is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She has won several acting awards during a long career working in both film and television, after she graduated from Meiji University.

Life and career

Early career

At the beginning of her career in 1979, Tanaka had a leading role in the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

TV drama series and she also voiced the role of Judy in the

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

movie , based on the novel by

Jean Webster Jean Webster was the pen name of Alice Jane Chandler Webster (July 24, 1876 – June 11, 1916), an American author whose books include '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' and '' Dear Enemy''. Her best-known books feature lively and likeable young female prot ...

, which was broadcast in October 1979. Tanaka appeared in her first theatrical film in 1981, the historical drama '' Eijanaika'' and later that year she starred in ''

Edo Porn ''Edo Porn'' ( ja, 北斎漫画, Hokusai manga) is a 1981 Japanese biographical drama film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. It is based on Seiichi Yashiro's stage play on the life of Japanese artist Hokusai. Plot Tetsuzō is an unsuccess ...

'', a fictional biography of the artist

Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the ...

. Tanaka received a number of accolades for her work in these two films including Best Supporting Actress and one of the Best Newcomer of the Year awards from the

Japan Academy The Japan Academy (Japanese: 日本学士院, ''Nihon Gakushiin'') is an honorary organisation and science academy founded in 1879 to bring together leading Japanese scholars with distinguished records of scientific achievements. The Academy is c ...

. She also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as the

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

for Best Supporting Actress. Tanaka returned to television drama in late 1981 with the

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

(TBS) series about three office ladies (OL) reaching their 25th birthdays. The series, which also starred Masako Mori and

Yūko Kotegawa is a Japanese actress from the city of Ōita. Biography Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics com ...

, ran from September to December 1981. In May 1982, Tanaka starred in the film directed by

Yōichi Higashi is a Japanese film director. He began his career working on documentaries at Iwanami Productions but, after going independent, turned to fiction film. He won the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award for '' Yasashii Nipponjin'' in 1971, ...

, a role which earned her a nomination for Best Actress from the

. Later that year, Tanaka played "Keiko", the love interest of Torajirō (Tora-san), in the comedy, ''

Tora-san, the Expert is a 1982 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Yūko Tanaka as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san, the Expert'' is the thirtieth entry in the popular, long-running '' ...

'', part of a long running series of films. In early 1983, Tanaka played the part of a prostitute in the murder mystery with

Tsunehiko Watase (July 28, 1944 – March 14, 2017) was a Japanese actor known for portraying Rintaro Kano in ''Keishicho Sosa Ikka 9 Gakari'' ("Homicide Team 9"). He won the award for best supporting actor at the 2nd Japan Academy Prize for '' The Incident'' an ...

. Reviewer Kevin Thomas at the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

called Tanaka "So gorgeous and talented" that the film "becomes something extraordinary." For her part in the film she won both the Blue Ribbon Award and the

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

award for Best Actress.

''Oshin'' and afterwards

As part of the celebration of their 30th anniversary in 1983, the Japanese TV network

inaugurated a new NHK Serial TV Novel titled . The serial told the story of a peasant girl, Oshin, born in 1900, who endures poverty and mistreatment but in later life finds success and happiness. Oshin as a young girl was played by Ayako Kobayashi but Tanaka took over the role as the adult Oshin. The series ran in almost 300 fifteen-minute episodes broadcast from April 1983 to March 1984 and its peak rating (62.9%) made it "the most popular drama in Japanese TV history". The series was also popular outside Japan and Tanaka became a "household name" in China in the 1980s. After ''Oshin'', Tanaka returned to feature films with starring roles in the comedy ''

Capone Cries a Lot is a 1985 Japanese comedy directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Kenichi Hagiwara. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Toshiyuki Kajiyama. Plot Umiemon (Kenichi Hagiwara) is a naniwa-bushi singer who travels with his wife to th ...

'' which was distributed by

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

in February 1985, and in the August 1985 drama opposite

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Prize ...

. Tanaka received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress from the

for the two films. Over the next ten years, Tanaka mostly worked in television, appearing in a dozen TV movies and in the lavish

historical series chronicling the period of the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, , which ran in 48 episodes from January to December 1990. During this period, Tanaka also appeared in two films, one of them the July 1987 sentimental drama about a teacher, . Kevin Thomas at the

called her "exquisite in her portrayal". In May 1988, Tanaka starred as Kino (Catherine in the novel) in ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moorland, moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their tur ...

