Rie Miyazawa - Life and Career

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 Sensō (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 Fine art nude photography 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". 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. Miyazawa, however, continued to pursue her career as an actress, 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 Coastal California, 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 Ashurajō 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.