Karen Takizawa

Karen Takizawa
滝沢 カレン
Born
Marina Takizawa

(1992-05-13) May 13, 1992 (age 32)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupations
Years active2008–present
AgentStardust Promotion
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse
Undisclosed
​
(m. 2022)​

Karen Takizawa (滝沢 カレン, Takizawa Karen, born May 13, 1992 in Tokyo) is a Japanese model, tarento and actress. She is represented by the agency Stardust Promotion[1] and was the winner of the Miss Seventeen 2008 grand prix. She was an exclusive model for the fashion magazine JJ.

Early life

Karen Takizawa was born as Marina Takizawa in Tokyo on May 13, 1992.[2] Borne to a Ukrainian father and Japanese mother who was a ballerina, she was raised in a single-parent household and was mainly cared for by her strict maternal grandparents because of her busy mother. Her parents divorced before she was born, and she has never met her father.[3]

When Takizawa entered elementary school, she experienced xenophobia and was bullied/harassed by other kids because of her foreign background and was often told to "go back to your country!" She was also called names like "Darth Vader" among others due to her tall stature.[3] When she consulted with her grandmother, she was advised to "just fight back because you're big" and "use your inferiority complex as a weapon." She followed her advice and started fighting back against her bullies, and gradually the bullying ceased.[3]

As a teen, she was an avid fan of actress Yuko Takeuchi and wanted to follow in her footsteps to enter the entertainment industry. When she told her family about her aspiration, she was met with strong opposition from her grandmother saying: "If you go into showbiz, I'll cut all ties with you!.".[4] Still, Takizawa was reluctant to give up on her dream; she continued to secretly send resumes to modeling agencies and went out into the city, hoping to be approached by modeling scouts.[4] She was eventually scouted and joined an agency. After her modeling debut, she gradually became estranged from her grandmother and had not spoken to her until her passing.[4]

Career

Takizawa was scouted in Shibuya and entered the entertainment industry as a model.[5] She entered and won the Miss Seventeen 2008 grand prix for the fashion magazine Seventeen in 2008 and began activities as an exclusive model.[6] From 2009 to 2010, Takizawa starred in the live action films of Rookies: Graduation[7] and Maria-sama ga Miteru.[8] She currently models for fashion magazines Oggi.[9]

In March 2011, she graduated from high school and from the fashion magazine Seventeen. A month later, she joined JJ as their exclusive model. In 2014, she moved agencies from Groovy Air to Stardust Promotion.[10] Takizawa gained traction as a tarento for her appearance on Dancing Sanma Palace in June 2015,[11] where her unique method of speech and choice of words was noticed.[12] Since then, she has become an active television personality on various programs.[13]

On July 23, 2019, Takizawa graduated from JJ as an exclusive model.[14]

Personal life

On July 4, 2022, Takizawa announced on her Instagram that she has married a non-celebrity man who works in the construction industry.[15]

References

  1. ^ STARDUST - Stardust Promotion - Takizawa Karen Profile - Stardust Promotion（Accessed 2019-05-15）
  2. ^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2022-12-21). "滝沢カレン、本名を明かす さんま、芸名に近づいたカレンを称賛「頑張って芸能の力で引っ張ってんな」" [Karen Takizawa reveals her real name. Sanma Akashiya praises her for getting closer to her stage name, saying, "You're doing your best and pulling with the power of entertainment."]. Sankei Sports (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  3. ^ a b c "滝沢カレン、壮絶過去を告白"形見"に号泣「思い出さないようにしてきた」 - モデルプレス" [Karen Takizawa confesses her brutal past, cries over "souvenir": "I've tried not to remember it."]. Model press (in Japanese). 2018-06-20. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  4. ^ a b c "滝沢カレン、家族から絶縁告げられた過去を明かす 芸能界入りのきっかけとなった女優とは？ - モデルプレス" [Karen Takizawa reveals the past when her family told her they were estranged from her. Which actress inspired her to enter the entertainment industry?]. Model press (in Japanese). 2017-07-05. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  5. ^ "滝沢カレン「芸能界は脱いでから仕事が入ってくる世界だと…」". Sponichi. Sponichi. 2017-03-26. Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  6. ^ "『CAPA』2009年1月号「土屋勝義×滝沢カレン」撮影現場リポート". CAPAカメラネット. 2009. Archived from the original on 2008-12-25. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  7. ^ オリコン. "ミスセブンティーン2008は滝沢カレンさん 映画『ROOKIES』出演も決定". Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  8. ^ 滝沢カレン - モバゲーブログ (2010-04-29). "嬉しいご報告♪". Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  9. ^ "滝沢カレン". スターダストプロモーション (in Japanese). 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  10. ^ "滝沢カレン". Groovy Airー. Archived from the original on 2008-10-18. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  11. ^ 「さんま御殿」初出演のハーフ美女モデル、独特キャラで存在感発揮 - 2015-06-04 Modelpress
  12. ^ “新おもしろクイーン”滝沢カレン旋風再び 間違い連発の日本語が話題に - 2015-10-06 Modelpress
  13. ^ 中野ナガ (2017-03-04). "滝沢カレン、独特すぎる言語感覚でバラエティ席巻 "おバカ"を超えて哲学的?". ORICON NEWS. Oricon. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  14. ^ "滝沢カレン、JJ専属モデル卒業 表紙への起用は「1億円当たるより嬉しかった」（J-CASTニュース）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  15. ^ "滝沢カレン 一般男性と結婚「人生の冒険相手として」 インスタで発表【全文】/デイリースポーツ online". デイリースポーツ online (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-07-05.
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