Anna Sawai is a Japanese-New Zealand actress born in Wellington, who built an early career in Japanese film and television before breaking through internationally as Toda Mariko, the tragic noblewoman at the heart of the acclaimed FX series 'Shogun', a performance that earned her an Emmy Award. She appeared as Elle in 'F9' and starred as Cate Randa in 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'. Sawai has rapidly become one of the most celebrated rising actresses in English-language television.
Anna Sawai
Actress · Since 2009
34 years (Jun 11, 1992)Wellington, New Zealand
7 Movies · 4 Series
Anna Sawai is a Japanese-New Zealand actress born in Wellington, who built an early career in Japanese film and television before breaking through internationally as Toda Mariko, the tragic noblewoman at the heart of the acclaimed FX series 'Shogun', a performance that earned her an Emmy Award. She appeared as Elle in 'F9' and starred as Cate Randa in 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters'. Sawai has rapidly become one of the most celebrated rising actresses in English-language television.
Anna Sawai (アンナ・サワイ, born June 11, 1992) is a Japanese actress and singer. Born in New Zealand, she moved to Japan with her family at age 10. She landed her first acting role at age 11 as the title character in the 2004 Nippon Television production of Annie. Sawai later debuted in James McTeigue's 2009 martial arts film Ninja Assassin.
Sawai rose to fame in Japan as one of the lead vocalists of the girl group Faky from 2013 to 2018. She made a return to acting with a supporting role in the British crime thriller series Giri/Haji (2019). Her international breakthrough came with her role in the Apple TV+ drama series Pachinko (2022–present). She gained further recognition for starring in the MonsterVerse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023–present) and the historical drama Shōgun (2024). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the latter. She became the first Japanese actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2024, Time magazine included her on its 100 Next list.Anna Sawai, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.