Keiko Matsuzaka

Japanese actress (born 1952) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Keiko Matsuzaka (松坂 慶子, Matsuzaka Keiko; born July 20, 1952) is a Japanese actress.[1]

Born
Keiko Shimizu

(1952-07-20) July 20, 1952 (age 73)
Tokyo, Japan
Othernames
  • Keiko Takauchi (髙内 慶子)
  • Han Kyeong-ja (韓慶子)
Yearsactive1967–present
Spouse
Haruhiko Takauchi
​
(m. 1991)​
Quick facts Born, Other names ...
Keiko Matsuzaka
清水慶子
Born
Keiko Shimizu

(1952-07-20) July 20, 1952 (age 73)
Tokyo, Japan
Other names
  • Keiko Takauchi (髙内 慶子)
  • Han Kyeong-ja (韓慶子)
Years active1967–present
Spouse
Haruhiko Takauchi
​
(m. 1991)​
Children2
Close

Early life

Matsuzaka was born on July 20, 1962, in Ōta, Tokyo; her father was a naturalized South Korean, while her mother was Japanese. She has a younger brother seven years junior.[2]

Career

In the 1960s, Matsuzaka became a child actress. Matsuzaka grew into adulthood in film working for Daiei and Shochiku.

Matsuzaka played the "Madonna" role in the 1981 film Naniwa no Koi no Torajirō, the 27th in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series. The producers called on her again for that role in Torajirō no Endan, the 46th of the 49 installments (1993). Keiko also appeared in Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983), Shin Izakaya Yūrei (1996), Dr. Akagi by Shōhei Imamura (1998), Runin: Banished by Eiji Okuda (2004), and Inugamike no Ichizoku (scheduled for release in 2007). She won the award for best actress at the 6th Hochi Film Award for The Gate of Youth and Tora-san's Love in Osaka,[3] and at the 15th Hochi Film Award for The Sting of Death.[4]

Her early television appearances have included the tokusatsu superhero series Ultra Seven (1968). She portrayed Nohime, wife of Oda Nobunaga, in the 1973 NHK Taiga drama Kunitori Monogatari. From 1973 to 1981, she appeared in Edo o Kiru, including five seasons as the character Oyuki. The 1975 Taiga drama Genroku Taiheiki featured Keiko as Aguri (Yōzen'in), the wife and later widow of Asano Naganori in the dramatization of the events of the forty-seven rōnin. She then appeared in Kusa Moeru in the same time slot in 1979, and portrayed Sada (Kawakami Sadayakko), the lead role in the 1985 Taiga drama Haru no Hatō. Having portrayed Aguri, Keiko also played Riku, the wife of Oishi Yoshio, in Chūshingura Yōzen'in no Inbō, broadcast on January 2, 2007. She played Taira no Tokiko in the 2005 NHK Taiga drama Yoshitsune. She has made numerous other television appearances in series and specials, jidaigeki, contemporary dramas, and variety shows. Recently she is portrayed "Ikushima" in the 2008 NHK Taiga Drama Atsuhime.[citation needed]

Matsuzaka has represented a variety of products and companies in television commercials. These include Nippon Menard Cosmetic Co., Nissin Foods, Yutoku Pharmaceutical Industries, Nissan Sunny, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Kleenex, and Ōtsuka Foods.[citation needed]

Among her other works are songs released in 1979 and 2002, and a book of photographs of her, also in 2002.

Personal life

In 1991, Matsuzaka married jazz guitarist Haruhiko Takauchi (Haru Takauchi). Their wedding ceremony took place in New York on January 2nd. She gave birth to her first daughter in 1992 and her second daughter in 1994.[5][6]

At the time, a marriage between a popular actress and a relatively unknown musician, who earned little, was criticized by the public and media alike as a "marriage of inequality." Matsuzaka's parents also made no secret of their strong opposition to the marriage and revealed their thoughts through interviews with the media. Matsuzaka initially protected her husband, Takauchi, but eventually declared estrangement from her father.[7] After their marriage, she moved to New York, where her husband was based, and spent seven years there.[2]

Filmography

Films

Television

Music

Her song "Ai No Suichuka [ja]" (愛の水中花) (1979) reached number 2 on the Oricon Singles Chart[18] and the Music Labo singles chart.[19]

Awards and nominations

Honours

References

External links

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