Kinuyo Tanaka
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1909-11-28
Day of Death
1977-03-21 (67 years old)
Place of Birth
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan
Kinuyo Tanaka
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.
Known For
Acting
(2022)
Kinuyo Tanaka, a Woman We Talk About
as Self (archive footage)
(2009)
The Travels of Kinuyo Tanaka
as Self (archive footage)
(1976)
(1976)
Cape of the North
as Old Nun
(1975)
Let's Go, Grandma!
as Kiku Sasaki
(1975)
(1974)
Sandakan No. 8
as Old Osaki
(1974)
(1972)
Tora-san's Dream-Come-True
as the old family mistress
(1965)
Red Beard
as Madame Yasumoto
(1964)
The Scent of Incense
as Tsuna
(1964)
(1963)
A Legend or Was It?
as Shizuko Sonobe
(1963)
Alone Across the Pacific
as Youth's Mother
(1963)
Bright Sea
as Nobuko Yazaki
(1963)
(1962)
A Wanderer's Notebook
as Kishi, Fumiko's mother
(1962)
(1962)
The Fencing Master
as Oharu
(1961)
Wakarete ikiru toki mo
as Michi's Mother
(1960)
Her Brother
as Mother
(1959)
Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka
as Myokan
(1959)
The Three Treasures
as Princess Yamato
(1959)
Hahakogusa
as Shige Ozawa
(1958)
Equinox Flower
as Kiyoko Hirayama
(1958)
The Ballad of Narayama
as Orin
(1958)
The Eternal Rainbow
as Fumi
(1958)
(1957)
Geisha in the Old City
as Oei
(1957)
Stepbrothers
as Rie
(1957)
Yellow Crow
as Yukiko Matsumoto
(1957)
On This Earth
as Omitsu, Heiichiro's mother
(1956)
Flowing
as Rika Yamanaka / Oharu
(1956)
(1956)
(1956)
(1956)
Women in Prison
as Prison Warden
(1955)
Forever a Woman
as Neighbor's Wife
(1955)
The Moon Has Risen
as Yoneya
(1955)
(1955)
(1955)
(1954)
The Woman in the Rumor
as Hatsuko Mabuchi
(1954)
Sansho the Bailiff
as Tamaki
(1954)
(1953)
Ugetsu
as Miyagi
(1953)
Where Chimneys Are Seen
as Hiroko Ogata
(1953)
Love Letter
as Landlady
(1953)
An Heir's Place
as Hisa Hosho
(1953)
Sincere Heart
as Kuniko
(1952)
The Life of Oharu
as Oharu
(1952)
Mother
as Masako Fukuhara
(1952)
The Ataka Family
as Kuniko Ataka
(1952)
(1951)
(1951)
Miss Oyu
as Oyû Kayukawa
(1951)
Ginza Cosmetics
as Yukiko Tsuji
(1951)
The Inner Palace Conspiracy
as Onaka
(1951)
The Lady of Musashino
as Michiko Akiyama
(1950)
The Munekata Sisters
as Setsuko Munekata
(1950)
Wedding Ring
as Noriko Kuki
(1949)
Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 1
as Oiwa / Osode
(1949)
Yotsuya Ghost Story Part 2
as Oiwa / Osode
(1949)
Flame of My Love
as Eiko Hirayama
(1948)
Women of the Night
as Fusako Owada
(1948)
A Hen in the Wind
as Tokiko Amamiya
(1947)
The Love of the Actress Sumako
as Sumako Matsui
(1947)
Phoenix
as Sayoko Aihara
(1947)
Marriage
as Fumie Matsukawa
(1946)
Utamaro and His Five Women
as Okita
(1946)
Victory of Women
as Hiroko Hosokawa
(1945)
Victory Song
as Woman who sings lullaby
(1945)
(1944)
Miyamoto Musashi
as Shinobu Nonomiya
(1944)
(1944)
Army
as Waka
(1943)
