Naoko Mori

Born: 29th November 1971
Episodes Broadcast: 2005-2008

Biography

Naoko Mori was born in Nagoya, Japan and spent time in both New Jersey and London as her father relocated for business. When her parents left England to return to their home country, the teenaged Mori decided to stay behind. She began to take singing lessons, and successfully auditioned for the West End musical Miss Saigon. Mori later took over the starring role, where she performed alongside her future Torchwood co-star, John Barrowman. She made her television debut in 1992, with an episode of the sitcom Desmond's and the first of twelve appearances over the years in Absolutely Fabulous. Mori soon won a regular role in the eighth season of Casualty. Other Nineties television included Thief Takers, Bugs and Psychos. Her first movie was Hackers in 1995, after which she could be seen in the Spice Girls vehicle Spice World and the critically-lauded Topsy-Turvy.

Mori focussed on television after the turn of the century, including episodes of Judge John Deed, Doctors and Spooks. In 2005, she appeared in the revival of Doctor Who, taking the small role of Dr Sato in Aliens Of London / World War Three, an adventure for Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor. Mori's performance impressed executive producer Russell T Davies, and he decided to bring her back when he launched the spin-off series Torchwood in 2006. Her character, now Toshiko Sato, was eventually killed off in the second-season finale Exit Wounds. In between her two runs on Torchwood, Mori returned to the West End in Avenue Q.

Amongst Mori's credits after leaving Torchwood were Maneater, Rocket's Island, Midsomer Murders and The Terror. She was reunited with Eccleston when she played Yoko Ono to his John Lennon in the 2010 telefilm Lennon Naked. Movie roles included the action-adventure Everest, science-fiction/horror Life, and musical sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. A third West End run came in 2018, with The King And I. In 2016, Mori started reprising the role of Tosh for the Torchwood range of audio dramas from Big Finish Productions, beginning with Zone 10.

Credits
Actor, Toshiko
Aliens Of London / World War One
Everything Changes
Day One
Ghost Machine
Cyberwoman
Small Worlds
Countrycide
Greeks Bearing Gifts
They Keep Killing Suzie
Random Shoes
Out Of Time
Combat
Captain Jack Harkness
End Of Days
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Sleeper
To The Last Man
Meat
Adam
Reset
Dead Man Walking
A Day In The Death
Something Borrowed
From Out Of The Rain
Adrift
Fragments
Exit Wounds

Updated 20th August 2021