Ann-Sophie Lennerfors (born 16 November 1970) is a Swedish TV personality and film critic who lives and works in Japan, best known under the
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
LiLiCo.
Biography
Early life
LiLiCo was born Ann-Sophie Lennerfors in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Japanese mother and a Swedish father.
As a biracial child in Sweden, LiLiCo was bullied while at school.
Her father left the family when LiLiCo was 9 years old.
Career in Japan
LiLiCo moved to Japan in 1988 at the age of 18, initially staying with her grandmother in
Katsushika, Tokyo
is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English.
As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 444,356, and a population density of 12,770 people per km². The total area is 34.80 ...
.
In May 1989, LiLiCo embarked on a career as a singer,
releasing her first single in 1992.
In 2001, she was offered a job as a film critic on
TBS's Saturday morning ''King's Brunch'' programme.
Professional wrestling
In 2014, LiLiCo began working for Japanese professional wrestling company
DDT Pro-Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
(DDT), where, over the next three years, she won the
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as i ...
twice and the
DDT Extreme Championship
The is a singles title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling. The title was established in 2006 and it is mostly defended in stipulation matches, with the defending champion being given the right to choose the stip ...
once, while also becoming part of the inaugural
KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions.
After having fractured her
patella
The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...
in 2020, forcing her to give up wrestling, LiLiCo was invited back to DDT to have a
retirement match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
on March 20, 2022, at
Judgement 2022: DDT 25th Anniversary.
Filmography
Cinema
* ''
Kiki's Delivery Service
is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from the Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Yamato Transpor ...
'' (2014), voice of radio DJ
* ''Smokin' on the Moon'' (2018)
* ''
108: Revenge and Adventure of Goro Kaiba'' (2019), Adrianne
* ''Niwatori Phoenix'' (2022)
* ''Let's Talk About the Old Times'' (2022), herself
TV drama
* (2014, TV Tokyo), Ryoko Azuma
Dubbing
LiLiCo voices the character of
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom '' South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main chara ...
in the Japanese version of the American animated series ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
''.
She also voiced Margaux Needler in the dub of the 2019 animated adaptation of ''
The Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...
'', Mrs. Wiggins in the dub of the 2012 animated adaptation of ''
The Lorax
''The Lorax'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the titular character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who cause ...
'', Vera Lorraine Dinkle in the dub of the 2009 animated film ''
Mary and Max
''Mary and Max'' is a 2009 Australian independent stop-motion adult-animated comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Elliot and was his first animated feature film. The film was produced by Melanie Coombs and Melodrama Pictures with mus ...
'', and Vera in ''
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures''. She dubbed over
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
as Madame Truska in ''
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant''.
Bibliography
* (2007, Goma Books),
* ''I Love Sweden'' (2008, Goma Books),
* (2010, Kodansha),
Championships and accomplishments
*
DDT Pro-Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
:*
DDT Extreme Championship
The is a singles title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling. The title was established in 2006 and it is mostly defended in stipulation matches, with the defending champion being given the right to choose the stip ...
(
1 time)
:*
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as i ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
:*
KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Championship
The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the DDT Pro-Wrestling promotion. Meant for teams of five wrestlers, the title is believed to be the first of its kind in professional wrestling. The title was first announced on April 30, 201 ...
(
1 time) – with
Ken Ohka
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT).
Professional wrestling career Dramatic Dream Team (2001-present)
Ohka made his professional wrestling debut on Dram ...
,
Ladybeard
Richard Magarey (born 3 August 1983) is an Australian stunt actor, professional wrestler, singer and YouTuber, known for his bearded crossdressing persona named . He is currently vocalist of the band BABYBEARD, formerly with the band Ladybaby an ...
,
Makoto Oishi
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Dramatic Dream Team (DDT). Oishi started his career in Kaientai Dojo, where he became a Strongest-K Tag Team, Independent World Junior Heavyweight and UWA World Middleweight Champion, ...
and
Super Sasadango Machine
is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name and is currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT).
Professional wrestling career Dramatic Dream Team/DDT Pro Wrestling (2002– ...
References
External links
Official agency profile
Official blog
*
{{Authority control
Sportspeople from Stockholm
Swedish expatriates in Japan
Japanese television personalities
Japanese film critics
Living people
1970 births
Swedish female professional wrestlers
Japanese female professional wrestlers
Swedish people of Japanese descent
Japanese people of Swedish descent
21st-century professional wrestlers
DDT Extreme Champions
Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions
KO-D 8-Man/10-Man Tag Team Champions