Chiaki Kuriyama was born on the October 10th 1984 in Japan, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture. From the age of 11, Chiaki worked as a child model which included having small roles in TV and film. Kuriyama first achieved widespread recognition in Japan for her starring roles in the horror movies Shikoku. and Ju-on (2000) the orginal movie created by Takashi Shimizu who later created Ju On: The Grudge. Later in 2000, she appeared in the action picture Battle Royale; although this movie featured an ensemble cast and allowed Kuriyama relatively little screen time. However she become Iconic in the film when she killed a boy by stabbing him in the genitals.

After notable appearances in Japanese TV series including Rokubanme no Sayoko, she made her Hollywood debut in director Quentin Tarantino's 2003 Kill Bill, Volume I. In Kill Bill, Kuriyama played the part of 'Gogo Yubari'—a cartoonish, manriki wielding, teenage schoolgirl yakuza bodyguard of 'O-Ren Ishii'. Despite the movie's primarily English script, Kuriyama's dialogue was all in Japanese. She also become another Iconic figure, with Tarantino himself having a life-size model of Gogo in his LA home.

Despite her dimunitive size — fan sources indicate that she stands 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) tall and weighs 40 kg (88 lb) ([1]) Kuriyama's appearances include major roles in Azumi 2: Death or Love, a samurai drama, and Yokai Daisenso, a monster movie from Takashi Miike, along with a cameo in the Steven Seagal vehicle Into the Sun.