Keiko Kitagawa

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Keiko Kitagawa

Kitagawa in an interview at Stardust Promotion Inc
Born August 22, 1986 (1986-08-22) (age 21)
Kobe, Japan
Years active 2003-present
Official website

Keiko Kitagawa (北川 景子 Kitagawa Keiko?, born August 22, 1986) is a Japanese actress and former model. She was an exclusive model for the Japanese Seventeen magazine from late 2003 to mid 2006, and left modeling when she left the magazine. Her first acting role was Sailor Mars in the Sailor Moon live action show Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-4), and since that time she has appeared primarily in films, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Dear Friends (2007). She also played the lead role in the TV Drama Mop Girl (2007).

Contents

[edit] Life

Kitagawa was born on August 22, 1986 in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and has a younger brother.[1] She grew up in Kobe, and lost many friends in the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995.[2] As a child, she wanted to be a doctor, but by the time she reached high school she was uncertain as to whether she could do that. When she was young she was hit by a car and while she was in the hospital she said shenever wanted to leave because she got to sleep and eat really delicious food.[3] At around this time, she was scouted by a talent agency, and she decided to enter the entertainment world. Her parents were initially opposed, but they gave their permission, on two conditions: that she give up if she was making no progress within a year, and that she put her studies first and graduate from university.[4]

Fortunately, she made progress quickly. She was chosen as Miss Seventeen 2003,[5] which led to her working as a model with the Japanese Seventeen until she graduated from the magazine in September 2006.[6] In the latter part of the run, she had her own regular feature, "Keiko's Beauty Honey".[7]

Also in 2003, she was given the role of Rei Hino in the live action television series of Sailor Moon, which began her acting career. She has since appeared in a number of films, including the leading role in Dear Friends.[7] Since May 2007, she has been writing a column entitled Keytan Hakusho for the Japanese weekly television listings magazine Weekly The Television.[7] ("Kii-tan" was her nickname at elementary school.[8] "Hakusho" means "white paper".) She is also continuing her studies, majoring in commercial science[9] at Meiji University[10] in Tokyo.

She moved to Tokyo when she started working as an actress and model, and has lived there since. She traveled to California for the filming of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and returned there to study English for a couple of months early in 2006.[11] At this time, she started a blog, which she continued until June 2007; the blog was deleted in July 2007.[12]

She describes herself as a stay-at-home person, and likes watching DVDs, listening to music, and reading books. She also likes swimming, particularly backstroke.[2] She has a pet (male) cat, called Jill.[13]

At present, she is managed by Stardust Promotion.[7]

She has appeared in the films Mizu ni Sumu Hana (2006), Mamiya Kyōdai (2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Cherry Pie (2006), and Dear Friends (2007), Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku (2007), Southbound (2007), and Heat Island (2007). She will appear in the film Handsome Suit (2008).

She appeared in the TV dramas Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-4) and Mop Girl (2007).[14]

[edit] Works

[edit] Films

[edit] TV series

  • 2007 : Mop Girl - As Momoko Hasegawa.
  • 2008 : Sun and Ocean Classroom - As 榎戸若葉[17]

[edit] Radio

  • 2006 : Tanabata Nananenkai - As Naomi Setsuraku/Midori Fujikura

[edit] DVD

  • 2004/2005 : Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Live Action vol. 1 to 12.
  • 2004 : Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Kirari Super Live
  • 2004 : Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Special Act
  • 2005 : Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Act Zero
  • 2006 : Mizu ni Sumu Hana
  • 2006 : Mamiya Kyōdai
  • 2006 : The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
  • 2007 : Cherry Pie
  • 2007 : Dear Friends

[edit] Books

  • 2006 : STYLISH STREET BOOK "I've been to Hollywood!"
  • 2007 : Kitagawa Keiko Shashinshū Dear Friends

[edit] Commercials

[edit] Magazine column

[edit] CD

  • 2004 : Sakura Fubuki (as Rei Hino)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-02-26). 初メキシコ. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
  2. ^ a b Kitagawa, Keiko (2007). 北川景子写真集 Dear Friends. Kadokawa Media House. ISBN 978-4-04-894906-4. 
  3. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-02-28). Ms. ティッシュー. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  4. ^ Wakayama, Aya. Six Elements of Woman. J Nude. Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  5. ^ Cast & Staff. Cherry Pie website. Cinemusica. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  6. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-09-15). ＳＥVＥＮＴＥＥＮ 卒業. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  7. ^ a b c d e Keiko Kitagawa Official Web Site. Stardust Promotion. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  8. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-12-13). Should I cry? Should I die? Or go crazy and then fly-. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  9. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-03-02). サンセット. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  10. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006-04-18). 勇気を出して立ち読み. 北川景子のBlog♪Blog♪Blog♪. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  11. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko (2006). Stylish Street Book ハリウッドへ行っちゃった！. 　SDP. ISBN 4-903620-01-8. 
  12. ^ The blog was the source for a lot of the information in this article, and those references can no longer be checked.
  13. ^ Kitagawa, Keiko. "Keytan Hakusho 19", Weekly the Television, Kadokawa, 2007-10-19, pp. 90. (Japanese) 
  14. ^ "Aki no Shin Dorama (Autumn's New Dramas)", Weekly The Television, Kadokawa, 2007-08-31, pp. 22. (Japanese) 
  15. ^ In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, her character Rei takes on the pseudonym "Mars Reiko'. It is unknown if this is a coincidence.
  16. ^ 外見より中身…今秋公開「ハンサム★スーツ」ヒロイン. スポーツ報知 (2008-03-10). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  17. ^ Cast&Staff. 太陽と海の教室 - フジテレビ (2008-06-11). Retrieved on 2008-06-11.

[edit] External links