Motoki started his entertainment career as a member of
boy band (the name of the band contains a portmanteau of and , a homonym of ). The band made its debut in 1982 under the management of
Johnny & Associates and was popular for a good part of the 1980s. After the band broke up Motoki turned to acting. His first main role in a film was as a Zen monk in the comedy directed by
Masayuki Suo. Motoki also starred in Suo's next film, , which practically introduced him to audiences outside Japan. He then worked with directors such as
Takashi Miike () and
Shinya Tsukamoto (). Motoki's breakthrough to international fame came with the 2008 film directed by
Yōjirō Takita, in which he plays a cellist turned mortician. The film received the
Best Foreign Language Film award at the
81st Academy Awards, as well as
six acting awards for Motoki. The film project started from an idea of Motoki's after he read a book written by a professional mortician. ==Family==