Haruka Ayase

Okay, Haruka Ayase is the rare actress who can look like a tragic porcelain heroine in one frame and say something so gloriously airheaded the next that you fall over laughing, and somehow both feel completely true. I love that she got scouted out of Hiroshima as a teenager and just quietly became one of Japan's most trusted faces, the kind of CM queen you can't get sick of because she never seems to be performing "celebrity" at you. What gets me, though, is the range: she'll do the daffy variety-show thing, then turn around and carry "JIN" or play a steely Yae in a Taiga drama with total conviction. There's a real spine under the softness. Beautiful but happy to look silly, prestige-drama heavy yet warm and goofy, she's just an easy person to root for.

Haruka Ayase (born March 24, 1985, in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima) is a Japanese actress and singer affiliated with Horipro. She rose to prominence with the 2004 drama Sekai no Chushin de, Ai wo Sakebu and went on to star in acclaimed works including JIN and the NHK Taiga drama Yae no Sakura (2013). She has received multiple Japanese Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and has ranked first in television commercial exposure talent rankings for two consecutive years (2023–2024).

Name (English)

Haruka Ayase

Name (Japanese)

蓼丸綾

Reading

たでまるあや

Born

March 24, 1985 (age 41)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Ox

Origin

Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima, Japan

Blood type

B

Height

166 cm

Agency

Horipro

Active years

2001–present

Occupation

Actress / Singer

Elementary school

Hiroshima Municipal Kawauchi Elementary School

Junior high

Hiroshima Municipal Johnan Junior High School

High school

Hiroshima Prefectural Gion Kita High School (transferred to and graduated from Horikoshi High School while enrolled)

University

Teikyo Junior College (withdrew)

Debut

2001, made her acting debut in the Nippon TV drama Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo

Awards & achievements

• 2009 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress (Oppai Baree)
• 2010 Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Oppai Baree)
• 2015 Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Our Little Sister)
• 2015 Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress (Our Little Sister)
• 2024 Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Revolver Lily)

Timeline

1. 2000Won Special Jury Prize at the Horipro Talent Scout Caravan and entered show business
2. 2001Adopted stage name Haruka Ayase and made her acting debut
3. 2004Cast as heroine in Sekai no Chushin de, Ai wo Sakebu, gaining wide recognition
4. 2006Made singing debut with single "Period"
5. 2009Starred in drama JIN; won Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress for film Oppai Baree
6. 2013Played protagonist Niijima Yae in NHK Taiga drama Yae no Sakura
7. 2015Appeared in film Our Little Sister (Umimachi Diary), winning multiple awards
8. 2023Starred in film Revolver Lily
9. 2024Ranked No. 1 in television commercial exposure talent rankings for second consecutive year

Spouse

Unmarried

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Hobbies

• Cooking
• Walking

Specialties

• Tongue twisters
• Quick costume changes
• Sports in general

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.horipro.co.jp/ayaseharuka/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/綾瀬はるか

Tags

• From Hiroshima
• Horipro
• Actress
• CM Queen
• Natural Character
• Our Little Sister
• JIN
• Yae no Sakura

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.