, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and former

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

singer.

Biography

Nana Okada got her start in show business in the

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

program ''"Anata o Star Ni!"'' (You Are a Star!) in 1974. She was signed to NAV Records and released her first single, ''"Hitorigoto"'' (Soliloquy), in May 1975. In the spring of 1976 she released her biggest hit and signature song ''"''" (The Hills of Youth), which reached the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

top 30. Other top 40 hits would follow, such as ''"''Wakai Kisetsu" (The Young Season), ''"''Teami no Present''"'' (Hand-knitted Present) and ''"''Soyokaze to Watashi''"'' (The Breeze And I). Her last single was released in 1986. Nana Okada has also acted in movies and

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

. In May 1977, a man armed with a knife invaded Okada's apartment and held her captive for five hours before escaping. Okada was injured on both hands, but was otherwise not physically assaulted. The perpetrator was never identified, and Okada suffered a decline in popularity due to the media reporting which damaged her "innocent" image. When author and former

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

George Abe , known by his pen name , was a Japanese author and former yakuza. Outside Japan he is best known for writing the manga series '' Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin'' in collaboration with artist Masasumi Kakizaki. As a teenager Abe became a me ...

interviewed Okada for ''

Weekly Asahi Geinō , often shortened to simply ''Asahi Geinō'' or , is a shūkanshi founded by Hirotomo Takei and published by Tokuma Shoten in Japan. It was first published under the title in January 1946, though the title and size were changed to the current on ...

'' years later, he revealed that he had been her admirer, and that when serving time in the

Tokyo Detention House The is a correctional facility in Katsushika, Tokyo. The prison, which is operated by the Ministry of Justice, is one of seven detention centres that carry out executions in Japan. It is used to detain people awaiting trial, convicted felons and ...

, he had met a fellow inmate who claimed to be the perpetrator of the crime and had beaten him up so severely that he would suffer "lifetime injuries".

Discography

Singles

# Hitorigoto (10 May 1975) # Jogakusei (25 Aug. 1975) # Kuchizuke (10 Dec. 1975) # Seishun no Sakamichi (10 Mar. 1976) # Wakai Kisetsu (10 Jun. 1976) # Teami no Present (10 Sep. 1976) # Kazaranai Seishun (21 Dec. 1976) # Soyokaze to Watashi (10 Apr. 1977) # Love Step Jump (10 Jul. 1977) # Kyūai Senka (25 Sep. 1977) # Bye-bye Lullaby (10 Feb. 1978) # Dame Desuka (25 Apr. 1978) # Shonan Kaigan Dori (21 Sep. 1978) # Kake (21 Mar. 1979) # Quiet Dance (21 Oct. 1980) # It's For You c/w Nagai Yoru (5 Feb. 1986)

Albums

# Nana no Hitorigoto (25 Jul. 1975) # Akogare (10 Dec. 1975) # Seventeen! Okada Nana Birthday Concert (10 May 1976) # Akushu Shiyou yo (25 Aug. 1976) # Okada Nana Original Best Collection (Nov. 1976) # 77 Atarashii Nikkichou (25 Feb. 1977) # Cream Soda (25 Aug. 1977) # Okada Nana Best 24 (Dec. 1977) # Bye-bye Lullaby / Ai no Finale (25 Mar. 1978) # Mr. Arranger (5 Nov. 1978)

Filmography

Films

* ''

G.I. Samurai aka ''Time Slip'', is a 1979 Japanese science fiction/ action film focusing on the adventures of a modern-day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) team that accidentally travels in time to the . The ...

'' (1979) - Kazuko Arai * '' Nomugi Pass II'' (''Ā, Nomugi tōge: Shinryoku hen'') (1982) - Ai Kawai * ''

Hometown Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to: *A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth. *In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soci ...

'' (1983) - Fuku * ''

Hakujasho is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Shunya Itō. Awards 7th Japan Academy Prize * Won: Best Actress - Rumiko Koyanagi , formerly known as during her Takarazuka Revue days, is a Japanese actress and singer. She began her career as a member o ...

'' (1983) - Yasue * ''

Okinawan Boys is a 1983 Japanese film directed by Taku Shinjō based on a novel by Mineo Higashi. Awards and nominations 26th Blue Ribbon Awards * Won: Best Actor - Ken Ogata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. Life Ogata was born in ...

'' (1983) * ''

Legend of the Eight Samurai is a 1983 Japanese historical martial arts fantasy film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The script is adapted from Toshio Kamata's 1982 novel ''Shin Satomi Hakkenden'' (新・里見八犬伝), itself a loose reworking of the epic serial ''Nansō Sato ...

'' (1983) - Hamaji * '' Love & Pop'' (1998) - Hiromi's Mother * (2016) - Kyoko Akamatsu

Television

* ''

Momotarō-zamurai ''Momotarō-zamurai'' (桃太郎侍) or ''Samurai Momotarō'' is a Japanese novel by Kiichirō Yamate (1899–1978). Published in 1946, the novel centers on an Edo-period ''rōnin'', Shinjirō, the younger twin brother of a ''daimyō'' who was caug ...

'' (1980) - Okyō * ''

Sanga Moyu ''Sanga Moyu'' (山河燃ゆ) is a Japanese television drama based on the 1983 novel ''Futatsu no Sokoku'' (二つの祖国) by Toyoko Yamazaki. It was NHK's taiga drama in 1984. Synopsis The Amo family lives in Los Angeles, California. Two of ...

'' (1984)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okada, Nana 1959 births Japanese women singers Japanese idols Living people