Yatsuko Kaneko Tanami (Japanese: 丹阿弥谷津子, born 25 June 1924) is a Japanese actress, known for her performance during the Golden Age of Japanese film.

Early years

Her real name is Yatsuko Kaneko. Her father, Tanami Iwakichi (1901-1992), was a painter from Tokyo who studied under Taikan Yokoyama. Her mother, Tomie, was a

paulownia ''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivat ...

doll artist from Hikami-cho, Hyogo Prefecture (currently Tamba City). Her younger sister Tanami Niwako (1927-) became a copperplate engraver after entering

Bunka Gakuin is a Japanese vocational school. It opened in 1921 as the first co-educational school in Japan. Alumni * Hisae Imai * Takako Irie * Liu Chi-hsiang * Yoko Mizuki * Akiko Santo * Akira Terao *Mitsu Yashima * Guan Zilan Guan Zilan (; January ...

. Her family lived in Atelier Village in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

, Toshima Ward.

Education

In 1937, she graduated from Tokyo Higher Normal School Attached Elementary School and from Tokyo Prefectural 10th High School for Girls. In 1942, she graduated from

Faculty of Literature. In 1942 she became a research student at the Bungakuza. In the same year she made her debut in "''Matsugoro Tomishima''".Nichigai Associates Information on Modern People. In 1945, she gained attention for her role as Anya in the new theater joint performance "''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

''", and since then she has been known as an actress with both her beauty and acting skills, such as Roxanne in "''Cyrano''" and ''Fanny in "Marius''".

Career

On 24 March 1954, she left for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to attend the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. In 1964, she formed "Gekidan NLT" with

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

, who had left Bungakuza due to the incident. She left the company in 1966 and formed a new group, New Theater Club Marui, with Kaneko. In 1967, she won the Encouragement Prize at the

Arts Festival An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, lite ...

for "Love and Death of an Actress". In 2000, she won the 10th Japan Film Critics Award for

Lifetime Achievement Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

. She has made many appearances in TV dramas as the grandmother of her main character. She has appeared in commercials for Paramount Bed, Sawai Pharmaceutical, and others.

Personal life

She was married to actor

Nobuo Kaneko was a Japanese actor. His wife was actress Yatsuko Tanami. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1950 and 1993. Career Kaneko was a versatile character actor, playing roles ranging from comedic buffoons to hardened yakuza bosses. He is es ...

until his death in 1995.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1924 births Living people 20th-century Japanese actresses Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Actresses from Tokyo