Кэйко Китагава: Японская актриса и модель

Japanese actress and model

Keiko Kitagawa (北川 景子) is a Japanese actress and former model. She was an exclusive model for the Japanese Seventeen magazine from late 2003 to mid 2006, and quit 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 2004), 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), Lady Saigo no Hanzai Profile (2011), and Akumu chan (2012).

Kitagawa was born on August 22, 1986, in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. 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 of what to do in the future. Around this time, she was scouted by a talent agency, and 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 graduated from Meiji University in Tokyo in March 2009.

Within a week of joining an agency, Kitagawa was selected as a model and an actress. She was chosen as Miss Seventeen in 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 regular feature, "Keiko's Beauty Honey". As an actress, Kitagawa 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. From May to December 2007, she wrote a column entitled "Keytan Hakusho" for the Japanese weekly television listings magazine Weekly The Television. and Moon Lovers (2010), The After Dinner Mysteries (2011), Hero (2014), and Detective versus Detectives (2015).

In 2016, Kitagawa married singer songwriter Daigo. The same year, Kitagawa won the Japanese Television Academy Award for Best Actress for Ie Uru Onna. On April 22, 2020, she announced her first pregnancy. On September 7, she gave birth to her daughter. On September 25, 2023, Kitagawa and her husband jointly announced through their agency that they are expecting their second child. On January 31, 2024, she gave birth to a son.

Year Title Role Notes Ref(s) (Reference(s))2006The Mamiya BrothersYumi HonmaMizu ni Sumu HanaRikka MizuchiThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo DriftReikoAmerican filmCherry PieKiyoharaLead role2007Dear FriendsRina TakahashiLead roleSay Hello for MeMomoka KatsuragiSouthboundYouko UeharaHeat IslandNao2008The Handsome SuitHiroko Hoshino2009Last Operations Under the OrionShitsuko Arisawa/Izumi KuramotoIt's On MereporterCameo2010After the FlowersItoLead roleElevator to the GallowsMikayo MatsumotoPiecing Me Back TogetherIzumi SonodaLead role2011Paradise KissYukari HayasakaLead role2012Magic Tree HouseJack (voice)2013The After Dinner MysteriesHosho ReikoLead roleRoommateHarumi HagiwaraLead role2014Judge!Hikari OtaI Just Wanna Hug YouTsukasa YamamotoLead roleAkumu chan The MovieAyami MutoiLead role2015The Pearls of the Stone ManSatoko Kobayashi Something Like, Something Like ItYumi HeroChika Asagi 2017Hamon: Yakuza BoogieYukiLet Me Eat Your PancreasKyōko (present days) The Last Shot in the BarMari Misaki2018Punk Samurai Slash Down RonHibikiFumi HanaiStolen IdentityAsami InabaLead roleMy Teacher, My LoveCameo2019 The Hikita's Are Expecting! Sachi Hikita2020Stolen Identity 2Asami InabaSpecial appearance The Legacy of Dr. Death: Black File Asuka Takachiho The Promised Neverland Mom Isabella 2021 First Love Yuki Makabe Lead role It's a Flickering Life Sonoko Katsura The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window Keiko 2022 Dreaming of the Meridian Arc Eimi Kobayashi / Ei Anpanman: Dororin and the Transforming Carnival Dororin (voice) Fragments of the Last Will Mojimi Yamamoto 2023 Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie Sailor Cosmos (voice)