Japanese actress Yuko Takeuchi was found dead at her residence in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in what police are investigating as a suspected suicide, according to multiple outlets. Takeuchi is best known to North American audiences at the center of Miss Sherlock, Hulu and HBO Asia's female-led adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved mystery novels.Prior to her death, Takeuchi was nominated for four Japanese Academy Awards for her work in film, and appeared in high-profile ad campaigns for Panasonic, Suntory, and Shiseido.
Her most recent film, The Confidence Man JP: Princess, was released over the summer. Takeuchi is survived by her husband, actor Taiki Nakabayashi, and two children.In addition to her prolific career on Japanese television dramas (including the morning series Asuka, Love and Life in the White, and the historical epic Sanada Maru), Takeuchi appeared in a small role in Hideo Nakata's J-horror hit Ringu, which inspired Gore Verbinski's 2002 English-language remake The Ring starring Naomi Watts.