Keiko Takahashi

Keiko Takahashi (高橋惠子, Takahashi Keiko, born in Shibecha, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Japan 1955 and represented her country at Miss Universe 1955 where she placed 4th Runner-up. Prior to marrying director Banmei Takahashi in 1982, she went by her maiden name Keiko Sekine (関根恵子). She debuted in the 1970 film High School Student Blues. Her second film, おさな妻, earned her the Golden Arrow Award for Newcomer of the Year. In 1981 she appeared in the Nikkatsu Roman Porno film Love Letter, a fictionalized account of the life of poet Mitsuharu Kaneko, which Nikkatsu hoped would appeal to both male and female audiences. In 1982 she was the female lead in her husband Banmei Takahashi's launch into mainstream film, Tattoo Ari. In 2008, she won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Fumiko no Umi. She was given Mainichi's Tanaka Kinuyo Award in 2010.