Julia Misaki is a Japanese-American actress, cellist, model, and entrepreneur, born on July 23, 1988. She grew up in Osaka, Japan, and later built a career in Los Angeles spanning film, television, modeling, and music.
She is also known for her relationship with actor Daniel Gillies and for founding the Japanese tea brand Hikari Tea in 2023.
Who is Julia Misaki?
Julia Misaki is a Japanese-American actress, professional cellist, model, and social media influencer based in Los Angeles, California.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Emerson College in Boston and studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Her acting credits include the web series Video Game High School and the films Texas Snow and Fire Lily. Julia also built a parallel modeling career in California, representing multiple brands across fashion and beauty.
In 2023, she founded Hikari Tea, a Los Angeles-based Japanese tea brand that reflects her cultural roots and her mother’s training as an Urasenke Japanese tea master. Julia has been in a public relationship with actor Daniel Gillies since February 2021.
Her cello Instagram account, where she shares music, modeling, and lifestyle content, has attracted a following of over 60,000.
Julia’s career blends classical music, screen acting, entrepreneurship, and fashion in a way that sets her apart from most people in any single one of those fields.
Early Life of Julia Misaki
Julia Misaki grew up in Osaka, Japan, in a household rooted in Japanese culture and classical music. Her mother is fully Japanese and a trained Urasenke Japanese tea ceremony master. Her father has Czech, German, and English ancestry.
Julia began playing the cello at age five. She went on to perform with the St. Louis Youth Symphonic Orchestra, demonstrating a serious commitment to music from a very young age.
Growing up bicultural shaped her in significant ways. She speaks and writes Japanese fluently and also converses in French. Later, she relocated to the United States to pursue formal training in acting and modeling.
Julia Misaki Age
Julia Misaki is 38 years old as of 2026, born on July 23, 1988. Her birth date falls under the Leo zodiac sign. She launched Hikari Tea, her Japanese tea brand, in 2023 at age 34.
Julia Misaki Ethnicity and Nationality
Julia Misaki holds American nationality. She is of mixed heritage, with full Japanese ancestry on her mother’s side and Czech, German, and English ancestry on her father’s side.
Her bicultural background has influenced her work across acting, modeling, and her tea business. The Hikari Tea brand draws directly on her Japanese upbringing and her mother’s tea ceremony practice.
Julia Misaki Height and Weight
Julia Misaki stands at 5 feet 5 inches tall, equivalent to 1.65 meters. Her weight is reported to be approximately 52 kg, or around 115 lbs.
She has maintained an active fitness routine throughout her career. Julia’s athletic build and discipline have supported both her modeling work and her fitness content on social media.
Julia Misaki Education
Julia Misaki attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. Following that, she completed a Shakespeare Intensive Course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
She also trained at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles, a respected acting school whose method focuses on character motivation and emotional depth.
Her academic preparation across three institutions gave her a strong technical foundation before her professional career began.
Julia Misaki Career
Julia Misaki’s professional career spans acting, classical music, modeling, and entrepreneurship.
She built each area of her work independently, allowing her to move between industries and projects without fitting neatly into one category.
Early Career: Acting and Modeling Beginnings
Julia’s formal acting career began after completing her degrees in Boston and London. Her first screen credits came in 2008 with the films Texas Snow and Fire Lily. Both projects were early-career appearances that established her presence in independent film.
She also worked as a spokesperson and model for b.glen, a Japanese skincare company, in one of her first major brand-facing roles in Los Angeles. That experience introduced her to commercial modeling and helped her build a portfolio in the California market.
Julia continued studying her craft at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Los Angeles while pursuing acting and modeling simultaneously. That dual track became a pattern in her professional life: serious training running alongside active commercial work.
Video Game High School and Television Work
One of Julia’s most visible acting credits is her role in Video Game High School, the popular web series produced by RocketJump. She appeared in three episodes across the show’s run from 2012 to 2014, playing the character Bigger and Lauder.
