Sadako Sawamura
Born November 11, 1908 (Age: 117)
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Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Biography
Sadako Sawamura (沢村貞子, Sawamura Sadako; 11 November 1908 – 16 August 1996) was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist who appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976. Sawamura was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and was twice arrested for her political beliefs, spending over a year in prison with much of it in solitary confinement. She started acting in films in 1934, first at the Nikkatsu studio, later at Toho. She appeared in many supporting roles after the war, often working with director Mikio Naruse. Sawamura also acted in films by directors including Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō. Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography Watashi no Asakusa has been translated into English as My Asakusa. She was married three times: to actor Shigeo Imamura (1931-33), actor Kamatari Fujiwara (1936-46) and subsequently to film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi (1968-96, though domestic partners from 1946 onward).
Sadako Sawamura (沢村貞子, Sawamura Sadako; 11 November 1908 – 16 August 1996) was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist who appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976.
Sawamura was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and was twice arrested for her political beliefs, spending over a year in prison with much of it in solitary confinement. She started acting in films in 1934, first at the Nikkatsu studio, later at Toho. She appeared in many supporting roles after the war, often working with director Mikio Naruse. Sawamura also acted in films by directors including Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō.
Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography Watashi no Asakusa has been translated into English as My Asakusa. She was married three times: to actor Shigeo Imamura (1931-33), actor Kamatari Fujiwara (1936-46) and subsequently to film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi (1968-96, though domestic partners from 1946 onward).
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Filmography
When Winter Comes
1985
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as
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Age: 76
Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women
1975
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as
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Age: 66
The Street Car Game
1969
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as Deguchi Ume
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Age: 61
Waga koi waga uta
1969
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as
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Age: 60
My Brother, My Love
1968
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as Kayo Kitagawa
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Age: 59
Rose Buds in the Rainbow
1968
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as Setsuko Sasaki
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Age: 59
The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze
1968
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as
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Age: 59
Sayonara ressha
1966
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as
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Age: 57
The Passionate Spinster
1965
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as Riki Tonobe
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Age: 57
Snow Country
1965
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as Dance teacher
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Age: 56
That Cute Girl
1965
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as
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Age: 56
Love on the Rainbow
1965
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as Masako Yamashita
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Age: 56
Salaryman's Medal
1965
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as
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Age: 56
Nami kage
1965
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as
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Age: 56
A Fugitive from the Past
1965
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as Motojima's Wife
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Age: 56
Eddy Currents of Life
1964
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as Teacher Ikegami
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Age: 56
Whirlpool of Flesh
1964
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as Tomiko Sekiguchi
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Age: 55
Sweet Sweat
1964
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as Matsuko
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Age: 55
Taiyou wo Daku Onna
1964
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as
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Age: 55
I'm a Bodyguard
1964
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as
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Age: 55
A Story from Echigo
1964
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as
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Age: 55
Youth Season Continued
1964
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as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
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Age: 55
Night Scandal in Japan
1964
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as Tetsu Kawabe
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Age: 55
Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
1964
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as
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Age: 55
Miren
1963
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as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
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Age: 54
At the Side of the Bridge 4
1963
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as
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Age: 54
Double Wedding
1963
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as Shigeko
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Age: 54
Tale of Army Brutality
1963
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as Toki, Yahichi's mother
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Age: 54
Dokuritsu bijin-tai
1963
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as
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Age: 54
The Life of Rikisha-Man
1963
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as
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Age: 54
Crazy Operation: First Move
1963
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as
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Age: 54
Police Precinct: Backing Investigation
1963
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as
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Age: 54
At the Side of the Bridge 3
1963
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as
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Age: 54
A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant
1962
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as
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Age: 54
Naite waratta hanayome
1962
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as
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Age: 54
Born in Sin
1962
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as
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Age: 54
Curry Rice
1962
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as
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Age: 54
Chûshingura
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Zoku aizen katsura
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Youth Season
1962
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as
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Age: 53
At the Side of the Bridge 2
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Kyūjin ryokō
1962
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as
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Age: 53
A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Glory on the Summit
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Star of Hong Kong
1962
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as Sugimoto Natsuko
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Age: 53
Four Sisters
1962
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as Makiko
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Age: 53
At the Side of the Bridge
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Pig and Goldfish
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Ottamage ningyo monogatari
