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 is currently playing the lead role in the TV Drama Mop Girl.

Life

Kitagawa was born on August 22, 1986 in Hyōgo Prefecture, 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. 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.

Fortunately, she made progress quickly. 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".

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. Since May 2007, she has been writing 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 is also continuing her studies, majoring in commercial science at Meiji University 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. At this time, she started a blog, which she continued until June 2007; the blog was deleted in July 2007.

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. 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 (2006), and Dear Friends (2007), Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku (2007), Southbound (2007), and Heat Island (2007).

She appeared in the TV drama Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-4), and is appearing in the drama Mop Girl (2007).

Works

Films

2006 : Mamiya Kyōdai - As Yumi Honma.

2006 : Mizu ni Sumu Hana - As Rikka Mizuchi.

2006 : The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - As Reiko.

2006 : Cherry Pie - As Kiyohara.

2007 : Dear Friends - As Rina.

2007 : Sono Toki ha Kare ni Yoroshiku - As Momoka Katsuragi

2007 : Southbound - As Youko Uehara.

2007 : Heat Island - As Nao.

TV series

2003/2004 : Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon - TV Live Action Series. As Rei Hino/Sailor Mars.

2007 : Mop Girl - As Momoko Hasegawa.

Radio

2006 : Tanabata Nananenkai - As Naomi Setsuraku/Midori Fujikura

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

Books

2006 : STYLISH STREET BOOK "I've been to Hollywood!"

2007 : Kitagawa Keiko Shashinshū Dear Friends

Commercials

2007 : Diet Water Let's (Suntory)

2007 : NTT DoCoMo 2.0 (NTT DoCoMo)

2007 : Coffret D'Or (Kanebo Cosmetics)

Magazine column

2007 : Keytan Hakusho (Weekly The Television)

CD

2004 : Sakura Fubuki (as Rei Hino)