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Matsushima Nanako (Kanagawa Pref., 1973 - )
 Born: 13/10/1973
Proportions: 84cm/59cm/88cm
Blood type: A
Click here for larger picture.
Many beautiful young actresses get their start as a 'campaign
girl', or swimwear poster girl for a Japanese corporation. In
this case of Matsushima, an 18-year old aspiring model, the company
was Asahi Kasei - a pharmeceuticals company with no relation to swimwear whatsoever.
A year later, in 1993, she got the more visible 'image girl' job
with Asahi Beer. Another couple of years of slogging saw her make her TV debut
in a forgettable TV drama. Her break came when she auditioned
for and got the lead in the 1996 NHK morning drama series Himawari
(Sunflower). Unlike the commercial TV stations, NHK has the reputation
in Japan of producing 'quality' programs and successful exposure
there often brings the prestige of being a 'real' actor.
The following year saw the job offers come flooding in. Suddenly
Matsushima was everywhere, appearing in TV dramas, commercials
and movies. In 1998 she had no less than three sarring roles in serial dramas.
She got a huge break when she starred in the popular horror movie Ringu
(The Ring) in 1998 and continued the role in spinoffs Rasen (The Spiral,
1998) and Ringu2 (1999). In 2000, she co-starred in the big action movie of the
year, White Out alongside Oda Yuji. She
also carried a major three-part, end-of-the-century
series entitled Hyakunen no Monogatari (100-year Story) in which she played three different, but related,
heroines over three generations. Her popularity is widespread
and she regularly tops such polls as 'best jeanist' or 'favorite
female star'. In February 2001, she hit the headlines again when
she married the popular actor Sorimachi
Takashi. The two starred together in the TV drama series GTO: Great
Teacher Onizuka a couple of years earlier. They have two children.
Matsushima trivia: she is very short sighted (she wears contacts); her hobbies include
painting watercolors, calligraphy and piano; and for some reason she often
appears barefoot in commercials. |
