Tomoko Karina
Tomoko is an international actress born and raised in Japan and acted professionally both in the US and Japan. Her theater credits include “Balm in Gilead” and “Blood", both directed by Obie Award-winning, two-time Golden Globe nominee Robert Allan Ackerman, Chekhov ‘s “Three Sisters at Theater Project Tokyo, played 2 lead roles at the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Art Theater, lead role of Himiko in “Tea” with Hero Theater and many others. Her TV/ Film credits include “Captain America: Brave New World” (Marvel/ Disney) “Cobra Kai” (Netflix), “Haunting in Silver Falls: Returns” (Netflix) “Another Tango” (Hallmark Movie) among others. Her Tomoko voiced the recurring role in a 2024 version of legendary popular cartoon, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Nickelodeon). She also featured in several music videos including Shawn Mendes’s “Lost in Japan” and “Woman Woman” by Awolnation.
Tomoko Karina was born in a metropolitan city of Tokyo, Japan to loving parents, her father, Mikio, who is an ambitious aspiring entrepreneur, son of ex-Geisha single mother in Kyoto, and her mother, Yoshiko, who is a sheltered classy, elegant daughter of a weal\thy steel mogul. Being hugely influenced by her theater, film and history fanatic father Mikio, Tomoko grew up watching the greatest Kabuki, classic and contemporary theater, classic Hollywood films and Japanese period (samurai) dramas. Tomoko was sent to a prestigious all girl’s school near the imperial palace from age of 12 to 22 till she graduated from university. In her school days, Tomoko was an entertainer, comedian, rebel and leader in an all-girl class. As she embraced sisterhood, she learnt how to be in charge and girls can rock and rule! She always questioned authority and what is “Normal” which Japanese society always forced her behave especially in a strict girl’s school she grew up in. She appreciated and found oasis in rebellious loud rock, punk and alternative music as well as indie/ major Tokyo theater scene, classic Hollywood and Japanese films and intimate European films. At 18, a day after she graduated high school, she traveled to Los Angeles with her BFF and a fake ID. Tomoko reconfirmed within her that she belongs to Hollywood. After college, she immediately moved to Los Angeles pursuing acting, studying at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and Playhouse West, then soon landed several commercial jobs but still struggling with her English. Tomoko decided to move back to Japan to explore her craft of acting that she learnt with great teachers in LA such as Anna Strasberg, Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum with her native tongue, Japanese. In Tokyo, she landed major Theater and TV roles. Tomoko also found her passion in creating her own project and debuted as a theater writer/ director with her own play, “2 Lies and 3 Dreams and Hollywood”, which premiered at Theatre Atcre in Tokyo and had great success.
Tomoko expanded her career as a writer/director with her short film “Camellia- Kerria- Pink”, which won the Best Foreign Mini Film at BPPI Film Festival and was a semifinalist at Women-Voice-Now Film Festival. Tomoko wrote/ directed “Shizuka” premiered in 2022 in Los Angeles, which earned Best Play, Best Director, Best Performer and Best Costume nomination at Broadway World Regional Award. 2024, She wrote/ directed “Castles in the Crimson Flame” premiered at The Broadwater Main Stage.
Her latest Short Film “Ain’t It Pretty Think So” is expected to tour film festival circuit in 2025 – 2026.
