Keiko Kitagawa
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese 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).
, Japan, and has a younger brother. She grew up in Kobe
, and lost many friends in the Great Hanshin earthquake
in 1995. 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. 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. She has kept the second half of the promise, graduating in commercial science from Meiji University
in Tokyo in March 2009.
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. She was chosen as Miss Seventeen 2003, which led to her working as a model with the Japanese Seventeen
until she graduated from the magazine in September 2006. In the latter part of the run, she had her own regular feature, "Keiko's Beauty Honey".
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. She initially concentrated on films, including the leading roles in Cherry Pie and Dear Friends. In late 2007, she had her first leading role in a TV drama, in the late-night drama Mop Girl
. 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.
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. At this time, she started a blog, which she continued until June 2007; the blog was deleted in July 2007. From May to December 2007, she wrote a column entitled Keytan Hakusho for the Japanese weekly television listings magazine Weekly The Television. ("Kii-tan" was her nickname at elementary school. "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". She also likes swimming, particularly backstroke. She has a pet (male) cat, called Jill.
At present, she is managed by Stardust Promotion
.
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).
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), and Moon Lovers (2010).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese actress and former model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. She was an exclusive model for the Japanese Seventeen
Seventeen (Japanese magazine)
Seventeen is a monthly Japanese fashion magazine for female teenagers published by Shueisha.Launched in 1967 as a weekly magazine based on the original American Seventeen, the magazine changed the name to SEVENTEEN in 1987, and to Seventeen in 2008.Since the late 1990s, Seventeen has been the...
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
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
show Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...
(2003-4), and after her role in the film Mamiya Kyōdai
Mamiya kyodai
is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita, based on a novel by Kaori Ekuni. The film follows two eccentric brothers, who are also each other's best friend, as they try to find love....
, she left modeling to concentrate on acting. She has appeared in several films, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
(2006) and Handsome Suit (2008), and has played leading roles in the TV Dramas Mop Girl
Mop Girl
is a television drama series based on the novel of the same title by ; it recounts the adventures of Momoko Hasegawa, played by Keiko Kitagawa, who possesses the ability to travel back in time upon contact with belongings of a deceased person with unfinished business in life...
(2007), Homeroom on the Beachside (2008), Buzzer Beat
Buzzer Beat
is a Fuji TV Japanese television drama, which stars Yamashita Tomohisa, Keiko Kitagawa, and Aibu Saki.The series primarily focuses on two characters, Naoki Kamiya , a professional basketball player, and Riko Shirakawa , an aspiring violinist...
(2009) and Lady Saigo no Hanzai Profile (2011).
Life
Kitagawa was born on August 22, 1986 in Hyōgo PrefectureHyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan, and has a younger brother. She grew up in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, and lost many friends in the Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...
in 1995. 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. 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. She has kept the second half of the promise, graduating in commercial science from Meiji University
Meiji University
is a private university in Tokyo and Kawasaki, founded in 1881 by three lawyers of the Meiji era, Kishimoto Tatsuo, Miyagi Kōzō, and Yashiro Misao. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Japanese universities in Tokyo, Japan....
in Tokyo in March 2009.
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. She was chosen as Miss Seventeen 2003, which led to her working as a model with the Japanese Seventeen
Seventeen (Japanese magazine)
Seventeen is a monthly Japanese fashion magazine for female teenagers published by Shueisha.Launched in 1967 as a weekly magazine based on the original American Seventeen, the magazine changed the name to SEVENTEEN in 1987, and to Seventeen in 2008.Since the late 1990s, Seventeen has been the...
until she graduated from the magazine in September 2006. In the latter part of the run, she had her own regular feature, "Keiko's Beauty Honey".
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
Mamiya kyodai
is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita, based on a novel by Kaori Ekuni. The film follows two eccentric brothers, who are also each other's best friend, as they try to find love....
, and as result of the influence of the director, Yoshimitsu Morita, she decided to concentrate on acting rather than modeling. She initially concentrated on films, including the leading roles in Cherry Pie and Dear Friends. In late 2007, she had her first leading role in a TV drama, in the late-night drama Mop Girl
Mop Girl
is a television drama series based on the novel of the same title by ; it recounts the adventures of Momoko Hasegawa, played by Keiko Kitagawa, who possesses the ability to travel back in time upon contact with belongings of a deceased person with unfinished business in life...
. In 2008, she was given the role of the heroine in Homeroom on the Beachside, Fuji Television
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
'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.
She moved to Tokyo when she started working as an actress and model, and has lived there since. She traveled to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for the filming of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
, and returned there to study English for a couple of months early in 2006. At this time, she started a blog, which she continued until June 2007; the blog was deleted in July 2007. From May to December 2007, she wrote a column entitled Keytan Hakusho for the Japanese weekly television listings magazine Weekly The Television. ("Kii-tan" was her nickname at elementary school. "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". She also likes swimming, particularly backstroke. She has a pet (male) cat, called Jill.
At present, she is managed by Stardust Promotion
Stardust Promotion
is one of the leading talent management firms in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shibuya, Tokyo Stardust also operates its own record label, Stardust Music, and its own production company, Stardust Studio is one of the leading talent management firms in Japan. Its headquarters are located...
.
She has appeared in the films Mizu ni Sumu Hana (2006), Mamiya Kyōdai
Mamiya kyodai
is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita, based on a novel by Kaori Ekuni. The film follows two eccentric brothers, who are also each other's best friend, as they try to find love....
(2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
(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).
She appeared in the TV dramas Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...
