Taro Yamamoto (山本太郎 / YAMAMOTO Taro) is a Japanese actor. He was born on November 24, 1974 in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture.
While still in high school, Yamamoto began appearing on the street dancing show “Dance Koshien” in a speedo and yellow swim cap while jumping around yelling “Merorin Q!”. He came up with the otherwise nonsense term as a child during a brief stay in the Philippines from a deep-fried street food called “Banana Q”. He changed “banana” to “melon” and added an extra syllable because it sounded better.
Yamamoto could have easily been dismissed as a variety show one-hit-wonder, but his unique combination of tough guy looks and kind personality made him perfect for a variety of roles in TV dramas and films.