Yōko Minamida
Acting
Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko, March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. Born in Tokyo, Minamida made her screen debut in 1953 for the Daiei studio and quickly rose to stardom, working with Kenji Mizoguchi on two films: “A Story from Chikamatsu” and “Princess Yang Kwei-fei.” In 1955, she moved to the Nikkatsu studio, where she starred in Takumi Furukawa’s “Season of the Sun” (1956), a smash hit that launched the so-called “Sun Tribe” boom for films about rebellious youth looking for sex and kicks on Shonan Beach — Japan’s nearest equivalent to Malibu. Minamida acted in dozens of movies for Nikkatsu, working with Shohei Imamura, Seijun Suzuki, and other directors. In 1961 she married her co-star on “Season of the Sun,” Hiroyuki Nagato. As she acted in fewer movies after the mid-1960s, Minamida made a smooth and successful transition to TV as both an actress and MC. She also continued to appear occasionally in movies, with the last being Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “Song of Goodbye” in 2006. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in November 2008, and a TV documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband to care for her. She died in Tokyo.
Known for
Acting125
movieSong of Goodbye
2007
Kyoko Tanabe
movieThe Motive
2004
Kinue Ishida
tvGokusen
2002
Matsubara
tvLost Paradise
1997
Eto Kuniko
tvTears of a Swan
1989
Atsuko Kawata
movieZero
1984
Ine Hamada
tvYôi don
1982
栄市の母・せい
movieTake Me Away!
1978
Tomi Oguchi
movieHouse
1977
Hausu Karei
movieThe Wild Daisy
1977
Fuki - Masao's Mother
tvNiji
1970
三谷かな子
moviePortrait of Chieko
1967
Kazuko Tsubaki
tvNET Playhouse
1966
Nobuko Muroi
movieThe Soundless Cry
1965
Tokie Matsuura
moviePrison Gambler
1964
Kimura Uta
movieGambler
1964
Kimura Uta
movieOkashina yatsu
1963
Fujiko, Shuntô
movieA Modern Samurai Village
1963
Yasu Tajima
movieThe Guys Who Put Money on Me
1962
Sanae Kitazawa
movieWind and waves of the South
1961
Yasuko, Kazuo's foster mother
movieThe Crimson Plains
1961
Sakie Yazaki
movieQuick Draw Joe
1961
Jane, the dancer
movieJoe of Aces: Gambling for a Living
1961
Yuri Harada
movieTokyo Knights
1961
Koji's Mother
movieLone Wolf
1960
Naomi
movieJungle Block
1960
Kayoko Komuro
movieYuganda tsuki
1959
Namiko Eda
movieVoice Without a Shadow
1958
Asako Kotani
movieUnga
1958
Ryôko Fujiyama
movie死の壁の脱出
1958
Sayan / Sakin
movieStolen Desire
1958
Chidori Yamamura
movieThe Champion
1957
Natsuko Miyagawa
movieHungry Soul, Part II
1956
Reiko Shiba
movieHungry Soul
1956
Reiko Shiba
movieOur Town
1956
Otsuru / Kimie
movieSeason of the Sun
1956
Eiko Takeda
The Happy Dancers
1956
Michiko Morishita
moviePrincess Yang Kwei-fei
1955
Hung-tao
movieZoku jūdai no seiten
1953
Akiko Yasutomi
