Yamato Kochi (born December 3, 1978) is a Japanese actor. Born in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, he left university to pursue acting and built his career largely through Shakespearean stage work. He later gained wider recognition through television and film, and his role in the 2025 film Exit 8 earned him the Newcomer of the Year award at the 49th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Early career
Kochi studied civil engineering at Niigata University before dropping out in his fourth year after developing an interest in acting. He began his stage career at the Niigata-City Performing Arts Center, performing in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. His debut role came in 2000 in Richard III, and in 2004 he played Macbeth and Hamlet. He later took the title role in King Lear in 2013.
Theatre and screen work
Driven by his interest in Shakespeare, Kochi founded G-GARAGE, a company devoted to pursuing and promoting Shakespearean works. In 2021 he began working with playwright Hideki Noda. His acting reached television in 2023 with the TBS series Vivant, and his breakthrough in cinema came with Exit 8 in 2025.