Erika Karata (唐田 えりか, Karata Erika; born September 19, 1997) is a Japanese actress and former model associated with FLaMme and BH Entertainment. In 2014, she debuted as a model, and in 2017, she began a concurrent modeling and acting career in South Korea. Notable film and television projects that Karata has starred in include Lock-On Love, Asako I & II, and Arthdal Chronicles.
Biography
Karata was born on September 19, 1997, in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, in a single-parent household headed by her mother. She has two elder sisters, one four years older and the other two years older. Because her mother was the sole provider supporting the family financially, she [her mother] was often not at home, but even so, Karata has said that she is close with their mother. Her family lived in the countryside, and she has described her childhood upbringing there as "peaceful surrounded by rice paddies."
Career
When Karata was in her second year of high school, she was scouted by an agency official at her workplace, where she had been a part-time employee at a farm theme park. She began her career as a model and first appeared in the music video for "Divine" by Girls' Generation. Afterwards, she made minor appearances in the television dramas Koi Naka and Cho Gentei Noryoku and became the image model for the Sony Financial Holdings commercials.
In 2017, Karata signed with BH Entertainment to manage her activities in South Korea. During this time, she also appeared in a commercial for LG and a music video for "Emptiness" by Naul. In 2018, Karata starred in Asako I & II, for which she won the Best New Actor Award at the Yokohama Film Festival.
In January 2020, due to her affair scandal involving a married actor, Karata went on a short hiatus from acting for a period of time to reflect on "[Her] thoughtless actions, and [she] has deeply regretted it" and "[She] wants to deeply accept and confront her own weaknesses, foolishness, and naivety."
Personal life
On January 23, 2020, Shūkan Bunshun revealed that Karata had been in an extramarital affair with married actor Masahiro Higashide, her co-star on Asako I & II, since 2017, continuing through his wife's pregnancy with their third child. In response, she dropped out of the television series Prayers in the Emergency Room. Episodes 5 and 6 of 100-Character Ideas Made into a Drama!, which she had co-written and starred in, were removed from broadcast. The episodes had been about a newcomer actress being involved in an extramarital affair and had included the name Higashide for Karata's character's friend.
↑"唐田えりかのプロフィール"[Erika Karata's profile]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
↑"広報きみつ"[Public relations Kimitsu](PDF). Kimitsu City (in Japanese). Archived(PDF) from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
12"唐田えりかが「落ち込んだ時」にすること（なかの かおり）"[What Erika Karata does when she's feeling down]. FRaU | 講談社 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
↑浩輔, 山本 (January 3, 2016). "【新人女優インタビュー】女子高生の唐田えりかは、マザー牧場から巣立ったシンデレラ 新春の抱負は「有村架純を超える！」（1/2ページ）"[High school student Erika Karata, a Cinderella who graduated from Mother Farm, has a New Year's resolution: "To surpass Kasumi Arimura!"]. 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
↑"唐田えりか、短編映画に主演で女優業再開 昨年3月のドラマ以来1年半ぶり"[Erika Karata to resume acting career with a starring role in a short film, her first acting role in a year and a half since her drama in March of last year.]. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
↑"映画『覚悟はいいかそこの女子。』ヒロインは唐田えりか 中川大志に逆壁ドン"[Are You Ready? Hey You Girl: The Movie female lead, Erika Karata, does a reverse kabedon to Taishi Nakagawa]. Oricon (in Japanese). June 2, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
.jpg)
