Noriko Watanabe, a renowned Japanese actress, was born on July 22, 1965, at a hospital in Yahata Nishi Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Two years later, her family relocated to Oita Prefecture due to her father's transfer to the Ministry of Construction.
At the age of 15, Noriko won the Jury Prize at the 6th Horipro talent scout caravan, representing Kyushu. The following year, she was selected as the representative of Kyushu in the "Kadokawa New Talents" audition, competing for the lead role in the film "Ninja Wars" directed by Kosei Saito.
At 16, Noriko was chosen from among 57,480 applicants to star in the film, cementing her position as a rising star. Her subsequent role in Saito's "Tsumiki kuzushi" earned her the 7th Japanese Academy Award for "Newcomer of the Year" in 1983.
The following year, Noriko starred in the film "Fine, With Occasional Murders," for which she also sang the theme song, which became a hit. By the age of 18, she had already established herself as a talented young actress.
In 1987, Noriko received the Supporting Actress Award at the Yokohama Film Festival for her role in Obayashi Nobuhiko's "His Motorcycle, Her Island." She also turned down a starring role in the film "Times for Lovers" due to a nude scene, and subsequently became independent of Haruka Kadokawa's office.
After her departure from Kadokawa's office, Noriko continued to work prolifically in TV dramas and films, appearing in numerous productions, including Nippon Television's "Kyo Ichirin," NHK's Taiga drama "Shobu ga Gotoku," TBS's "Very Mother and Daughter," "Non-chan's Noriben," and TV Tokyo's "Criminal Chasing!"
