Kinuyo Tanaka

Acting

Born 1909-11-28 Died 1977-03-21 Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan 229 credits Silver Bear for Best Actress 1 Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress 1 Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress 1 Medal with Purple Ribbon 1

Awards

Won 1 Silver Bear for Best Actress Award

Silver Bear for Best Actress 1 won

1975 Best Actress Won

Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress 1 won

1975 Best Actress Won

Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress 1 won

1975 Best Actress Won

Medal with Purple Ribbon 1 won

1970 Medal with Purple Ribbon Won

Award data from Wikidata (CC0). Coverage may be incomplete.

Read biography

Kinuyo Tanaka (田中絹代 Tanaka Kinuyo, 29 November 1909 – 21 March 1977) was a Japanese actress and director. Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at seventeen years old, appearing in Heinosuke Gosho's An Embarrassing Dream in 1927. She proceeded to take leading parts in, among others, Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929, Gosho's Aiyoku no ki in 1930, and in 1931, Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, directed by Gosho. She had a close working relationship with director Kenji Mizoguchi, having parts in 15 of his films, including leading roles in The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). Their working relationship ended when Mizoguchi countered a recommendation from the Directors Guild of Japan for the Nikkatsu studio to hire her as a director. Despite this, the production of her second film as director went ahead, but Tanaka never forgave Mizoguchi, and the reasons for his behaviour are unclear. She also played Noboru Yasumoto's mother in Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (1965). For her portrayal in Kei Kumai's Sandakan N° 8 she won the Best Actress Award at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival in 1975. Her last screen appearance was in 1976 in Kei Kumai's Kita No Misaki. Tanaka was the second Japanese woman who worked as a film director, after Sakane Tazuko (1904‐1975). Her first directing job was on the film Love Letter in 1953, and she made five further films in that role.