Your Ad Here

ACTORS more>> MUSICIANS more>> ATHLETES more>> MISC. more>>

Pics of the Week This week... Models BadGirls Graduation Mbw Rating: HOT ALERT: Shannon Lucio   Loaded Mbw Rating: HOT ALERT: Nathalie Kelley   Your Ad Here

BIOGRAPHY

Erika Sawajiri
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP | BLOG

Erika Sawajiri, born on April 8, 1986, in Nerima, Tokyo, is a Japanese actress, model, and musician.

Her alias in her music career was Kaoru Amane, but Sawajiri has recently started her own project under the name Erika. She is currently affiliated with Stardust Promotion, and became popular after playing a girl who suffered from an intractable disease called spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) in the nonfiction drama "1 Litre of Tears."

Sawajiri was born to a Japanese father and an Algerian-French mother and is the youngest of three brothers and sisters. Her name is derived from an orchids's name, Ericaceae's Erica. Her father owned sixteen racehorses, including the horse, Edonokoban. Her father died of cancer when she was in her third year at junior high school. Her second eldest brother died in a car accident when she was in her first year at high school. Her mother manages a Mediterranean restaurant now and Erika sometimes helps with it. Erika has been horseback riding since she was a child.

In 1999, Sawajiri passed the Stardust audition after graduating from elementary school. She became part of the idol unit Angel Eyes and began modeling for junior fashion magazines such as CUTiE and nicola. She later won the grand prize for the 2001 Seikore and became a regular on the BS news program Harajuku Launchers. In 2002, Erika started her career in film as well as extending her modeling career as a gravure idol. Her first film was Mondai no nai Watashitachi.

Sawajiri also became one of Fuji TV's Visual Queens in 2002. On the NTV variety show The Yoru mo Hit Parade, she became a regular from April till late June, shortly after leaving the program for the CX news program Chou VIP Fortune no Tobira from mid-June till late August. In November, she was on the CBC variety show Bijou Dokyuu and TBS show B-1. She got her big break when she was casted in the TBS TV drama Hotman. Her most notable role was in 1 Litre of Tears in 2005 when she portrayed a girl with the degenerative disease spinocerebellar degeneration.

Sawajiri first started her music career under the name "Kaoru Amane," the name of her character in her last drama, the TV adaptation of A Song to the Sun (Taiyou no Uta). The single went into number 1 in its second and fourth week. On July 16, 2007, Erika released her 'debut' single under only Erika entitled "Free". The single was immediately ranked on it's first day as number one on the Oricon Charts. Oricon stated that she is the only artist in 39 years to get their first two single hit number one since Hiroko Yakushimaru in 1983.

Sawajiri decided to enter the entertainment world because she wanted to meet singer Namie Amuro whom she idolizes.