Video Game High School attracted a large online following during its run and helped establish the RocketJump production company as a significant force in digital entertainment. Julia’s participation in the series placed her in front of a young, engaged audience.
She also appeared in Paul Goetz’s Last Ditch Effort in 2012, the Watsky music video Whoa Whoa Whoa in 2014, and the short film Simmer Down! in 2015. Each project added a different dimension to her screen presence during that period.
Modeling, Social Media, and Hikari Tea
Julia built her modeling career in California through Instagram and direct brand outreach. She shared fitness content, modeling photos, and lifestyle posts on the platform, which led to modeling inquiries from local businesses and later from established brands.
Her confirmed brand partnerships include work with Gooseberry Intimates and Glossier. Both brands target audiences that align with Julia’s aesthetic, giving her a natural fit as a spokesperson and content creator.
In 2023, Julia founded Hikari Tea, a Los Angeles-based Japanese tea brand she created and directs. The brand’s website describes it as rooted in the meditative practice of the Japanese tea ceremony, connecting her mother’s training as an Urasenke tea master with a modern Los Angeles audience.
Hikari Tea is Julia’s most ambitious entrepreneurial project to date and reflects the cultural foundation at the center of her identity.
Julia Misaki Filmography
Here are some notable films.
- Texas Snow (2008, film)
- Fire Lily (2008, film)
- Paul Goetz’s Last Ditch Effort (2012, short, 1 episode)
- Video Game High School (2012-2014, web series, 3 episodes)
- Watsky: Whoa Whoa Whoa (2014, music video)
- How to Scare the Sh*T Out of Burglars (2015, short)
- Simmer Down! (2015, short, 1 episode)
Julia Misaki Boyfriend
Julia Misaki has been in a public relationship with actor Daniel Gillies since February 2021. Gillies, known for playing Elijah Mikaelson in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, made the relationship public by posting a selfie with Julia on his Instagram Stories that month.
Daniel Gillies was previously married to actress Rachael Leigh Cook. The two married in August 2004 and divorced in 2021 after 14 years together. They share two children, a daughter born in September 2013 and a son born in April 2015.
Julia and Daniel went public roughly seven months after Gillies filed for divorce. In March 2025, the two were photographed together arriving at Guarulhos Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Gillies attended a fan event. That appearance confirmed they remain together more than four years after going public.
Daniel Gillies has built an extensive career in television, with notable roles on The Originals, Saving Hope, Virgin River, and The Newsreader. His high public profile has brought additional media attention to Julia’s work and projects.
Julia Misaki Net Worth
Julia Misaki’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. Her income comes from modeling contracts, brand endorsements, social media sponsorships, acting work, and her Hikari Tea business.
Her confirmed brand partnerships include Gooseberry Intimates and Glossier. Social media sponsorships through her Instagram accounts add to her annual earnings alongside her entrepreneurial income from Hikari Tea, which she founded and runs as Creative Director.
Her acting roles in independent film and web productions also contributed to her career earnings over the years.
Julia Misaki Social Media
Julia Misaki is active on Instagram, where she maintains two accounts: @juliamisaki.cello and @msjuliamisaki. The cello-focused account shares her musical performances, modeling content, and Hikari Tea updates, and has attracted more than 60,000 followers.
She shares content across both accounts, giving followers a window into her music, modeling, and personal life. Her Instagram presence drives both brand partnership opportunities and visibility for Hikari Tea.
The Bottom Line
Julia Misaki appeared in three episodes of Video Game High School between 2012 and 2014, one of her most-seen on-screen credits alongside early film work in Texas Snow and Fire Lily.
She grew up in Osaka, Japan, started playing cello at five, and speaks both Japanese and French, a background that directly inspired Hikari Tea, the Japanese tea brand she launched in Los Angeles in 2023.
Julia continues to grow Hikari Tea while maintaining her modeling and social media work, and she has been in a relationship with Daniel Gillies since going public in February 2021.
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