Air Raid of the Enemy Plane
as Kiyo
(1943)
(1942)
(1941)
(1941)
(1941)
(1941)
Ornamental Hairpin
as Emi
(1940)
(1940)
(1940)
(1940)
(1939)
(1939)
(1939)
(1939)
Okayo's Preparedness
as Okayo
(1938)
Mother and Child
as Chieko
(1938)
The Tree of Love
as Katsue Takaishi
(1937)
(1937)
Lady Doctor Kinuyo
as Kinuyo Yamaoka
(1937)
Song of the Flower Basket
as Yoko
(1937)
(1937)
(1936)
(1936)
(1936)
(1935)
Okoto and Sasuke
as Okoto
(1935)
Burden of Life
as Itsuko Kuriyama
(1935)
An Innocent Maid
as Oshige
(1934)
The Genealogy of Women
as Otsuta
(1934)
Osayo koisugata
as Osayo
(1934)
(1934)
My Elder Brother
as Sumako
(1933)
Dragnet Girl
as Tokiko
(1933)
The Dancing Girl of Izu
as Kaoru, a dancer
(1933)
The Bride Talks in Her Sleep
as Haruko, bride
(1933)
(1933)
Woman of Tokyo
as Harue
(1932)
Where Now Are the Dreams of Youth?
as Oshige
(1932)
The Loyal 47 Ronin
as Yae
(1931)
The Neighbour's Wife and Mine
as Wife of the playwright
(1931)
(1931)
(1930)
(1930)
Young Lady
as Kinuko
(1930)
I Flunked, But...
as Cafe's Waitress
(1930)
Marching On
as Toshiko Yamamoto
(1930)
(1930)
Song of Youth
as Kinuko Yamada
(1930)
Where Do Women Go?
as Omitsu
(1930)
(1930)
(1930)
(1930)
The Tale of Kinuyo
as Kinuyo
(1930)
(1929)
(1929)
(1929)
The Blacksmith of the Forest
as Omitsu
(1929)
The Big City: Labor
as Okimi (cleaning woman)
(1929)
I Graduated, But...
as Machiko Nomoto
(1929)
(1929)
Cheerful Song
as Mamoko
(1929)
(1929)
(1929)
Triumphant Song of the Mountain
as Yuki Matsuyama
(1928)
Symphony of Youth
as Kinuko Noguchi
(1928)
(1928)
(1928)
(1928)
(1928)
(1928)
What a Handsome Man!
as Shikanyu (geisha)
(1928)
The Glory of the Shōwa Era
as Yayoi Sakurai (Shōwa chapter)
(1928)
King of the Land
as Namiko
(1928)
(1928)
Chronicles of a Sea Country
as Oaki (sister)
(1928)
(1928)
Iron Virgin
as Namiko
(1928)
(1928)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
The Oath of a Thousand Kills
as Kaōgi (courtesan)
(1927)
Sankichi the Flying Squirrel
as Oshizu (Tazaemon's daughter)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
(1927)
Song of the Border Patrol
as Tsutae
(1927)
(1926)
(1926)
Young Master
as Tamako (Geisha in training)
(1926)
Troubled Days
as Osaki (Reiko's Sister)
(1926)
(1926)
The Betrayed
as O-Fumi
(1926)
The Cursed Sword
as Owaka
(1926)
(1926)
(1926)
(1926)
(1926)
(1926)
(1926)
(1925)
(1925)
Love's Snare
as Osato (Thread Shop Owner)
(1925)
Fallen Samurai
as Omaki
(1925)
(1925)
(1925)
The Little Traveling Entertainer
as Okiku
(1925)
Cry of the Raging Current
as Okimi
(1925)
No Need for Your Opinion
as Daughter
(1924)
Village Pasture
as Oharu
(1924)
Crew
(1962)
Love Under the Crucifix
Director
(1961)
Girls of the Night
Director
(1960)
The Wandering Princess
Director
(1955)
Forever a Woman
Director
(1955)
The Moon Has Risen
Director
(1953)
Love Letter
Director
(1953)
Brother and Sister
Assistant Director