was a Japanese actress, best known to Western audiences for her portrayal of Mariko in the 1980

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...

''.

''Shogun'' miniseries

Shimada was the only female member of ''Shōgun''s massive cast of Japanese actors shown speaking English, for which she relied on a dialogue coach, as she was not fluent in the language at the time. Her English improved greatly during the production, however, allowing her to work in a few English language films during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1981, she won the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The award honors the best performance by an actress in a drama television series. ...

, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work on ''Shōgun''. While the nine-hour long ''Shōgun'' was a critical success in the U.S., it flopped in Japan when it was released as a severely truncated theatrical version.

Personal life

In 1988, Shimada had an affair with singer Yuya Uchida, who was married at the time. She reportedly had resorted to alcoholism and appeared in a nude photo book in 1992 in an attempt to clear her personal debts. Though the book was a bestseller, it damaged her reputation as an actress. In 2011, at the age of 58, she starred in an adult video. Shimada died at a hospital in Tokyo on 25 July 2022, due to complications from

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

Filmography

Movies

Television

* ''Osanazuma'' (1970) * ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media genera ...

'' (1971) – Hiromi Nohara * ''

Karei-naru Ichizoku is a 1973 novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. It has been adapted into a film in 1974 and then three times as a television series in 1974, 2007, and 2021. Plot Set in the post-World War II climate of the 1960s in Kobe, the show explores the struggle for po ...

'' (1974–75) – Tsugiko Manpyo * ''

Shiroi Kyotō is a 1965 novel by Toyoko Yamasaki. It has been adapted into a film in 1966 and then five times as a television series in 1967, 1978, 1990, 2003, and 2019. The 1966 film was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a S ...

'' (1978) * '' Ōgon no Hibi'' (1978) – Tama * ''

'' (1980) – Lady Toda Buntaro – Mariko * ''

Chicago Story ''Chicago Story'' is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC from March 6 to June 11, 1982, following a 2-hour television film pilot that was broadcast earlier on March 15, 1981. Synopsis The series followed ...

'' (1982) – Wing * ''

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) * ''

Oka no Ue no Himawari is a Japanese television drama series that first aired on TBS in 1993. Cast * Kaoru Kobayashi * Yoko Shimada * Michitaka Tsutsui * Riona Hazuki * Atsuko Takahata is a Japanese actress, voice actress and tarento from Kagawa Prefecture, Ja ...

'' (1993)

References

External links

* 1953 births 2022 deaths Deaths from cancer in Japan Deaths from colorectal cancer People from Kumamoto Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners 20th-century Japanese actresses 21st-century Japanese actresses Japanese film actresses Japanese television actresses Actors from Kumamoto Prefecture {{Japan-screen-actor-stub