Birthday Spotlight Naomi Matsuda

Naomi Matsuda was born on March 14 in Nagasaki, Japan.

Naomi Matsuda was born on March 14 in Nagasaki, Japan.

The actress moved to San Diego at age 5 with her mother and brother.

Naomi Matsuda was born on March 14 in Nagasaki, Japan.

The actress moved to San Diego at age 5 with her mother and brother.

Matsuda was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer in 2022.

Naomi Matsuda was born on March 14 in Nagasaki, Japan.

The actress moved to San Diego at age 5 with her mother and brother.

Matsuda was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer in 2022.

The actress recounted the origins of her name with Digest. “Naomi comes from the Bible. It’s Hebrew. My mother wanted to give me a different kind of name. She did not want to give me a traditional Japanese name. I love that.”

Soap operas helped Matsuda acclimate to life in the United States. “I started kindergarten and I was a year late, and I had to learn English, so every day when I came home from school, I watched soap operas,” she recalls. “I saw Susan Lucci [ex-Erica, ALL MY CHILDREN] every day. The soap operas helped me speak English.”