Kinuyo Tanaka profile
Actor profile

Kinuyo Tanaka

28th November 1909 Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan Acting

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.

140 Movies 1 TV Shows 225 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Flowing poster
Flowing 20th November 1956 as Rika Yamanaka / Oharu
Mother poster
Mother 12th June 1952 as Masako Fukuhara
Phoenix poster
Phoenix 11th December 1947 as Sayoko Aihara
Marriage poster
Marriage 18th March 1947 as Fumie Matsukawa
Army poster
Army 7th December 1944 as Waka
Daphne poster
Daphne 16th November 1933 as Tamayō (Geisha)