Rinko Kikuchi

Rinko Kikuchi
(菊地 凛子 Kikuchi Rinko)

Kikuchi at 2010 Venice Film Festival
Born Yuriko Kikuchi
January 6, 1981 (1981-01-06) (age 31)
Hadano, Japan
Occupation Actress
Years active 1999–present
Website
http://www.anore.co.jp/artist/actor/rinko/index.html

Rinko Kikuchi (菊地 凛子 Kikuchi Rinko?), born Yuriko Kikuchi (菊地 百合子 Kikuchi Yuriko?), January 6, 1981, is a Japanese actress. Kikuchi is the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years. She is currently Japan's only living female Academy Award nominee in acting categories. The only other nominee was Miyoshi Umeki, who won the Best Supporting Actress award in 1957 for Sayonara.

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Life and career

Kikuchi was born in Minamigaoka, Hadano City, Kanagawa Prefecture. She debuted in 1999 under her birth name, Yuriko Kikuchi, with the Kaneto Shindo-directed film Ikitai (生きたい?).[1] Soon after, in 2001, she starred in the acclaimed Kazuyoshi Komuri-directed film Sora no Ana (空の穴?), which was featured across several international film festivals, including the Rotterdam Film Festival.[1] In 2004, she appeared in the critically acclaimed Katsuhito Ishii-directed film Cha no Aji (茶の味?), which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival.[1]

In 2006, she appeared in the critically acclaimed Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed film Babel, where she played Chieko Wataya, a deaf-mute teenage girl, in a role for which she was critically acclaimed[1] and nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[2] She won several, such as the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Female Performance (tying with Jennifer Hudson) and the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough. Kikuchi is also the fifth actress in Academy Award history to be nominated for an award for a role in which she does not speak a word. (The others were Jane Wyman, Patty Duke, Holly Hunter, and Samantha Morton). Kikuchi has appeared in two Mamoru Oshii movies: 2008's The Sky Crawlers and Assault Girls (2009).

Her emotionally intense role in Babel has led to her being noticed by many international directors, such as Rian Johnson, auteur director of Brick. She starred in his second film, 2009's The Brothers Bloom, which was her first fully English-language feature. Though she plays a main character, she only speaks three words in the film; her character is said to only know three words of English.

She was mentioned in an episode of the TV show Robot Chicken on the Adult Swim network in a parody of the popular movie-themed Lego play sets.

In March 2011 she was named to the Keanu Reeves-led cast of 47 Ronin, the first English-language adaptation of the Chushingura legend, Japan's most famous tale of samurai loyalty and revenge.[3]

Filmography

Year Title Director Notes
1999 Ikitai Kaneto Shindo a.k.a. Will to Live
2000 Sanmon Yakusha Kaneto Shindo
Akai Shibafu Mieko Umeuchi a.k.a. Red lawn
2001 Paradice Tatsuya Moriyama a.k.a. Paradise
Sora no Ana Kazuyoshi Kumakiri a.k.a. Hole of Sky
DRUG Hiroshi Sugawara
2002 Hachigatsu no Maboroshi Kosuke Suzuki a.k.a.Mirage of August
2003 Jyunanasai Hoka Kinoshita a.k.a. Seventeen
2004 Tori Tadanobu Asano
Cha no Aji Katsuhito Ishii a.k.a. The Taste of Tea
69 sixty nine Sang-il Lee
Survive Style 5+ Gen Sekiguchi, Taku Tada
Riyū Nobuhiko Obayashi
2005 Tagatameni Taro Hyugaji
2006 Nice no Mori: The First Contact Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, Hajime Ishimine (ANIKI)
Warau Michael Issei Oda aka Archangels
Babel Alejandro González Iñárritu Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress[2]
Film nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture Non-speaking Role
2007 Zukan ni Nottenai Mushi[4] Satoshi Miki a.k.a. The Bug That's Not in the Guide
2008 The Brothers Bloom[5] Rian Johnson
The Sky Crawlers[6] Mamoru Oshii Animated film
2009 Map of the Sounds of Tokyo Isabel Coixet
Sideways Cellin Gluck Remake of the 2004 film
Assault Girls Mamoru Oshii Live-action movie
2010 Shanghai Mikael Håfström Sumiko (uncredited)
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung Naoko
2012 47 Ronin Carl Rinsch Mizuki
2013 Pacific Rim Guillermo del Toro Mako Mori

Television

Year Title Channel
1999 Bakayaro! Special 2
Kawaii dakeja Dame kashira ANB
2001 Chura-san NHK
2002 The private detective Mike Hama YTV #1
2003 Uchu ni Ichiban Chikai basho
Ai to Shihonshugi WOWOW
2004 Ryu WOWOW
2009-10 Liar Game 2 Fuji TV
2010 Moteki TV Tokyo

Awards and nominations

Year Group Award Result Film
2006 Gotham Awards Breakthrough Award Won Babel
Best Ensemble Cast Won
National Board of Review Best Breakthrough Performance - Female Won
Austin Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Most Promising Performer Nominated
2007 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
Golden Globes Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Nominated
Academy Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role[2] Nominated
2009 Chlotrudis Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated The Brothers Bloom

References

Bibliography

External links