Tomoko Karina, a multitalented individual, was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Her acting career began in Japan, where she starred in numerous TV shows, movies, and theater productions. Notable roles include "Rinjo" on TV Asahi, "Tokyo Tribe" in film, and the Japanese premiere of "Balm In Gilead" by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. She also appeared in "Three Sisters" at the Theater Project Tokyo, "Story of Domon Ken" at Kinokuni-ya Hall, and played lead roles at the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Art Theater in "Voice" and "Pecan in The Field".
Following her success in Japan, Tomoko expanded her career globally, making screen appearances in "Cobra Kai" on Netflix, "Haunting in Silver Falls: Returns" on Netflix, "Another Tango" on Hallmark Movie, and many more.
Prior to her professional career, Tomoko studied acting with renowned instructors Jeff Goldblum and Robert Carnegie at Playhouse West, as well as Anna Strasberg and other Stanislavski-influenced teachers at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, where she spent two years studying full-time.
Recently, Tomoko has ventured into writing and directing. She wrote and directed her own play, "2 Lies and 3 Dreams and Hollywood", which premiered in Tokyo. She also directed three episodes of the variety music show "Rock the City CA". Tomoko wrote, directed, composed, and starred in the short film "Camellia- Kerria- Pink", which tells the story of three young Japanese women caught in the midst of the WWII Pearl Harbor attack conspiracy. The film has received critical acclaim, winning the best Foreign Mini Film at the Brentwood and Pacific Palisades International Film Festival, being awarded by Women Voice Now Film Festival as a semifinalist, and officially selected by the In Short Film Festival.
In August 2021, Tomoko wrote and directed a play, "Japanese Love Story - Shizuka", which was a Hollywood Fringe Festival scholarship recipient title and nominated for several awards at the Broadway World Regional - Los Angeles.
In addition to her acting and writing career, Tomoko is a trained Japanese Classical Dancer (Nihon-Buyo),Jazz, Modern, and Ballet Dancer, and a Martial Artist.
