Torchwood (Part One)" at Daemon's TV website Like Gillian Anderson, she is bidialectal with British and American accents.
Filmography Film YearTitleRole1995HackersTokyo hacker1997Spice WorldNicola1999Topsy-TurvyMiss "Sixpence Please"2000Running TimeMichelle2009ManeaterMorgan Tan2012VexedSatchi KyotoSuspension of DisbeliefFloy2015EverestYasuko Namba2017LifeKazumi2018Mamma Mia! Here We Go AgainYumiko2022Mr. Malcolm's List Mrs Thistlewaite
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1992Desmond'sCarolineEpisode: "Growing Pains"1992–2011Absolutely FabulousSarah12 episodes1993–1994CasualtyMie Nishi-Kawa7 episodes1997Thief TakersMinako TakahashiEpisode: "Brand Loyalty & Black Mist"1998BugsMelissaEpisode: "Jewel Control"1999PsychosMariko Harris6 episodes2001Judge John DeedMutsumi YesayahooEpisode: "Appropriate Response & Rough Justice"2002Murder in MindNaomiEpisode: "Rage"SpooksAnnetteEpisode: "The Rose Bed Memoirs"Doctors Molly FletcherEpisode: "Feet of Clay"2003ManchildGeisha girlSeries 2, episode 7Mile HighNatsumiSeries 1, episode 132004 The Smoking RoomNaokoRecurring character 2005Doctor WhoDoctor SatoEpisode: "Aliens of London"HiroshimaShige HiratsukaDocumentary television filmHot Tub RankingMia6 episodes2006Little Miss JocelynBeauticianSeries 1, episode 52006–2008TorchwoodToshiko Sato26 episodes2010Lennon NakedYoko OnoTelevision film2011Private PracticePatricia RamseyEpisode: "If You Don't Know Me by Now"Three InchesAnnika Television film2012Rocket's IslandLiz2 episodesSarah StripeEpisode: "Hiccupalypse"2015Midsomer MurdersNadia SimonsEpisode: "A Vintage Murder"HumansFionaEpisode: "Episode 4"You, Me and the ApocalypseNocturnapram ProfessorEpisode: "Home Sweet Home"2016–2018Yuki Yoshida (voice)3 episodes2018Patrick MelroseDoctor PagazziEpisode: "At Last"Firestorm Nagisa Kisaragi (voice)Pilot2018–2021Big Hero 6: The SeriesMomakase (voice)7 episodes 2019 Asako Nakayama Main role (season 2) 2020 Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Bonnie Episode: "Zoey's Extraordinary Neighbor"2022 Sister Boniface Mysteries Lilly Ardwell Episode: "My Brother's Keeper" McDonald & Dodds Leyna Masamoto Episode: "A Billion Beats" 2023 The Chelsea Detective Steph Lang Episode: "Golden Years" 2024 3 Body Problem Marie Curie Episode: "Our Lord" 2025 The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball Yuki Yoshida Episode: "The Gourmet"2026 The BoysGolden GeishaEpisode: "Though the Heavens Fall" X-Men '97Betsy Braddock/Psylocke (voice)Season 2; 4 episodes
Video games YearTitleRole2002Mister MosquitoAdditional voices2005Perfect Dark ZeroMai Hem2006Genji: Days of the BladeLady Shizuka2016HitmanKAI2017Final Fantasy XIV: StormbloodYotsuyu2018Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive AgeMiko, Additional Voices
References
External links
Digital Spy interview with Naoko Mori, 4 Apr 2008