Aiko Tanakaあいこ・たなか (, あいこ・たなか?) is a model and actress, born in Tokyo

Aiko Tanakaあいこ・たなか (, あいこ・たなか?) is a model and actress, born in Tokyo, Japan on December 13, 1979. Being born of Japanese and Korean descent, her first name means "love" (あい) and "child" (こ).[1]
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Early life
Very little is known about her early life. Her mother, Sue Tanaka was a former swimsuit model while her father was a sales marketing manager for Britannica. She came to the U.S. and studied theater and dance in college, to pursue a career in acting. She soon became a professional dancer and landed a spot as a resident dancer on the Soul Train show, sometime in the year 1999.[2]

"One Saturday morning, I was flipping my remote, this dancing show caught my eyes. The show was called "Soul Train". I was like "I want to do that!" In a meanwhile, the agency in LA saw my picture & told me to move to LA. So I came to LA with no one I know, no car, no friend, no one speaks my language. All I had was my dream. A dream that I'd be able to make it as an entertainer, to buy a house for my mom. My first gig in LA was MTV "the grind" from there, I did "Soul Train". "Soul Train" was so much fun. I used to tape the show, play, rewind, study dance moves. I remember the first time I went down on the Soul Train line. I had this tiny tube top on. I shake my booty so hard my top came off half way."[3]

Modeling career

Aiko soon got involved in the world of nude modeling, under the impression that it was the right decision at that time. However after a meeting a fan in a supermarket, she no longer desired to do so, and made a decision to move on. When questioned about nude modeling, she responded:

"I was shopping at the supermarket with my Mom, who came out to visit from Japan. Out of nowhere, one of the guys at the market stops us. He says, "You're Aiko Tanaka from DSport. You have a website too." My Mom was so happy because she thought I was a big celebrity or something. As for me, I felt naked. After all, this was when I still had nude pictures on my website. I really enjoy shooting swimsuit and lingerie, but I was never really comfortable shooting nudes. I mean you're in a room with a bunch of strangers and you are totally naked. It's weird. I started doing nudes because all of the other import models at the time were doing it. Now, I'm more focused on acting."[4]

She began attending car shows, expos, and other events, and gained prominence as model in the import racing scene through being featured as a cover model in magazines such as Import Tuner and D-Sport.[5] She was the first person of Japanese/Korean descent to be featured on the cover of these magazines.[6]

Filmography

While modeling, she briefly appeared on television shows such as MTV's "The Grind", "Malcolm & Eddie", "The Man Show", "My Wife and Kids", and was interviewed on "Howard Stern".[1] Venturing into the world of the silver screen, she has worked movie director Justin Lin in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Finishing the Game, and Revolución de Iguodala.
Year Title Role Notes
2002 My Wife and Kids[7] Flower Lady tv series
2004 Miss Cast Away Japan
2006 The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Cowgirl at Starting Line
2007 Finishing the Game Nunchuck Girl
Revolución de Iguodala! Japanese Iggy
White Air Snow Bunny
2008 China Dolls May

Personal life

She currently is a resident of Los Angeles, California. In her spare time, Aiko enjoys cooking, having personal expressions in her blog, taking care of her mother, and reading books.[8]