is a Japanese writer and actress.

Early life

Ayako Fujitani was born in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. She is the daughter of

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

by his first wife,

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 1 ...

master Miyako Fujitani. As a teenager, she also resided in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Career

Acting

Fujitani made her screen debut in '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', after a chance meeting at a film festival with director

Shusuke Kaneko is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Shūsuke Kaneko was born in Tokyo on June 8, 1955. According to the biography on his official website Kaneko was interested in science fiction, particularly Godzilla and Gamera films, from a young age. ...

. She worked again with him on an episode of ''

Ultraman Max is a Japanese Tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Released as the 19th ''Ultra Series'', it aired from July 2, 2005, until April 1, 2006. The show aimed to return to the fast-paced formula ...

'' he directed. Other film roles include parts in '' Sansa,'' the "Interior Design" segment of ''

Tokyo! ''Tokyo!'' is a 2008 anthology film containing three segments written by three non-Japanese directors, all of which were filmed in Tokyo, Japan. Michel Gondry directed "Interior Design", Leos Carax directed "Merde", and Bong Joon-ho directed "S ...

'', and '' Man from Reno.''

Writing

Fujitani wrote for the Japanese magazine ''Roadshow''. She had published her coupled novellas ''Touhimu (Flee-Dream)'' and ''Yakeinu (Burnt Dog)''. Along with writer and director

Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...

, Fujitani co-adapted her novella ''Touhimu (Flee-Dream)'' into the film '' Shiki-Jitsu'' in 2000. It was the first non-animated feature released by

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

under the Studio Kajino label. She stars in the title role. Fujitani has written both fiction and non-fiction, contributing essays and short stories to various national publications. In 2014, Fujitani co-wrote an

Ermenegildo Zegna Ermenegildo Zegna (; born 30 September 1955), often simply known and referred to as Gildo Zegna, is an Italian entrepreneur and manager. He is Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group. Early life and education Gildo is a grandson of Ermeneg ...

-commissioned short film with

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. ...

Chung Chung-hoon Chung Chung-hoon (born June 15, 1970) is a South Korean cinematographer and filmmaker, best known for his collaborations with director Park Chan-wook. He is also known for his other work in film and television, including ''Me and Earl and the ...

and Michael Werwie that Park also directed, and that Clint Mansell scored entitled ''A Rose Reborn'' starring Jack Huston and

Daniel Wu Daniel Ng Neh-Tsu (, born September 30, 1974) is an American actor, director and producer based in Hong Kong. He is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese language film industry. Since his film debut in 1998, he has ...

Other pursuits

In 2006, she directed a short drama for

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

's ''Drama Factory'' program.

Personal life

She has been married to screenwriter

Javier Gullón Javier Gullón (born 1975) is a Spanish screenwriter. Biography Javier Gullón was born in Logroño in 1975. He garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards for '' Enemy'', and two ...

since 2016. The couple have two daughters.

References

External links

*
Agency profile
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujitani, Ayako 1979 births Living people Actresses from Osaka Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Japanese female models Japanese people of American descent Japanese people of German descent Japanese people of English descent Japanese people of Mongolian descent Japanese people of Russian-Jewish descent Japanese writers Models from Osaka Prefecture Steven Seagal 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses