(born 9 August 1935) is a Japanese film actress and

voice actress Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

essayist.

Biography

Early life

Kazuko was born in Tokyo as a first daughter of

Eisuke Yoshiyuki was a Japanese author. He was born in Okayama Prefecture. His son, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, was also a noted author; his daughter, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, a well-known actress; and his other daughter, Rie Yoshiyuki, was a poet and novelist. The 1997 NHK A ...

, a writer, and Aguri. She has an older brother,

Junnosuke Yoshiyuki was a Japanese novelist and short-story writer, and a member of the so-called " Third Generation of Postwar Writers" (第3の新人). Life Yoshiyuki was born in Okayama, the oldest child of author Yoshiyuki Eisuke, but his family moved to T ...

, a novelist, and a sister,

Rie Yoshiyuki was a Japanese writer of short stories, novels and poetry. She was awarded the Noma Literary Prize, Noma Children's Literature Newcomer Award, the Akutagawa Prize, and the Women's Literature Prize. Biography Yoshiyuki was born in Tokyo as the th ...

, a poet. A lifelong sufferer of

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

since she was two years old, she was frequently taken as a child to

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

, where her grandparents lived, for a change of air. She graduated from Joshigakuen Girls High school in Tokyo in 1954.

Career

She started her career as an actress with theatre troupe

Gekidan Mingei The is a Japanese theatre company that stages Shingeki plays. Along with the Haiyuza Theatre Company and Bungakuza it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki theatre troupes. History Gekidan Mingei, meaning "The People's Art Thea ...

in 1955, appearing in the role of Sophie in

Junji Kinoshita was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan.Kinoshita, Junji. Between God and Man: A Judgment on War Crimes: a Play ...

's '' A Japanese Called Otto'' in 1966. Her major breakthrough on the stage came when she played

Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...

in ''

The Diary of a Young Girl ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'' in 1977. She made her debut on the screen in 1955 and has appeared in more than 60 films since then. She won Best Supporting Actress award in 1959

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

, then won Best Actress in 1978 Japan Academy Prize for her role in the film ''

Empire of Passion is a 1978 French-Japanese film produced, written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, based on a novel by Itoko Nakamura. The film was a co-production between Oshima Prods. and Argos Films.Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy an ...

''. She has also appeared in more than a hundred different

Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thriller ...

Selected filmography

Films

* '' My Second Brother'' (1959) - as Kanako Hori * ''

Foundry Town is a 1962 Japanese drama film directed by Kirio Urayama. It was entered into the 1962 Cannes Film Festival and won the Blue Ribbon Awards in 1962. Cast * Sayuri Yoshinaga as Jun * Mitsuo Hamada as Tsukamoto, Katsumi * Eijirō Tōno as Ishigu ...

'' (1962) - as a factory worker * '' Lady Snowblood'' (1974) - as Aya Tokunaga * ''

'' (1978) - as Seki * ''

Kaerazaru hibi is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Toshiya Fujita. Synopsis The story of a high school boy (Toshiyuki Nagashima) in Tokyo returning to his home town of Nagano upon the death of his father. Cast * Jun Etō as Ryuzo Kuroiwa * Toshiyuki Nagashima ...

'' (1978) * ''

Chizuko's Younger Sister is a 1991 Japanese film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It was filmed in Mukaishima Island, Hiroshima. Synopsis The film centers on Mika Kitao (北尾実加 ''Kitao Mika''; Hikari Ishida), the clumsy and slow younger sister of Chizuko Kitao (北 ...

'' (1991) * ''

Kikujiro ''Kikujiro'' () is a 1999 Japanese road drama film starring, written, and directed by Takeshi Kitano. Its score was composed by Joe Hisaishi. The film was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ''Kikujiro'' tells the story of a young boy sea ...

'' (1999) - as a grandmother of Masao * ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'' (1999) - as Matsu * ''

Lily Festival is a 2001 Japanese movie directed by Sachi Hamano, based on the novel ''Yurisai'' by Houko Momotani. The film focuses on the sexuality of older women and won the Jury Prize for "Best Feature - Lesbian" at the Philadelphia International Gay & Le ...

'' (2001) - as Rie Miyano * ''

Tsuribaka Nisshi is a Japanese fishing-themed manga series written by Jūzō Yamasaki and illustrated by Kenichi Kitami. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Original'' since 1979. It won the 28th Shogakukan Manga Awa ...

15'' (2004) - as Nobuko Fukumoto * ''

J-Horror Theater J-Horror Theater (:ja:Jホラーシアター, Jホラーシアター, ''J horā shiatā)'' 2004 – 2010 is an anthology of 6 Japanese horror films produced by producer Takashige Ichise (:ja:一瀬隆重, 一瀬隆重, ''ichise takashige''). Spur ...

Yogen'' (2004) - as Satoko Mikoshiba * ''

Kamataki ''Kamataki'' is a Canadian-Japanese co-produced drama film, directed by Claude Gagnon and released in 2005.Charles-Henri Ramond"Kamataki – Film de Claude Gagnon" ''Films du Québec'', March 12, 2009. The film stars Matthew Smiley as Ken-Antoi ...

'' (2005) - as Kariya Sensei * ''

Wool 100% ''Wool 100%'' ( ja, ウール100%) is a 2006 Japanese comedy- fantasy film directed by Mai Tominaga. It was released on October 28, 2006 in Japan and had a United States release on September 12, 2007. The film stars Kyōko Kishida and Kazuko Yoshi ...

'' (2006) - as Kame * ''

Maiko Haaaan!!! is a Japanese comedy film released in 2007. Hitoshi Ueki made his final film appearance in the film. Plot Kimihiko Onizuka ( Sadao Abe) is a salaryman infatuated with maiko (apprentice geisha) and whose greatest goal in life is to play a party ga ...

'' (2007) - as Satsuki * ''

Glory to the Filmmaker! is a 2007 Japanese film written, directed, edited by the film's lead star Takeshi Kitano. It is the second film in Kitano's surrealist autobiographical trilogy, following '' Takeshis, and concluding with '' Achilles and the Tortoise''. Style ...

'' (2007) * ''

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distributed by ...

'' (2008) - as Toki (voice actress) * ''

Cyborg She is a 2008 Japanese science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Haruka Ayase and Keisuke Koide. Plot It is 22 November 2007. Jiro Kitamura (Keisuke Koide) is spending his 20th birthday alone. As he buys a birthday pr ...

'' (2008) - as a grandmother of Jiro * '' Departures'' (2008) - as Tsuyako Yamashita * ''

20th Century Boys is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was originally serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1999 to 2006, with the 249 chapters published into 22 ''tankōbon'' ...

'' (2008) - as mother of Moroboshi * ''

Koitanibashi is a 2011 Japanese film directed by Kōichi Gotō. Cast * Takako Uehara * Kensei Mikami is a Japanese actor. After being active as a fashion model in Japan, he went to New York at the age of 18. After returning home, he started work as an ...

'' (2011) * '' Yuriko, Dasvidaniya'' (2011) - as Yoshie Chujyo * ''The Love and Death of Kaoru Mitarai'' (2013) - as Kaoru Mitarai * ''

Tokyo Family is a 2013 Japanese drama film directed by Yōji Yamada. It is a remake of the Japanese film ''Tokyo Story''. Plot The film is set in Tokyo and Ōsakikamijima, Hiroshima. Cast *Isao Hashizume as Shukichi Hirayama *Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Tomiko ...

'' (2013) - as Tomiko Hirayama * ''

When Marnie Was There is a 2014 Japanese animated psychological drama film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ghibli and distributed by Toho. It is based on Joan G. Robinson's 1967 novel of the same name. The film follows Anna Sas ...

'' (2014) - as Nanny (voice actress) * ''The Firefly Summers'' (2016) * ''The Book Peddler'' (2016) - as Tome Miyoshi * ''

What a Wonderful Family! is a 2016 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada and starring Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Masahiko Nishimura, Yui Natsukawa, Tomoko Nakajima, Hayashiya Shōzō IX, Satoshi Tsumabuki and Yū Aoi. It was released in Japan by Shochiku ...

'' (2016) * '' What a Wonderful Family! 2'' (2017) * ''

Miracles of the Namiya General Store is a 2012 Japanese novel written by Keigo Higashino and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Plot In 1980, the Namiya General Store becomes popular with citizens after its owner, Yūji Namiya, accepts people’s advice letters seeking advice for anyth ...

'' (2017) * '' Ajin: Demi-Human'' (2017) - as Yamanaka * ''Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura'' (2017) * '' What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life'' (2018) * ''

A Forest of Wool and Steel is a 2018 Japanese film directed by Kojiro Hashimoto and starring Kento Yamazaki. Based on the 2016 award-winning Booksellers novel ''Hitsuji to Hagane no Mori'' by Natsu Miyashita, which tell the story about Tomura's ambition to become a piano t ...

'' (2018) - as Kiyo Tomura * ''The Landlady'' (2019) * ''Omoide Shashin'' (2021) * ''Hama no Asahi to Usotsuki-domo to'' (2021) - as Hideko Matsuyama * ''Somebody's Flowers'' (2022) * ''Life in Bloom'' (2022) * ''Yudō'' (2023)

Television

* ''

Kaze to Kumo to Niji to is a 1976 Japanese historical television series. It is the 14th NHK taiga drama. Kaze to kumo to Niji to deals with the Heian period in Japan. Based on Chōgorō Kaionji's novels ''Taira no Masakado'' and ''Umi to Kaze to Niji to''. The drama was ...

'' (1976) - as Kera * ''

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

'' (1983) - as Nene * ''Aguri'' (1997) - as Masako Hirayama * ''The Sniffer'' (2016)

Honours

*Kinuyo Tanaka Award (2002)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshiyuki, Kazuko 1935 births Living people Japanese film actresses Actresses from Tokyo Japanese television actresses