About Me

Mariko Van Kampen is a ‘“returned actress”, who came back to acting after a long hiatus during which she pursued dual careers as a mother and a motion picture advertising executive.  Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mariko made the unusual and chilly move to Vancouver, Canada, where she kept herself warm in the spotlight of many theatrical and musical productions while earning her B.A. and M.A. in Theatre from the University of British Columbia.  A member of Canadian Actors Equity, her theatre career spanned the disciplines of acting, directing, teaching, writing, producing and singing.  Returning to Hawaii after many years abroad, Mariko earned her SAG status in roles in the original HAWAII 5-0 and MAGNUM P.I. and produced and hosted her own daily radio talk show in Honolulu.

 

She continued her film and television career in Los Angeles including guest appearances in HAWAIIAN HEAT, DIVORCE COURT and AIRWOLF till motherhood intervened.  Since her return to acting, Mariko has acted in many short features including SINCERELY, which garnered her a Best Performance Award at the Iowa Independent Film Festival in 2013.  Other short features include THE TMPORAL PARTY, a sci-fi film recently screened at the Phoenix Film Festival.  This past July she completed principal photograph in the lead role of Madame M in independent horror film THE WILLIS and can be seen in several other independent features including THE TOUR, POCKET LISTING, BETTING ON BAKER, DEADLY PURSUIT and YOU WILL KILL.  In August Mariko will take on the role of Roslyn Manning in BRENNAN, a biopic about evangelist Brennan Manning.

 

Mariko was a series regular in ON THE MOVE, a reality game show promoting fitness in Los Angeles.  She is currently appearing in several commercials and print ads and will be appearing in the web series SEQUINS later this year.  Mariko continues to perform as a church soloist throughout the greater Los Angeles area.  Also a writer, one of her screenplays has recently been optioned by the Pike Bishop Company.