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Flower in a Storm
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Lady Sen and Hideyori
1962
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as Yodogimi
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Age: 53
Our Marriage
1962
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as Mother
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Age: 53
湖愁
1962
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as
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Age: 53
The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka
1962
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as Otake
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Age: 53
In Search of Mother
1962
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as Otora
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Age: 53
South Pacific Waves Are High
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Nippon no obaachan
1962
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as
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Age: 53
A Roaring Trade
1962
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as
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Age: 53
Wakai yatsura no kaidan
1961
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as
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Age: 53
The Catch
1961
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as Katsu
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Age: 53
Boss Takes to the Road
1961
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as Kimie Morikawa
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Age: 52
Girls of the Night
1961
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as Kitamura
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Age: 52
Toilet Manager
1961
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as
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Age: 52
Awamori-kun uridasu
1961
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as
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Age: 52
The Estuary
1961
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as
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Age: 52
Hikkoshi yatsure
1961
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as
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Age: 52
Door of Flowers
1961
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as
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Age: 52
Triangle Moods
1961
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as Kame
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Age: 52
Romance Express
1961
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as
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Age: 52
Zero Focus
1961
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as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
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Age: 52
Women of Tokyo
1961
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as Yuki Takeuchi
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Age: 52
Mahiru no wana
1960
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as Kikuyo
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Age: 52
Late Autumn
1960
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as Fumiko
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Age: 52
Ponkotsu
1960
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as
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Age: 51
Towering Waves
1960
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as Mrs. Tazawa
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Age: 51
No Image
Dare yori mo kimi o aisu
1960
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as
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Age: 51
Jiyūgaoka fujin
1960
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as
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Age: 51
Hero of the Red Light District
1960
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as
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Age: 51
Youth in Fury
1960
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as Aki Katsura
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Age: 51
New Third Class Executive: Husband Education
1960
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as Kaneko Tsujikura
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Age: 51
The Dangerous Kiss
1960
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as
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Age: 51
Police Precinct Part 13
1960
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as Madam next to Hikariso
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Age: 51
Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success
1960
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as Okane
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Age: 51
Storm on the Silvery Peaks
1960
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as Kiyo
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Age: 51
Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes
1960
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as Okane
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Age: 51
Hito mo arukeba
1960
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as Kin Narikin
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Age: 51
Beyond the Hills
1960
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as Oiku Wada
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Age: 51
The Wandering Princess
1960
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as Kazuko Sugawara
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Age: 51
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
1960
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as Toshiko
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Age: 51
Pineapple Butai
1959
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as Omine
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Age: 51
The Terrible Game
1959
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as Yabuki Toyo
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Age: 51
The Human Wall
1959
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as
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Age: 50
Young Lovers
1959
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as Ayako Nozaki
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Age: 50
Ripe and Marriageable
1959
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as Mrs. Nakazato
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Age: 50
Someday I'll Know
1959
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as Fusako Kaneko
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Age: 50
Koko ni otoko ari
1959
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as
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Age: 50
The Cast-Off
1959
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as Fumiko
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Age: 50
Good Morning
1959
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as Kayoko Fukui
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Age: 50
Souls in the Moonlight III
1959
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as
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Age: 50
Whistling in the morning
1959
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as
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Age: 50
Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face
1959
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as
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Age: 50
Echo Mountain
1959
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as Takako Hirasawa
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Age: 50
People Waiting for Spring
1959
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as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
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Age: 50
One Step to Happiness
1958
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as
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Age: 50
The Naked General
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Bright Young Maidens
1958
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as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
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Age: 49
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Little Peach
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Fearless Opposition
1958
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as
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Age: 49
No Image
Romance Freestyle
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Souls in the Moonlight II
1958
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as Otsuno
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Age: 49
Firefly Light
1958
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as
