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Chiaki Kuriyama (栗山千明, Kuriyama Chiaki ^?) (born October 10, 1984) is a Japanese actress and model. She is best-known in the West for the part of the bloodthirsty schoolgirl-dressing bodyguard, Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Volume I, and also her role in the Japanese film Battle Royale.

Career

She was born in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture. Chiaki was one of the most popular models of the mid-1990s child model boom in Japan. In 1997, she appeared in her break in the photobooks Shinwa-Shōjo (Girl of Myth) and Shōjokan (Girl's Residence), photographed by Kishin Shinoyama. Shinwa-Shōjo became a best-seller but, as it contained some nudity, was discontinued by the publisher in 1999 after the institution of new anti–child pornography laws. She also posed as a model for the child fashion magazines Nicola (1997-2001) and Puchi Lemon (1996-2001).

She first achieved widespread recognition as an actress in Japan for her starring roles in the horror films Shikoku (1999) and Ju-on (2000). Chiaki also appeared in the action film Battle Royale (2000) in the role of Takako Chigusa.

Following feature appearances on several notable Japanese television programs (including Rokubanme no Sayoko), Chiaki made her Hollywood debut in director Quentin Tarantino's 2004 film Kill Bill, Volume I as Gogo Yubari, the schoolgirl yakuza bodyguard of Tokyo mob mistress O-Ren Ishii. Chiaki's lines in the film were all in Japanese (except for two words, "bingo" and "hi"). She has stated that she is in the process of learning English and hopes to play more English-language roles in the future.^[1]

Chiaki's other film appearances include major roles in the samurai drama Azumi 2: Death or Love and Takashi Miike's Yōkai Daisensō.

A female vampire character was added to Gantz, made to look just like her as a tribute. This is made definite in chapter 279 where the character is referred to as "Kill Bill" by Gantz.

She was also most recently rumored to play the role of Ling Xiaoyu in the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Tekken, which is slated to be released in 2009. This was later confirmed as false during an interview with Kotaku.^[2]

Filmography

Film and TV

• Toire no Hanako-san (1995)
• Gonin (1995) as Ogiwara's daughter
• Nacchan Ka (1998) (TV)
• Kowai Douwa - Oyayubihime (1999)(TV) as Sayako
• Eden's Bowy (1999) (TV) (voice) as Konyako Persia
• Shikoku (1999) as Sayori Hiura
• Kamen Gakuen (2000) as Reika Dojima
• Ju-on (2000) (V) as Mizuho Tamura
• Rokubanme no Sayoko (2000) (TV) as Sayoko Tsumura
• Taju Jinkaku Tantei Saiko - Amamiya Kazuhiko no Kikan (2000) (TV)
• Himitsu Kurabu o-daiba.com (2000) (TV) as Kazumi Naruse
• Kabushiki Kaisha o-daiba.com (2000) (TV) as Kazumi Naruse
• Battle Royale (2000) as Takako Chigusa - Girl #13
• R-17 (2001) (TV) as Saori Maruyama
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) as Gogo Yubari
• Itsuka 'A' Torein ni Notte (2003) as Yuki Noguchi
• Kagen no Tsuki (2004) as Mizuki Mochizuki
• MAIL (2005) as Mikoto
• Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005) as Kozue
• Into the Sun (2005) as Ayako
• The Great Yokai War (2005) as Agi
• Scrap Heaven (2005) as Saki Fujimura
• Jyooubachi (2006) (TV) as Tomoko/Kotoe Daidoji
• Woman's Island (2006) (TV) as Rei Fujishima
• Haru, Barneys de (2006) (TV) as Sakurai Sae
• Kisarazu Cats Eye: World Series (2006) as Ayako Sugimoto
• Kakure Karakuri (2006) (TV) as Karin Hanayama
• Hagetaka (2007) (TV) as Yuka Mishima
• Ekusute (2007) as Yuko Mizushima
• Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go (2007) (TV) as Terumi Meguro
• Tengu Gaiden (2007) as Amaya
• KIDS (2008) as Shiho
• The Sky Crawlers (2008) (voice) as Midori Mitsuya
• GS Wonderland (2008) as Miku
• Ashita no Kita Yoshio (2008) (TV) as Rika Hasegawa
• Loss Time Life (2008) (TV) as Ayaka Kurosaki
• Sirius no Michi (2008) (TV) as Yuka Hirano
• Komori Kachou no Yuuga na Hibi (2008)
• Kamogawa Horumo (2009) as Fumi

Endorsements

(in no specific order):

• IZZUE (clothing brand)
• Shiseido Maquillage (fashion make-up)
• Panasonic P901iS/P902iS/P903i Cellphone
• Ecko Unlimited (Marc Ecko clothing brand)
• Morinaga Aloe Yogurt (Japanese dairy products)
• Clorets (mint chewing gum)
• JA Bank Mie (Japanese Company)
• Glico 和ごころ(wagokoro) (Japanese Confectionery Company)

Photobook/DVD

• Namaiki! Photo:Kishin Shinoyama.Text:Akio Nakamori.(ISBN 4-10-326205-2,1996).
• Tenshi/angel(天使) Photo:Mitsuo Kawamoto.(ISBN 4-09-680821-0,1996).
• Sinwa-Shoujo.(神話少女） Photo:Kishin Shinoyama. Text:Akio Nakamori.(ISBN 4-10-326207-9,1997)
• Shoujokan(少女館)　Photo:Kishin Shinoyama. (ISBN 4-10-326209-5,1997)
• Shikoku nite （死国にて)(ISBN 4-04-904318-1,1999)
• Kuriyama Chiaki ACCESS BOOK (栗山千明ACCESS BOOK)(ISBN 4-04-853047-X,1999)
• Princess (プリンセス 栗山千明×蜷川実花）Photo:Mika Ninagawa.(ISBN 4-06-352725-5,2004)
• digi+KISHIN DVD:Chiaki Kuriyama. Image Film by Kishin Shinoyama.(ASIN B0001LNO7O,2004)
• digi+Girls kishin NO.4 Kuriyama Chiaki (digi+Girls kishin NO.4 栗山 千明) Photo:Kishin Shinoyama. (ASIN: 4255002797, 2004)
• Car girl Photo:Kishin Shinoyama. (ISBN 4-584-17094-0,2004)

References

External links

• (Japanese) Official website
• Chiaki Kuriyama at the Internet Movie Database
• Chiaki Kuriyama at Allmovie
• Chiaki Kuriyama at Eigapedia

From Wikiquote

Chiaki Kuriyama (born 10 October 1984) is a Japanese actress.

Sourced

• I've been playing these schoolgirl roles in all my movies. Every time I went to the set, it felt like I was going to school.
  • Complex Magazine (February/March 2004)

• I loved playing Go Go, because the character's so extreme. And she's pretty close to my real character. Especially the fact that she liked her sword with a lot of accessories.
  • Complex Magazine (February/March 2004) On her role as Go Go Yubari in Kill Bill: Vol. 1

• Japan is very much a TV-centred entertainment industry. So when you talk about big stars in Japan, generally they are people who are on television. I work mostly in movies.
  • Singapore Press' New Paper (29 October 2003)

External links

• Chiaki Kuriyama at the Internet Movie Database
• Chiaki Kuriyama bio on Allmovie.Com
• Official website of Chiaki Kuriyama (in Japanese)