Actress. She was best known to American film viewers as the geisha 'Lotus Blossom' in the 1956 film "The Teahouse of the August Moon." She was also well known for her roles in both classic Japanese films "Rashomon" (1950) and "Gate of Hell" (1953). She started her career as both a dancer and showgirl at the now defunct Daiei Co. in 1949, where she caught the eye of its president and producer Masaichi Nagata. Even though she had acted in a few films before, her first big role came in the 1950 Nagata-produced film "Rashomon." The film won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and introduced Japanese cinema to a wider audience. In 1953, she appeared in another Nagata-produced film "Ugetsu," which won a Golden Lion and is considered a "defining" film in the "golden age of Japanese cinema." That same year, she also appeared in the award-winning film "Gate of Hell." In 1956, she appeared in the American film "The Teahouse of the August Moon" opposite Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando, who played an Okinawan. She went on to appear in many other Japanese films during her career such as the 1959 films "Odd Obsession" and "Floating Weeds." During the 1950s, she was nicknamed "the grand prix actress" for the numerous awards her films received. Although less active later in her career, she continued acting into her eighties and appeared in public broadcaster NHK's television drama "Haregi Koko Ichiban" in 2000. In 2017, she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Japanese Academy Prize ceremony.
Actress. She was best known to American film viewers as the geisha 'Lotus Blossom' in the 1956 film "The Teahouse of the August Moon." She was also well known for her roles in both classic Japanese films "Rashomon" (1950) and "Gate of Hell" (1953). She started her career as both a dancer and showgirl at the now defunct Daiei Co. in 1949, where she caught the eye of its president and producer Masaichi Nagata. Even though she had acted in a few films before, her first big role came in the 1950 Nagata-produced film "Rashomon." The film won a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and introduced Japanese cinema to a wider audience. In 1953, she appeared in another Nagata-produced film "Ugetsu," which won a Golden Lion and is considered a "defining" film in the "golden age of Japanese cinema." That same year, she also appeared in the award-winning film "Gate of Hell." In 1956, she appeared in the American film "The Teahouse of the August Moon" opposite Glenn Ford and Marlon Brando, who played an Okinawan. She went on to appear in many other Japanese films during her career such as the 1959 films "Odd Obsession" and "Floating Weeds." During the 1950s, she was nicknamed "the grand prix actress" for the numerous awards her films received. Although less active later in her career, she continued acting into her eighties and appeared in public broadcaster NHK's television drama "Haregi Koko Ichiban" in 2000. In 2017, she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Japanese Academy Prize ceremony.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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