Yōko Minamida

Biography

Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko, March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. Born in Tokyo, Minamida made her screen debut in 1953 for the Daiei studio and quickly rose to stardom, working with Kenji Mizoguchi on two films: “A Story from Chikamatsu” and “Princess Yang Kwei-fei.” In 1955, she moved to the Nikkatsu studio, where she starred in Takumi Furukawa’s “Season of the Sun” (1956), a smash hit that launched the so-called “Sun Tribe” boom for films about rebellious youth looking for sex and kicks on Shonan Beach — Japan’s nearest equivalent to Malibu. Minamida acted in dozens of movies for Nikkatsu, working with Shohei Imamura, Seijun Suzuki, and other directors. In 1961 she married her co-star on “Season of the Sun,” Hiroyuki Nagato. As she acted in fewer movies after the mid-1960s, Minamida made a smooth and successful transition to TV as both an actress and MC. She also continued to appear occasionally in movies, with the last being Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “Song of Goodbye” in 2006. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in November 2008, and a TV documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband to care for her. She died in Tokyo.

Most Known For

Gokusen

as Matsubara

Niji

as 三谷かな子

Yôi don

as 栄市の母・せい

Akai Shougeki

House

as Hausu Karei

Tears of a Swan

as Atsuko Kawata

Song of Goodbye

as Kyoko Tanabe

Princess Yang Kwei-fei

as Hung-tao

Lost Paradise

as Eto Kuniko

Chikamatsu Monogatari

as Otama

Stolen Desire

as Chidori Yamamura

砂山の唄殺人事件

Zero

as Ine Hamada

Pigs and Battleships

as Katsuyo

A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era

as Koharu

Yellow Fangs

as Kiyo

The Motive

as Kinue Ishida

Tokyo Knights

as Koji's Mother

The Domain: The Naniwa Story

Portrait of Chieko

as Kazuko Tsubaki