Kinuyo Tanaka
Known For
Acting
Born
1909-11-28 in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan
Died
1977-03-21
Biography
Kinuyo Tanaka (田中 絹代 Tanaka Kinuyo, 29 November 1909 – 21 March 1977) was a Japanese actress and director. Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at seventeen years old, appearing in Heinosuke Gosho's An Embarrassing Dream in 1927. She proceeded to take leading parts in, among others, Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929, Gosho's Aiyoku no ki in 1930, and in 1931, Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, directed by Gosho. She had a close working relationship with director Kenji Mizoguchi, having parts in 15 of his films, including leading roles in The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). Their working relationship ended when Mizoguchi countered a recommendation from the Directors Guild of Japan for the Nikkatsu studio to hire her as a director. Despite this, the production of her second film as director went ahead, but Tanaka never forgave Mizoguchi, and the reasons for his behaviour are unclear. She also played Noboru Yasumoto's mother in Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (1965). For her portrayal in Kei Kumai's Sandakan N° 8 she won the Best Actress Award at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival in 1975. Her last screen appearance was in 1976 in Kei Kumai's Kita No Misaki. Tanaka was the second Japanese woman who worked as a film director, after Sakane Tazuko (1904‐1975). Her first directing job was on the film Love Letter in 1953, and she made five further films in that role.
Most Known For
ABC Lifeline
Love Letter
as Landlady
Ugetsu
as Miyagi
Sansho the Bailiff
as Tamaki
Mominoki wa Nokotta
as Tsuta
Red Beard
as Madame Yasumoto
Sandakan No. 8
as Old Osaki
The Life of Oharu
as Oharu
The Three Treasures
as Princess Yamato
The Moon Has Risen
as Yoneya
Mother
as Masako Fukuhara
A Wanderer's Notebook
as Kishi, Fumiko's mother
Flower
Her Brother
as Mother
Equinox Flower
as Kiyoko Hirayama
The Ballad of Narayama
as Orin
The Love of the Actress Sumako
as Sumako Matsui
Marriage
as Fumie Matsukawa
The Munekata Sisters
as Setsuko Munekata
Marching On
as Toshiko Yamamoto