Japanese actress and model Tao Okamoto made history at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Japanese woman to win the Best Actress prize - sharing the award with Virginie Efira for their performances in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden.
Tao began her career modelling in Japan before moving to Paris at nineteen, where she became one of the few East Asian models of her generation to break through on the European runways. She has fronted campaigns for Alexander Wang, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren and Yves Saint Laurent, among many others, and has been shot by Mario Testino, Alasdair McLellan and Mert & Marcus.
Editorially, she has appeared in i-D, Interview, V Magazine, W, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and was the cover star of Vogue Nippon's November 2009 issue. She was named Japan Fashion Editor's Club Model of the Year and Vogue Nippon Women of the Year in 2010.
Her film debut as Mariko Yashida opposite Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine (2013) announced her as a screen presence to watch. She went on to star in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) alongside Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, take recurring roles in Hannibal, The Man in the High Castle and Westworld, and lead the Japanese blockbuster franchise The Silent Service (2023–2025) - before her Cannes-winning turn announced her arrival at the very top of world cinema.