Maki Horikita

Maki Horikita (born October 6, 1988) is a Japanese actress. She debuted in 2003 and has since starred in Japanese television dramas, television and magazine advertisements, and movies. Horikita's roles include the righteous law student Tsurara Yoshikawa in Kurosagi, the alluring ice princess Yukiho Karasawa in Into the White Night and the crossdressing sports fan Mizuki Ashiya in Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. --- Maki Horikita was born on October 6, 1988 in Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan. She is the eldest of three daughters. Considered a tomboy in her childhood, Horikita enjoyed playing basketball and baseball as well as mock games of Dragon Ball Z with boys. Despite her boyishness, Horikita looked up to her mother. This was revealed when she appeared in an episode of KAT-TUN's now-defunct variety show Cartoon KAT-TUN where she mentioned that she liked imitating her mother when she was younger. Apart from modeling for photobooks, Horikita modeled for magazines and television advertisements. She is best remembered for her television commercials for Fujifilm (where she appeared alongside Japanese idol Tomoya Nagase) and Lotte. Horikita had appeared in several drama series and movies since 2003 but it was her roles in Densha Otoko and Nobuta wo Produce that opened more doors of opportunity for her. Her promising portrayal of the titular character in Nobuta wo Produce won her a Best Supporting Actress award from Japan's Television Academy Awards. It was also around this time that she won the Newcomer Award from Japan Academy Awards for her role as a student apprentice in Always: Sunset on Third Street.