Uchiyama Rina

Name 内山理名
Name (romaji): Uchiyama Rina
Real name: 玉井杏奈 / Tamai Anna
Profession: Actress
Birthdate: 1981-Nov-07
Birthplace: Minamiashigara, Kanagawa, Japan
Height: 157cm
Star sign: Scorpio
Blood type: O
Family: Younger sister

Uchiyama Rina was first discovered in her hometown in Kanagawa prefecture by her current talent agency Sweet Power at the age of 15. Scouts for the agency had been going around Kanagawa looking for future potential talents when they heard of a "cute girl" working at a local bakery store to which young boys flocked for a glimpse of her. Promptly, the scouts arrived at Uchiyama Rina’s house, asking for her snapshot. Rina had been napping at the time, and before she knew it, she had been signed by the agency and in 1998, moved to Tokyo to launch her geinoukai (Japanese entertainment) career.

First appearing in a number of commercials and short Japanese dramas, Rina got her first break in the popular drama series, Utsukushii Hito, playing the role of famed Japanese actor Tamura Masakazu’s daughter. Rina recently appeared in the dramatized biography of 19th century Japanese novelist and writer Higuchi Ichiyo Monogatari. Producers chose her for the role, for they believed that among all the young Japanese actresses, she looked best in the traditional kimono outfit. Critics believe Rina is well suited for roles in jidaigeki (traditional Samurai-era dramas), and may bode well for her in possibly winning central roles in NHK’s Taiga series; Rina has already taken part in Musashi, playing the role of a woman driven by ill fortunes to prostitution and unrequited love for Takezo.

Rina has starred in several films, including Go-Con and Sotugo. In in 2005, Rina appeared in Shinku, originally written by acclaimed author Nozawa Hisashi, tells of the suspense-filled story of two 19-year-old girls; one is the daughter of a family brutally murdered, and the other is the daughter of the murderer. Rina plays the victim’s daughter, while the murderer’s daughter is played up-and-coming young actress, Mizukawa Asami. In Nobuhiro-san (2005), Rina is cast as the heroine who is loved by a ghost.

From her early days as an idol (young TV stars who depend primarily on their cute looks), Rina has developed into a thoughtful and intriguing actress, whose career is still in the process of blossoming.

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