Yukari Oshima

is a Japanese former actress and martial artist. She gained prominence in Hong Kong and became popular in the Philippines as Cynthia Luster. Due to Filipinos' interest in Jackie Chan, she became Chan's pseudo female equivalent.

Biography

Born in Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan, to a Japanese businessman and fashion designer and a Chinese woman, Oshima began studying Gōjū-ryū Seigokan karate at Ennouji Dojo in junior high school.
She was one of Japan's brightest female martial artists during the 1980s and a leading figure in the '' babes and bullets'' fad of Hong Kong action cinema. She played the role of "Farrah Cat" in '' Bioman'', which aired not only in Japan originally but also worldwide. She is best known to Western audiences as Yomi in '' Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky''. After her Hong Kong career dried up, she embarked on a new career in the Philippines in the 1990s with the stage name Cynthia Luster.

Oshima now resides in Fukuoka, Japan, where she has promoted tourism in the city. She is commonly known to Western audiences as the actress in the Marlboro Lite commercials (in the late 1990s).

Selected filmography

Television

*'' Space Sheriff Gavan'' (1983, TV series)
*'' Kagaku Sentai Dynaman'' (1983, Ep. 28) as Doll Assassin
*'' Choudenshi Bioman'' (1984–1985, TV series) as Farrah Cat
*''Space Sheriff Shaider'' (1984, TV series)
*'' Sukeban Deka II'' (1986, ep. 1)

Film

*''Lover's Tear'' (1992) as Police officer
*'' Full Contact'' (1992) (新龙争虎斗) as Mrs. Wang
*''The Big Deal'' (1992) as Sim-Lan
*''The Direct Line'' (1992) as Mok Yu Xia, CID Madam
*''Nv xiao feng yun: Xie jiao ru qin'' (1992)
*''Fatal Chase'' (1992) as Cynthia
*''Beauty Investigator'' (1992) as The Hitwoman
*''Jin san jiao qun ying hui'' (1992) as Bullet
*''Hard to Kill'' (1992)
*''Mission of Justice'' (1992)
*''Patio'' (1992)
*''The Story of the Gun'' (1992)
*''Win Them All'' (1992)
*''Zong heng tian xia'' (1993) (uncredited)
*''Angel the Kickboxer'' (1993)
*''Lethal Panther'' (1993) as Jane Matsuko/Shoko (international version)
*''Serious Shock! Yes Madam!'' (1993) as Coco
*''The Avenging Quartet'' (1993) as Oshima
*'' Project S'' (1993, cameo) as Terrorist
*''Ghost's Love'' (1993)
*'' Love to Kill'' (1993)
*''Angel of Vengeance'' (1993)
*''Kakambal ko sa tapang'' (1993) as Michelle
*''Angel Terminators II'' (also known as ''The Best of Lady Kickboxers'', 1993) as Bullet
*''1/3 qing ren'' (1993) as Lin Ching-Hsia
*''Xing Qi Gong Zhi Tan Bi'' (1993)
*'' Once Upon a Time in Manila'' (1994, Cynthia Luster's first Filipino movie) as Lt. Cynthia Wang
*''Yue gui zhi lang'' (1994)
*''Pintsik'' (1994) as May Leng
*''His Way, Her Way, Their Ways!'' (1994)
*''Hong tian mi ling'' (1994) as Inspector Cynthia Lee Lai-Nga/Lisa Li
*'' Deadly Target'' (1994)
*''Drugs Fighters'' (1995) as Yi Chian
*''Kinkyu yobidashi - Emâjenshî kôru'' (1995)
*''Ultracop 2000'' (1995) as Trishia Marks
*''1/3 Lover'' (1995)
*''Emergency Call '95'' (1995, cameo)
*''Hubungan jenayah'' (1995) as Heung Lan
*''Power Connection'' (1995)
*''Guardian Angel'' (1996)
*''Tiger Angels'' (1997)
*''Tapang sa Tapang'' (1997) Jane Nakamoto & Alana sim (沈诗芳-小慧欣) as Jane Nakamoto
*''Super Cops'' (1997) as Interpol Agent Yukari
*''Challenge'' (1997)
*''Vengeance Is Mine'' (1997)
*''Gold Rush'' (1998)
*''The Golden Nightmare'' (1998) as Nikki
*''Leopard Hunting'' (1998) as Chieko
*''To Kiss Is Fatal'' (1998) as Diana Pama Aller
*''Digital Warriors'' (1999) as Jean Chung
*''Double Sin'' (1999)
*''It Takes a Thief'' (1999)''It Takes a Thief'' at HK cinemagic
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*''Hakata Movie: Chinchiromai'' (2000) as Fay Ian
*''Xtreme Warriors'' (2001)
*''Ashita wa kitto'' (2001) as Girl in grape field
*''Legendary Amazons'' (2011) as Zou Lanying (final film role)

See also

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Citations

General sources

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External links

*
HK cinemagic entryAllCinema Movie Database Entry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshima, Yukari
1963 births
Japanese actresses
Japanese female karateka
Japanese people of Chinese descent
Living people
People from Fukuoka
Gōjū-ryū practitioners