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Age: 49
直八子供旅
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Hibi no haishin
1958
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as
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Age: 49
Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi
1958
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as
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Age: 49
No Advice Taken
1958
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as
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Age: 49
The Rose on His Arm
1956
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as Akiyama's mother
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Age: 48
Love on Rainbow Island
1956
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as Omatsu Hayashi
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Age: 47
Bridge of Japan
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Cascading White Threads
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Gendai no yokubô
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha
1956
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as
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Age: 47
A Wife's Heart
1956
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as
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Age: 47
The Lady Was Pawn
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl
1956
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as Taniyama’s Mother
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Age: 47
Avalanche
1956
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as
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Age: 47
The President Talks Bank
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Street of Shame
1956
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as Tatsuko Taya
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Age: 47
Young Tree
1956
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as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
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Age: 47
The President's Boss
1956
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as
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Age: 47
Iroha Elegy
1955
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as
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Age: 46
So Young, So Bright
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Ejima and Ikushima
1955
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as 玉椿
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Age: 46
The Romance of Yushima
1955
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as
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Age: 46
No Image
Santōshain to onna hisho
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Next Door to Happiness
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Mother's Ambition
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Beautiful Days
1955
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as Imanishi's Mother
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Age: 46
Life's Simple Pleasures
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Ofukuro
1955
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as
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Age: 46
The Big Ambition
1955
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as Sumie Shida
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Age: 46
Frame of Snow
1955
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as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
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Age: 46
Here Is a Spring
1955
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as
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Age: 46
Policeman's Diary
1955
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as
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Age: 46
お月様には悪いけど
1954
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as 鶴田はと子
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Age: 46
The Cock Crows Twice
1954
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as
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Age: 46
The Surf
1954
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as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
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Age: 45
The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness
1954
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as
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Age: 45
The Valley Between Love and Death
1954
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as
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Age: 45
Geisha Hidekoma
1954
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as
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Age: 45
乾杯！女学生
1954
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as
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Age: 45
Late Chrysanthemums
1954
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as Nobu
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Age: 45
All of Myself
1954
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as Kazama’s Aunt
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Age: 45
Itsuko to sono haha
1954
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as Fusako Tashiro
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Age: 45
Love Letter
1953
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as Bookstor's owner
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Age: 45
The Lovers
1953
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as Mrs. Ushiyama
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Age: 44
Princess Finds Her Prince
1953
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as
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Age: 44
Tokyo Profile
1953
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as Kiyoko
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Age: 44
Dreaming People
1953
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as
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Age: 44
No Image
The Blue Revolution
1953
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as
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Age: 44
Sisters
1953
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as
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Age: 44
The End of the Night
1953
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as
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Age: 44
Miniature
1953
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as
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Age: 44
A Man from Akagi
1950
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as
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Age: 41
Jiruba no Tetsu
1950
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as
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Age: 41
No Image
Beyond the Hills
1950
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as
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Age: 41
Guntō nanban-sen
1950
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as
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Age: 41
Spring Snow
1950
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as
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Age: 41
Onna no ryūkō
1950
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as
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Age: 41
First Love Questions and Answers
1950
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as
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Age: 41
Victory Song
1945
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as Captain's mother
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Age: 36
Mother Never Dies
1942
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as
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Age: 33
No Image
Onna keizu
1942
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as
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Age: 33
Green Earth
1942
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as
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Age: 33
Sky of Hope
1942
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as Kiyo
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Age: 33
A Man's Flower Road of Triumph
1941
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as
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Age: 33
Dancers of Awa
1941
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as
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Age: 32
Horse
1941
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as Kikuko Yamashita
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Age: 32
No Image
Kodakara fūfu
1941
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as
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Age: 32