Mari Yamamoto (born February 4, 1986) is a Japanese actress and journalist who has starred in Pachinko, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Rental Family.
Early life and education Born in Japan, Yamamoto moved with her family to London in 1991, before eventually returning to live in Tokyo in 1994 at the age of 8. She described the experience as akin to being an outsider, where she'd be considered "very Japanese everywhere in the world" but "wasn’t quite Japanese enough" in Japan itself.
Yamamoto studied international relations at International Christian University in Tokyo, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts. She then moved to New York City to study method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. During this time she was also part of The Bats acting company at The Flea Theater.
Career
Journalism Yamamoto returned to Tokyo and began working in journalism, writing articles for The Daily Beast alongside American journalist Jake Adelstein. When Adelstein's book, Tokyo Vice, was adapted into a television series for HBO Max, Yamamoto was recruited to work on the show's writing staff. She became a producer on the series in its second season.
Acting In 2022, Yamamoto starred in the recurring role of Hana in the Apple TV+ series Pachinko. That same year she joined the cast of Apple's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. In March 2024, she was cast to star opposite Brendan Fraser in the film Rental Family.
Filmography Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 2014 Allure Hana 2015 Bourek Fujiko Sayonara 2017 Jimami Tofu Yuki 2021 Kate Kanako 2025 Rental Family Aiko
Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 2022–2024 Tokyo Vice Script consultant (season 1); associate producer (season 2) 2022 Pachinko Hana Recurring role, 5 episodes 2023–present Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Keiko Miura Main role, 18 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2025 Assassin's Creed Shadows
References
External links