Maria Takagi is a Japanese actress and former adult video star, born on October 25, 1978, in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. She began her career as a model, using the names Yukiko Hara and Rika Inoue, and released a "gravure" photo album titled Nishi-Shinjuku Love Story in June 1998. Takagi made her film debut in the 1998 mainstream film Yoi Yume Yakei, and later appeared in the erotic fantasy film Mermaid Girl in 2001.
In 2002, Takagi started her career as an adult video actress, releasing her debut video Super-Star for the Max-A Calen label. She became one of the top actresses in the adult field, and was the highest paid AV actress in Japan in 2003. Takagi won five awards at the XCity's Adult Video Grand Prix Awards, including Best New Actress, Best Actress, Best Video Title, Best Conversation, and Prettiest Face.
Takagi retired from adult videos in 2004 and transitioned to mainstream acting. Her first feature film after retirement was the romantic horror comedy Ghost Shout, which was released in December 2004. She then appeared in two horror films, Noroi and Tokyo Zombie, in 2005.
In 2005, Takagi had a recurring role as Keiko Tokumaru in the Tokai TV drama Keiyaku Kekkon, and also appeared in the Fuji TV hospital series Ns' Aoi. In 2007, she played Kasumi in the TV Asahi drama Kuroi taiyō '07 Supesharu, a TV special movie based on the Kuroi taiyō TV series.
