Rie Miyazawa

Rie Miyazawa (宮沢 りえ, Miyazawa Rie^?, born on April 6, 1973)^[1] is a Japanese actress and former fashion model. She has done glamour modeling too, having released four photobooks.^[2] She is also well-known as former fiancé of sumo wrestler Takanohana, to whom she was engaged to for 2 months, and for her years of fighting anorexia nervosa.^[3]

Life and career

Rie Miyazawa was born in Tokyo and raised by her mother. Since her debut at age 11 in an advertisement for Kit Kat, she has many films, television shows, commercials, stage appearances and photo books to her credit. She starred in the children's comedy Bokura no Nanokakan Senso (Seven Days' War) and Tokyo Elevator Girl. Miyazawa made her debut as a singer on 15 September 1989.

She gained notoriety in 1991 with the publication of a nude photo book, Santa Fe, and even more publicity in 1992 by her engagement to sumo star Takanohana. The engagement was called off in 1993. In September 1994 she cut her wrists with a broken glass in what she described as an "accident".^[4] The tabloids focused on Miyazawa's drinking session, fights with her mother, and her escape to a nearby hotel as signs of a failed suicide attempt.^[4] Miyazawa, however, continued to work, including a performance in Kon Ichikawa's movie Chushingura that year. But the following February she pulled out of the drama Kura and in November backed out of the musical Kyote.

In early 1996 Miyazawa moved to Los Angeles, but by May she was back on TV reporting from the Cannes Film Festival and later that year she appeared in two TV dramas: Hanayome Kaizoebito and Kyosokyoku. In 1997 she made Mikeneko Homes (tasogare) Hoteru and also appeared on stage.

In 2001, Miyazawa won the Best Actress Award at the Moscow International Film Festival by portraying a Chinese Kunqu performer in the Hong Kong movie Peony Pavilion, directed by Yonfan. Then in 2002, she starred alongside Hiroyuki Sanada in Tasogare Seibei (The Twilight Samurai), the year's hit movie that won numerous awards at home, including ones for the lead actors, and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. In 2003 she played the role of Oshino in the NHK TV series Musashi.

2004's Tony Takitani — a rare adaptation of a short story by bestselling author Haruki Murakami —received critical acclaim, with Miyazawa playing two roles alongside Issei Ogata. The film, which was entered at the Sundance Film Festival, has been described as a "a perfectly controlled minimalist film masterpiece." In 2005, she starred as Tsubaki in Ashurajou no Hitomi (あしゅらじょう の ひとみ), which is a movie adaptation of a 16th century play.

On February 13, 2009, she announced to the public that she was six months pregnant and would soon marry the father of the child who is reported to be an ex-pro surfer from Hawaii. On May 20, 2009 in Tokyo she gave birth to a baby girl.^[5]

Filmography

• Seven Days' War (1988)
• Docchini suruno (1989)
• Basara - The Princess Goh (1992)
• Erotic Liaisons (1992)
• Kin chan no Cinema Jack II : Light of Firefly (1994)
• 47 Ronin (1994)
• Tenshu monogatari (1995)
• Kita no Kuni kara: Himitsu (1995)
• Kita no Kuni kara: Jidai (1998)
• The Cabbie (2000)
• Peony Pavilion (2001)
• Free and Easy 12: Big Holiday Bonus Project (2001)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) - Voice
• Utsutsu (2002)
• The Twilight Samurai (2002)
• Kita no Kuni kara: Yuigon (2002)
• The Face of Jizo (2004)
• Tony Takitani (2004)
• Ashurajou no Hitomi (2005)
• The Book of the Dead (2005) - Voice
• Hana (2006)
• The Invitation from Cinema Orion (2007)
• Yume no Manimani (2008)
• Haha Shan no Komoriuta (2009)
• Gelatin Silver LOVE (2009)
• Oceans (2009) - Japanese version narration

Stage

• Gypsy (1991)
• Kaijin Bessou (1994)
• Tenshu monogatari (1994, 1996)
• Furu-amerika ni Sode wa Nurasaji (1994)
• Tezuka's Ancestor Dr. Ryoan (1998)
• Rainbow Parakeet (2000)
• The Tale of Genji (2000)
• The Kiss of an Invisible Man (2004)
• Rope (2006–07)
• Dorakuru－God Fearing Dracul (2007)
• A Doll's House (2008)
• Piper (2009)
• The Character (2010)

Awards

• A Doll's House
  • Yomiuri Theater Award - Best Actress
• Rope
  • The 41st Kinokuniya Stage Award - Individual Award
• Art Encouragement Prize for 2004 - from Agency for Cultural Affairs
• The Face of Jizō
  • Blue Ribbon Award - Best Actress
  • Kinema Junpo Awards - Best Actress
  • Yamaji Fumiko Award - Best Actress
• The Kiss of an Invisible Man
  • Yomiuri Theater Award - Best Actress
• Twilight Samurai
  • Japan Academy Award - Best Actress
  • Blue Ribbon Award - Best Supporting Actress
  • Nikkan Sports Movie Award - Best Actress
  • Kinema Junpo Awards - Best Actress
  • Mainichi Film Concours - Best Supporting Actress
  • Hochi Film Award - Best Actress^[6]
• Utsutsu
  • Kinema Junpo Awards - Best Actress
  • Blue Ribbon Award - Best Supporting Actress
• Peony Pavilion
  • Moscow International Film Festival - Best Actress
• Seven Days' War
  • Japan Academy Award - Best New Actor
  • Nikkan Sports Movie Award - Best New Talent
• Who Do I Choose?
  • Nikkan Sports Film Award - Best New Talent

References

1. ^ "Rie MIyazawa" Naver (Japanese)
2. ^ "Avtivities of Rie Miyazawa" Naver (Japanese)
3. ^ 「宮沢りえは彼女の"作品"だった」りえママの豪腕伝説 Cyzo, February, 2009 (Japanese)
4. ^ ^{a b} Schilling, Mark (1997). "Rie Miyazawa". The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture. New York: Weatherhill. p. 149. ISBN 0-8348-0380-1. 
5. ^ "Rie Miyazawa gives birth to baby girl". http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/rie-miyazawa-gives-birth-to-baby-girl. 
6. ^ "報知映画賞ヒストリー" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/h_award/2002/. Retrieved 2010-01-27. 

External links

• Profile at Japan Zone
• Miyazawa Rie at the Internet Movie Database
• Metropolis - Big in Japan: Rie Miyazawa
• Idol*80 Discography (in Japanese)
• Sharp, Jasper. "Erotic Liaisons (film review with biographical data on Rie Miyazawa)". www.midnighteye.com. http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/ertliais.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-14.