(2003-4), Mop Girl
Mop Girl
is a television drama series based on the novel of the same title by ; it recounts the adventures of Momoko Hasegawa, played by Keiko Kitagawa, who possesses the ability to travel back in time upon contact with belongings of a deceased person with unfinished business in life...
(lead role) (2007), Homeroom on the Beachside (2008), Buzzer Beat
Buzzer Beat
is a Fuji TV Japanese television drama, which stars Yamashita Tomohisa, Keiko Kitagawa, and Aibu Saki.The series primarily focuses on two characters, Naoki Kamiya , a professional basketball player, and Riko Shirakawa , an aspiring violinist...
(2009), and Moon Lovers (2010).
Films
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mamiya Kyōdai Mamiya kyodai is a 2006 comedy film written and directed by Japanese director Yoshimitsu Morita, based on a novel by Kaori Ekuni. The film follows two eccentric brothers, who are also each other's best friend, as they try to find love.... |
Yumi Honma |
| Mizu ni Sumu Hana | Rikka Mizuchi | |
| The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology... |
Reiko | |
| Cherry Pie | Kiyohara (lead role) | |
| 2007 | Dear Friends | Rina (lead role) |
| Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku | Momoka Katsuragi | |
| Southbound Southbound (film) is a Japanese movie starring Toyokawa Etsushi and Amami Yūki, which tells the story of a schoolboy whose family moves from Tokyo to Okinawa. It is based on the novel of the same name by Okuda Hideo. It began filming in May 2007 in Tokyo; the crew went to Okinawa for on-location filming at the end... |
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)\ |
| Elevator to the Scaffold | ||
| Matataki | Izumi | |
| 2011 | Paradise Kiss Paradise Kiss , abbreviated to "ParaKiss", is a manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. It appeared as a serial in the Japanese manga magazine Zipper. Shodensha collected the chapters into five volumes... |
Yukari Hayasaka (lead role) |
Tokusatsu drama
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role | Ending Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 October 2003 | CBC Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency... /TBS Tokyo Broadcasting System , TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named .... |
Saturday 7:30 AM | Hino Rei/Sailor Mars | 25 September 2004 |
Renzoku drama
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role | Ending Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2007 | TV Asahi TV Asahi , also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network.... |
Friday 11:15 PM | Momoko Hasegawa (lead role) | 14 December 2007 | |
| 21 July 2008 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM Getsuku is a Japanese abbreviation for , meaning Monday at 9 pm. This is traditionally the time when the most popular TV dramas air in Japan.-History:Fuji TV, one of the major broadcasting companies in Japan, started the pattern of airing the dramas it predicted would be most popular on Monday nights... |
Enokido Wakaba | 22 September 2008 | |
| 13 July 2009 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM Getsuku is a Japanese abbreviation for , meaning Monday at 9 pm. This is traditionally the time when the most popular TV dramas air in Japan.-History:Fuji TV, one of the major broadcasting companies in Japan, started the pattern of airing the dramas it predicted would be most popular on Monday nights... |
Riko Shirakawa (lead role) | 21 September 2009 | |
| 10 May 2010 | Fuji TV | Monday 9:00 PM Getsuku is a Japanese abbreviation for , meaning Monday at 9 pm. This is traditionally the time when the most popular TV dramas air in Japan.-History:Fuji TV, one of the major broadcasting companies in Japan, started the pattern of airing the dramas it predicted would be most popular on Monday nights... |
Ōnuki Yuzuki | 5 July 2010 | |
| 7 January 2011 | TBS Tokyo Broadcasting System , TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named .... |
Friday 10:00 PM | Kazuki Shōko (lead role) | TBA |
Tanpatsu drama
| Commencing Date | Network | Timeslot | Drama | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 10, 2010 | MBS Mainichi Broadcasting System is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc... /TBS |
Sunday 9:00 PM | Rie Saito |
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
- 2008 : Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku
- 2008 : Southbound
- 2008 : Heat Island
- 2009 : Handsome Suit
- 2010 : Orion in Midsummer
- 2010 : Buzzer Beat
Books
- 2006 : STYLISH STREET BOOK "I've been to Hollywood!"
- 2007 : Kitagawa Keiko Shashinshū Dear Friends
- 2008 : Actress Make Up
- 2010 : Actress Make Up II
Commercials
- 2007 : Diet Water Let's (SuntorySuntoryis a Japanese brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan. Its business has expanded to other fields, and the company now offers everything from soft drinks to sandwich chains...
) - 2007 : NTT DoCoMo 2.0 (NTT DoCoMoNTT DoCoMois the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
) - 2007 : Coffret D'Or (Kanebo Cosmetics)
- 2008-9 : Palitte (Glico)
- 2008 : Capsela (SuntorySuntoryis a Japanese brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan. Its business has expanded to other fields, and the company now offers everything from soft drinks to sandwich chains...
) - 2008 : Breo (Glico)
- 2008 : Kanaflex (Kanaflex Corporation)
- 2008 : Okinawa 2008 (All Nippon AirwaysAll Nippon Airways, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
) - 2009 : Sala (Kanebo Cosmetics)
- 2010 : SEED
- 2010 : Sony α (SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
) - 2010 : Sony Cyber-shot (SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
) - 2011 : Sumitomo Life (Sumitomo Life - Print Ads Only)
Magazine column
- 2007 : Keytan Hakusho (Weekly The Television)
CD
- 2004 : Sakura Fubuki ("Cherry Blossom Storm")/Hoshi Furu Yoake ("Stars Fall at Dawn") (as Rei Hino)