Childhood (1966–1979) According to his book
Kawasaki Kid, Higashiyama's paternal
great-grandfather was Russian. When he was still a baby, his grandfather drunkenly poured boiling water on his leg, which left him with a deformity in his left foot. Because of this burn, he stated that his leg remained bandaged until he was about three years old. Higashiyama was known to train very hard, doing 1,000 sit-ups daily, running and maintaining a body fat percentage of 9%. He worked out intensely because the deformity in his leg caused pain in his hip joint without muscle training. His parents divorced when he was three years old due to his father's
drinking problem. Worried that Higashiyama would become a drunkard like his father and grandfather, his mother repeatedly advised him, "When you grow up, be careful that alcohol doesn't ruin your life." He credited this guidance with helping him avoid getting deeply intoxicated when he did drink.
Early career (1979–1985) In 1979, his mother, who worked at a barbershop for
NHK employees in
Shibuya,
Tokyo, gave him tickets to watch a singing show. Higashiyama went with a friend to see the show at
NHK. Higashiyama, who had always suffered from hunger, stated that after he joined Johnny's, he was grateful that Johnny Kitagawa would take him out to eat after dance lessons. When he entered high school, he left home to escape his stepfather and began living in Johnny's dormitory. Higashiyama mentioned that for a while after he joined Johnny's, he struggled to dance well because he found it strange for a man to sing and dance as an idol at that time. However, he was "struck by lightning" when he saw a
Michael Jackson video in the dormitory, and he honed his dancing skills in admiration of him. In the dormitory, he also practiced acrobatics with the other trainees who lived there. In 1981, the "B Team" was formed with Kazukiyo Nishikiori, Katsuhide Uekusa, and Yasuyuki Matsubara. The following year, in 1982, Matsubara was replaced by Higashiyama, and the group was renamed
Shonentai. They primarily worked as backup dancers for
Toshihiko Tahara and
Masahiko Kondō.
Acting career (1985–2023) Shonentai made their record debut on December 12, 1985, with the single
Kamen Butōkai. At the time of their debut, all three members could perform backflips and back somersaults, and their advanced acrobatic skills, such as throwing and catching microphones, garnered significant attention. Higashiyama portrayed a prince-like character who was calm and spoke little. The term "sauce face" (defined facial features) was coined to describe a tanned, chiseled face like Nishikiori's, becoming popular to characterize good-looking men. They were selected for the "Basic Knowledge of Modern Terms," published every December, and won the Popular Award in the Popular Words category of the 1988 U-CAN Inc. With his stoic image, he has leveraged his acting career to portray a wide range of roles, from prince-like characters and
jidaigeki (historical dramas) to comedies. After portraying Japanese historical figures such as
Okita Sōji,
Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and
Hikaru Genji, he became the first Johnny's actor to star in an
NHK Taiga drama in 1993 with
Ryukyu no Kaze. He has starred in the popular
TV Asahi jidaigeki drama
Hissatsu series since 2007, the
NHK jidaigeki drama
Ooka Echizen since 2013, and the
TV Asahi serial detective drama
Seven Detectives since 2015.
2023 appointment at Johnny & Associates and retirement On September 5, 2023, Higashiyama succeeded Julie Keiko Fujishima as president of Johnny & Associates, which was later renamed
Smile-Up on October 17 of the same year. Fujishima resigned following the sexual assault scandal involving the company's founder, Johnny Kitagawa, and the investigation report highlighted the "negative effects of family management." On the same day, Higashiyama held a press conference and announced that he would retire from show business by the end of 2023 to focus on his company’s business. Higashiyama and Julie are the same age and have been close since they met at 14, "like childhood friends," he said. Julie also did styling and management work for
Shonentai, the
boy band to which Higashiyama belongs, while she was still a college student. Over the years, they developed a trusting relationship in which they could consult each other about anything. and was reportedly in charge of management aspects, including the company's substantive operations. It is said that Mary was particularly fond of
Masahiko Kondō and Higashiyama; it was sometimes said that "Kondō is the first son" (the most powerful person among Johnny's talents) and "Higashiyama is the second son" (the second most powerful person). After Kondo left Johnny's in 2021 due to his own adultery scandal, Higashiyama came to be regarded as "Johnny's first son" in both name and reality. After the
Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal came to light in 2023, Julie initially sought an outside president, but all requests were turned down.
Hideaki Takizawa, who had retired as a talent and became
vice president after Kitagawa died in 2019, was considered another strong successor. However, he left the company in October 2022 and later founded his own entertainment agency,
Tobe. Takizawa was close to Kitagawa in his later years and was said to have been directly nominated as his successor. Julie's mother, Mary, had already died in August 2021. Ultimately, in early August 2023, Julie asked Higashiyama to become president, relying on their long-standing and trusting relationship. He also reportedly took over as president to fulfill his responsibilities as the "first son" of the company. With this announcement, his appearances on
TV Asahi's information variety program
Sunday Live! and the
TBS Television documentary program
Birth Day, in which he had served as a host since the show's inception in 2005, also came to an end after the second episode in the same month. On December 26, Higashiyama made his final appearance on stage before his retirement at his solo dinner show,
Noriyuki Higashiyama Dinner Show 2023, held at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo. This performance marked his last as an entertainer. The show, which had not taken place since 2002, was held in both Osaka and Tokyo for the 2023 edition. Surrounded by excited voices, applause, and audience singing, Higashiyama performed a total of 24 songs, including selections from his time as a member of Shonentai. Nostalgic images from various moments of his artistic life played in the background, culminating in an end roll that showcased his performances up to that point, ending with a heartfelt thank-you message. Higashiyama's last appearance on television was in the
TV Asahi drama
Hissatsu Shigotonin, which was broadcast on December 29, 2023. This popular
jidaigeki had been ongoing since he took over the lead role in 2007. On December 31, 44 years after he entered show business in 1979, he retired from the public stage with a final message on his paid member blog, stating, "I would be grateful if someday people could understand that I chose this kind of life." == Personal life ==