Fujiko Yamamoto

Biography

Fujiko Yamamoto (山本富士子, Yamamoto Fujiko) (born 11 December 1931) is a Japanese stage, film and television actress. She was the winner of the first Miss Nippon Grand Prix in 1950, and appeared in over 100 films between 1953 and 1963, including works by directors Yasujirō Ozu, Kon Ichikawa, Shirō Toyoda and Kōzaburō Yoshimura. Yamamoto was born on 11 December 1931 in Nishi ward, Osaka. In 1953, she made her film debut at Daiei Film, and became one of the studio's top actresses. Yamamoto was considered one of Japan's most beautiful women, with, in the words of film historian Catherine Russell, "noble" features that represented the classic ideal of Japanese beauty. As such, she was well-suited for costumed parts in the era's popular period dramas, with her less-frequent modern roles (in films like Ozu's Equinox Flower and Ichikawa's Being Two Isn't Easy) often shot in "movie star" closeups that placed her apart from the films' contemporary storytelling. In 1963, when her contract came up for renewal, she insisted on changes. The head of Daiei, Masaichi Nagata, refused, dismissed her, and prevented her from finding work at other film studios via the Five-Company Agreement. After the Daiei dismissal, Yamamoto acted in the TV series Toshiba Sunday Theatre and on Fuji TV. Even though she has appeared frequently on stage and on television, she has not appeared in a film since then.

Most Known For

Seijuu Sentai Gingaman

as Kyouhei's Mother

The Snowy Heron

Picnic

as Nurse

Equinox Flower

as Yukiko Sasaki

The Great Wall

as Princess Chu

Buddha

as Usha

An Actor's Revenge

as Ohatsu

Satan's Sword: The Dragon God

as Omatsu

Ghost Soup

The Demon of Mount Oe

Undercurrent

as Kiwa Funaki

Being Two Isn't Easy

as Chiyo

The Loyal 47 Ronin

as Yôsen'in

A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love

as Michiyo Sawada

The Dancer and Two Warriors

A Woman's Testament

The Twilight Story

Daiei Studio is Bustling

Beauty the Enemy

as Kikue Yoshino

Night Butterflies

as O-Kiku