| Keiko Kitagawa | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 22, 1986 Kobe, Japan |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Website | |
| http://official.stardust.co.jp/keiko/ | |
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 after her role in the film Mamiya Kyōdai, she left modeling to concentrate on acting. She has appeared in several films, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and Handsome Suit (2008), and has played leading roles in the TV Dramas Mop Girl (2007), Homeroom on the Beachside (2008), Buzzer Beat (2009) and Lady Saigo no Hanzai Profile (2011).
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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, and not sure what to do in the future.[3] At around this time, she was scouted by a talent agency, and she decided to try 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] She has kept the second half of the promise, graduating in commercial science from Meiji University in Tokyo in March 2009.[5]
The one year time limit did not prove to be a problem. Within a week or so of joining an agency, she had been selected as both a model and an actress.[6] She was chosen as Miss Seventeen 2003,[7] which led to her working as a model with the Japanese Seventeen until she graduated from the magazine in September 2006.[8] In the latter part of the run, she had her own regular feature, "Keiko's Beauty Honey".[9]
As an actress, she was given the role of Rei Hino in the live action television series of Sailor Moon, which began her acting career. Her first significant film role was in Mamiya Kyōdai, and as result of the influence of the director, Yoshimitsu Morita, she decided to concentrate on acting rather than modeling.[6] She initially concentrated on films, including the leading roles in Cherry Pie and Dear Friends.[9] In late 2007, she had her first leading role in a TV drama, in the late-night drama Mop Girl.[9] In 2008, she was given the role of the heroine in Homeroom on the Beachside, Fuji Television's Monday 9pm drama for the summer season. As this is the headline drama slot for a major network, it represented a major step forward for her career.[6]
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.[10] At this time, she started a blog, which she continued until June 2007; the blog was deleted in July 2007.[11] From May to December 2007, she wrote a column entitled Keytan Hakusho for the Japanese weekly television listings magazine Weekly The Television.[9] ("Kii-tan" was her nickname at elementary school.[12] "Hakusho" means "white paper".) She started a new blog at the end of May 2008, shortly before her role in Homeroom on the Beachside was announced.
She describes herself as a stay-at-home person, and likes watching DVDs, listening to music, and reading books. When asked what she would do if the world was going to end tomorrow, she said "read books".[6] She also likes swimming, particularly backstroke.[2] She has a pet (male) cat, called Jill.[13]
At present, she is managed by Stardust Promotion.[9]
She has appeared in the films Mizu ni Sumu Hana (2006), Mamiya Kyōdai (2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Cherry Pie (lead role) (2006), Dear Friends (lead role) (2007), Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku (2007), Southbound (2007), Heat Island (2007), Handsome Suit (2008), Orion in Midsummer (2009), I'll Pay (2009), After the Flowers (lead role) (2010), and Matataki (lead role) (2010), and will appear in Elevator to the Scaffold (2010).[9]
She appeared in the TV dramas Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-4), Mop Girl (lead role) (2007), Homeroom on the Beachside (2008), Buzzer Beat (2009),[14] and Moon Lovers (2010).[15]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mamiya Kyōdai | Yumi Honma |
| Mizu ni Sumu Hana | Rikka Mizuchi | |
| The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Reiko[16] | |
| Cherry Pie | Kiyohara (lead role) | |
| 2007 | Dear Friends | Rina (lead role) |
| Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku | Momoka Katsuragi | |
| Southbound | Youko Uehara | |
| Heat Island | Nao | |
| 2008 | Handsome Suit | Hiroko Hoshino |
| 2009 | Orion in Midsummer | Shitsuko Arisawa and Izumi Kuramoto |
| I'll Pay | ||
| 2010 | After the Flowers | Ito (lead role)[9]\ |
| Elevator to the Scaffold[9] | ||
| Matataki | Izumi | |
| 2011 | Paradise Kiss | Yukari Hayasaka (lead role) |
| 2011 | Magic Tree House | Jack (voice, lead role) |
| 2012 | Kono sekai no Katasumi ni | Suzu (voice) |
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role | Ending Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 2003 | CBC/TBS | Saturday 7:30 AM | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn) | Hino Rei/Sailor Mars | 25 September 2004 |
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role | Ending Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2007 | TV Asahi | Friday 11:15 PM | Mop Girl (モップガール Moppu Gāru) | Momoko Hasegawa (lead role) | 14 December 2007 |
| 21 July 2008 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM | Homeroom on the Beachside (太陽と海の教室 Taiyou to Umi no Kyoushitsu) | Enokido Wakaba | 22 September 2008 |
| 13 July 2009 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM | Buzzer Beat (ブザー・ビート~崖っぷちのヒーロー Buzā Bīto~Gakeppuchi no Hero) | Riko Shirakawa | 21 September 2009 |
| 10 May 2010 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM | Moon Lovers (月の恋人～Moon Lovers～ Tsuki no Koibito～Moon Lovers～) | Ōnuki Yuzuki | 5 July 2010 |
| 7 January 2011 | TBS | Friday 10:00 PM | LADY (LADY～最後の犯罪プロファイル～ LADY~Saigo no Hanzai Profile~) | Kazuki Shōko (lead role) | 25 March 2011 |
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10, 2010 | MBS/TBS | Sunday 9:00 PM | Hostess with a Pen (筆談ホステス Hitsudan Hostess) | Rie Saito |