is a Japanese fashion model, actress and singer, the daughter of film actor

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. He is best known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nominated for the Academy Awa ...

and his first wife Yumiko. In her modeling work, she is known by the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

Anne.Kuhn, Anthony
"For Japanese Women, The Past Is The Latest Fad"

Career

Watanabe's first high-profile modeling season was spring/summer 2007, in which she was featured in runway shows for

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

Diane von Furstenberg Diane may refer to: People *Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * ''D ...

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

, and Vivienne Tam, among others. She also walked for Baby Phat, Imitation of Christ,

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

Lacoste Lacoste S.A. (; ) is a French designer sports fashion company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur André Gillier. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The ...

, Marc by

Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...

, and Thakoon in subsequent seasons. Watanabe has been featured in print advertisements for

and

NARS Cosmetics NARS Cosmetics is a French cosmetics and skin care company founded by make-up artist and photographer François Nars in 1994. The cosmetics line began with twelve lipsticks sold at Barneys New York. Since then, NARS has created various multi-use ...

. She was the main visual model for Sui's Secret Wish Magic Romance fragrance for both print and video.

Personal life

In Japan, Watanabe is also a well-known '' reki-jo'' (history girl) -- a female history ''

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, such as anime, manga, video games, computers or other highly enthusiastic hobbies. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. ...

''. She can speak English and French to some extent. On 21 September 2023, she participated in the annual World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship.

Marriage and family

Watanabe married actor Masahiro Higashide on 1 January 2015. On 16 May 2016, Watanabe gave birth to twin daughters. On 7 November 2017, she gave birth to a son. On 23 January 2020, ''

Shūkan Bunshun is a Japanese weekly tabloid ( shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. This has led to it being considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the ...

'' revealed that Watanabe's husband had been having an extramarital affair with actress

Erika Karata is a Japanese model and actress associated with FLaMme and BH Entertainment. In 2014, she debuted as a model, and in 2017, she began a concurrent modeling and acting career in South Korea. Notable film and television projects that Karata has sta ...

since 2017, when Watanabe was pregnant with their third child, which was later confirmed by Higashide's agency. On 1 August 2020, Watanabe finalized her divorce with Higashide, promising that they would work together to take care of the children. Watanabe and her children are currently residing in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as of August 2022.

Works

TV drama

*''Tengoku to Jigoku'' (TV Asahi, 2007) *''

Tenchijin is a 2009 Japanese super historical drama television series, and the 48th taiga drama of NHK. It aired every Sunday from January 4 to November 22, 2009, spanning 47 episodes.It is an unusual Taiga Drama as the final episode will be broadcast as e ...

'' (NHK, 2009), Megohime *''Karei Naru Spy'' (NTV, 2009) *''

Samurai High School was a Japanese television drama. Synopsis The series follows the story of Mochizuki Kotaro, a mild-mannered, unmanly high school student. While visiting a library one day, he encounters Himiko, a mysterious librarian who recommends to him an an ...

'' (NTV, 2009) *''Shinzanmono'' (TBS, 2010, ep1) *''Naka nai to Kimeta Hi'' (Fuji TV, 2010) *''Joker: Yurusarezaru Sōsakan'' (Fuji TV, 2010) *''Namae o Nakushita Megami'' (Fuji TV, 2011) *'' Yokai Ningen Bem'' (NTV, 2011) *''

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and '' kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira ...

'' (NHK, 2012),

Hōjō Masako was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yori ...

*''

xxxHOLiC ''xxxHolic'' (stylized as ''×××HOLiC''; pronounced "Holic") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. The series, which crosses over with another Clamp work, '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'', r ...

'' (Wowow, 2013) *''Kasuka na Kanojo'' (Fuji TV, 2013) *'' Bon Appetit!'' (NHK, 2013) *''Hanasaki Mai Speaks Out'' (NTV, 2014–15), Mai Hanasaki *''Date – Koi to wa Donna Mono Kashira'' (Fuji TV, 2015) *'' Japan Sinks: People of Hope'' (2021), Minori Shiina *''Blood and Sweat'' (2026)

Film

*''Sakura no Sono'' (2008) *''Fashion Week'' (2009) *''Bandage'' (2010) *'' Ninja Kids!!!'' (2011), Shina Yamamoto *''Yōkai Ningen Bem The Movie'' (2012) *''Platinum Data'' (2013) *'' Midsummer's Equation'' (2013) *'' Miss Hokusai'' (2015), Oei (voice) *''Lost and Found'' (2016) *''Golden Orchestra!'' (2016) *'' Birthday Wonderland'' (2019), Chii (voice) *''

Cube A cube or regular hexahedron is a three-dimensional space, three-dimensional solid object in geometry, which is bounded by six congruent square (geometry), square faces, a type of polyhedron. It has twelve congruent edges and eight vertices. It i ...

'' (2021), Asako Kai *'' The Deer King'' (2022), Sae (voice) *''Tombi: Father and Son'' (2022), Yumi *''Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room – The Movie'' (2023), Yū Kamoi *'' Kingdom 3: The Flame of Destiny'' (2023), Zhi Xia *''Fly Me to the Saitama: From Biwa Lake with Love'' (2023), Kai Kikyo *'' Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window'' (2023), Totto-Chan's mother (voice) *''Stay Mum'' (2024), Chisako *'' The Solitary Gourmet'' (2025), Chiaki Matsuo

Radio

*''Book Bar'' (2008–present,

J-Wave J-Wave is an commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Skytree to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music, including J-pop, C-pop, and Western music, covering a wide range of formats. The station i ...

)

Documentary

*''Asia's Great Ruins'' (Also known as "''Ring of Civilization''", 2015,

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

, as navigator)

Discography

Mini-albums

*''Lights'' (2010, Epic/Sony) *''Ai o Anata ni'' (2012, Epic/Sony)

Recognitions

*49th FECJ Awards: International Model of the Year *64th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress for ''Naka nai to Kimeta Hi'' *36th

Elan d'or Awards The are awards presented annually by the All Nippon Producers Association (ANPA) in Japan to recognize achievements in domestic motion pictures and television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving im ...

: Newcomer of the Year *5th

Tokyo Drama Awards Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

: Best Supporting Actress for '' Yōkai Ningen Bem'' *23rd Hashida Award: Newcomer of the Year *52nd Galaxy Award: Individual Award for ''Hanasaki Mai Speaks Out'', ''Kuroha'', and ''Date – Koi to wa Donna Mono Kashira''

References

External links

* *
Anne Watanabe
profile at NYmag.com
Anne Watanabe
Official profile at Top Coat {{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Anne 1986 births Living people 21st-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Japanese female models Japanese film actresses Japanese women pop singers Japanese television actresses Japanese women television personalities Asadora lead actors Epic Records Japan artists