'', director

Yoshishige Yoshida , also known as Kijū Yoshida, was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Life and career Graduating from the University of Tokyo, where he studied French literature, Yoshida entered the Shōchiku studio in 1955 and worked as an assistant t ...

's film adaptation of the classic

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, ''Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poet ...

novel set in medieval Japan.

Personal life

Tanaka met singer and actor

Kenji Sawada is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor, best known for being the vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers. Nicknamed because of his self-professed adoration of Julie Andrews, he was born in Tsunoi, Iwami (now part of Totto ...

when they were both in the 1982 film ''

'' and they also appeared together in the 1985 movie ''

''. Sawada at the time was married to singer Emi Īto but they separated in 1986 and were divorced in 1987. Tanaka and Sawada married in November 1989.

Later career

When director

Yōji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

reworked a script from his popular ''

Otoko wa Tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995, all of the ' ...

'' film series after the death of "Tora-san" star

Kiyoshi Atsumi Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...

as in December 1996, Tanaka, who had earlier worked with Yamada in ''

'', was chosen to play the true love of a manager of a failing movie theater (

Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. He has won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for ''The Silk Road'' (1988) and ''Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He has also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (2003) ...

). In July 1997, Tanaka provided the voice of Lady Eboshi in the

fantasy ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...

'' and in the 1999 , Tanaka played one half of a

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes ...

comedy duo whose failing marriage affects their daughter Wakana (

Ikewaki Chizuru is a Japanese actress. Career Ikewaki was given a Best New Talent award at the 2000 Yokohama Film Festival for her performance in ''Osaka Story''. She appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2012 television drama ''Penance (TV series), Penance''. She h ...

). Tanaka continued performing in both film and television roles throughout the 2000s including starring with

in the 2001

Yasuo Furuhata was a Japanese film director. He was a director of Toei film company and he often worked with Ken Takakura in such films as '' Eki'' and ''Shin Abashiri Bangaichi''. He won the 2000 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year and 31st Internat ...

drama, , about Japanese families after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The film was nominated for 13 awards by the

including a Best Actress nomination for Tanaka. In the January 2005 film , Tanaka took on the role of real life ceramic artist Kiyoko Koyama. When her son was diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

, Kiyoko worked to form a patients' group for bone marrow transplants, and she was instrumental in the formation of the Japan Marrow Donor Program (JMDP). The film was directed by

Banmei Takahashi (or Tomoaki Takahashi) is a Japanese film director. Takahashi started his career in the pink film industry, making his directorial debut in 1972 with ''Escaped Rapist Criminal''. Due to a disagreement with his producer, Takahashi quit the film i ...

who is better known for his early work in '' pink film''. The movie brought Tanaka both the Hochi Film Award and the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress. Tanaka's next film role was a fifty-year-old single woman who meets an old flame while delivering milk in the July 2005 romantic drama . She won a Best Actress Award for her roles in this film and ''Hibi'' at the 2006

Japanese Professional Movie Awards The are an annual Japanese film award. The first awards were given to films made in 1991. This award is hosted by Hiroo Ōtaka. Categories *Best Film *Best Director *Best Actor *Best Actress Editions * 1st (1991) * 2nd (1992) *3rd (1993) * 4th ...

. Tanaka voiced the character of the wizard Cob () in the July 2006

movie ''

Tales from Earthsea ''Tales from Earthsea'' is a collection of fantasy stories and essays by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, published by Harcourt in 2001. It accompanies five novels (1968 to 2001) set in the fictional archipelago Earthsea. . Retrieved 2012-02- ...

'' which was also released in an English language version in the United States in August 2010. Tanaka returned to television drama starring as the

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

in the

historical drama . The Sino-Japanese production ran in 28 episodes in Japan from January to July 2010 and in China from March 2010, with both versions receiving excellent ratings. She also reunited with previous co-star

's film in August 2012. The next year she took the part of

Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasu ...

's mother in the June 2013 ''Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story'', a drama based on the life of the famous Japanese film director, and she also played a leading role in

Shinji Aoyama was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film ''Eureka (2000 film), Eureka''. Biography Shinji Aoyama was b ...

's in September 2013.

Filmography

Films

TV dramas

TV anime

Honours

Medal with Purple Ribbon are medals awarded by the Government of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and we ...

(2010) *Kinuyo Tanaka Award (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Yuko 1955 births Living people Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Japanese voice actresses Meiji University alumni Asadora lead actors Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon