Isuzu Yamada
Isuzu Yamada (山田 五十鈴, Yamada Isuzu, 5 February 1917 – 9 July 2012) was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades. Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Yamada debuted as a film actress in 1930 at age twelve, appearing in the Nikkatsu film Tsurugi wo koete. She soon became one of Nikkatsu's top actresses, but it was her portrayals of strong-willed modern girls in Kenji Mizoguchi's Osaka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion in 1936 at the new Daiichi Eiga studio that earned her popularity and critical acclaim. Moving to Shinkō Kinema and then to Toho, she became a star with Mikio Naruse's Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro (1938). During the second half of the 1950s, Yamada's main attention shifted towards the stage, but she still appeared in a number of distinguished films like Naruse's Flowing (1956), Yasujirō Ozu's Tokyo Twilight (1957) and Akira Kurosawa's The Lower Depths (1957) and Throne of Blood (1957). Other directors she worked with during this decade include Keisuke Kinoshita, Kaneto Shindō and Shirō Toyoda. In addition to her theatre engagements, she appeared on television, including the long-running Hissatsu series. Her last TV appearance was in 2002. Yamada died from multiple organ failure in Tokyo on 9 July 2012 at the age of 95. She was married four times, to actor Ichirō Tsukita, to producer Kazuo Takimura, to actor Yoshi Katō, and to actor Tsutomu Shimomoto. Her daughter with Tsukita, Michiko, became known as the actress Michiko Saga (1935–1992). Description above from the Wikipedia article Isuzu Yamada, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Credits
- 2002 · Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Throne of Blood' as Self
- 2000 · Kurosawa as Self
- 1985 · Sure Death! Brown, You Bounder! as Oriku
- 1984 · Sure Death as
- 1982 · Suspicion as Tokie Horiuchi
- 1982 · Arashi Tatsunari as Tatsu
- 1981 · 新必殺仕事人 as
- 1979 · Hissatsu Shigotonin as Otowa
- 1978 · Shogun's Samurai as Oeyo
- 1975 · Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director as
- 1970 · Woman Boss as
- 1966 · Minamoto no Yoshitsune as Joban
- 1964 · Akō Rōshi as Riku
- 1962 · The Body as
- 1962 · The Great Wall as Dowager Empress
- 1962 · 365 Nights as
- 1962 · Glory on the Summit as Taka Hirooka
- 1962 · Four Sisters as Tatsuko Katagiri
- 1961 · Buddha as Kalideva
- 1961 · Case of a Young Lord 9: Black Camellia as
- 1961 · The Orphan Brother as Yashio (voice)
- 1961 · Yojimbo as Orin
- 1961 · The Shrikes as
- 1961 · 誰よりも金を愛す as
- 1961 · Daredevil in the Castle as Yodogami
- 1960 · 風来物語 あばれ飛車 as
- 1960 · Deep River Melody as
- 1960 · The Lovelorn Geisha as
- 1960 · Hanjiro of Kusama: Bird of Passage as Otoku
- 1960 · Bonchi as Sei
- 1960 · Secret as
- 1960 · Goodbye to Glory as Otake
- 1960 · Mission Accomplished as
- 1960 · Princess Sen in Edo as Kisaragi
- 1959 · Pineapple Butai as Shigeyo (Mother)
- 1959 · 風来物語任侠篇 as
- 1959 · Love in the Mountains as
- 1959 · The Hidden Treasure as
- 1958 · The Days of Evil Women as
- 1958 · The Spell of the Hidden Gold as
- 1958 · The Spell of the Hidden Gold as Chizuin
- 1958 · The Undefeated Woman as
- 1958 · Taikoki - The Saga of Hideyoshi as
- 1958 · The Shop Curtain as
- 1958 · The Seasons of Love as Urako
- 1958 · A Boy and Three Mothers as Natsu, the Foster Mother
- 1957 · Down Town as Riyo Yazawa
- 1957 · Black River as Landlady
- 1957 · The Lower Depths as Osugi the Landlady
- 1957 · A Matter of Valour as
- 1957 · Tokyo Twilight as Kisako Soma
- 1957 · The Horse Boy as
- 1957 · Throne of Blood as Lady Asaji Washizu
- 1956 · Flowing as Otsuta
- 1956 · Shozo, a Cat and Two Women as Shinako
- 1956 · How Sorrowful as
- 1956 · Farewell to Dream as Seiji's mother, Kiyo
- 1956 · 涙の花道 as 江戸紫女将そよ
- 1956 · 大当り男一代 as お吉
- 1955 · Ishigassen as
- 1955 · Such is Life as Oharu
- 1955 · Christ in Bronze as Kimika
- 1955 · 荒木又右衛門 as 妻みね
- 1955 · Minamoto Yoshitsune as
- 1955 · 振袖釼法 as 母つじ
- 1955 · Ai Sureba Koso as Yaeko (segment 3)
- 1955 · Growing Up as
- 1955 · The Big Ambition as
- 1955 · Chutaro of Banba as
- 1955 · Burden of Love as Some Kaita
- 1954 · Three Loves as Mother
- 1954 · A Billionaire as Hanakuma
- 1954 · Hirate Miki the Swordman as
- 1954 · Chushingura as Oishi Riku
- 1953 · Hiroshima as
- 1953 · Wild Lion as
- 1953 · At the End of the Clouds as
- 1953 · Miniature as Tamiko
- 1953 · A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land as Sayo Yamada
- 1953 · 江戸いろは祭 as 女房おなか
- 1952 · Modern People as
- 1952 · Tsukigata Hanpeita as Somehachi
- 1952 · Devil’s Statue as
- 1952 · Castle of Revenge as
- 1952 · The Stand in Hakone as
- 1952 · Become a Mother, Become a Woman as Harue Yasukawa
- 1951 · Satsuma-bikyaku as
- 1951 · Five Men of Edo as Okane, Chobei's wife
- 1951 · Fireworks Over the Sea as Kaoru Uozumi
- 1951 · Kurama Tengu: Acrobat in a lion mask as
- 1951 · Home Sweet Home as Namiko, Kosaku's wife
- 1951 · The Killing of Otsuya as Otsuya
- 1951 · The Inner Palace Conspiracy as Misawa
- 1950 · A Man from Akagi as
- 1950 · 風雲金毘羅山 as
- 1950 · Fencing Master as Oharu
- 1950 · A Mother's Love as
- 1950 · The Motherland Far Far Away as Masako
- 1950 · 続影法師 as
- 1950 · Kagebōshi as お夏
- 1947 · Actress as Sumako Matsui
- 1946 · Lord for a Night as
- 1945 · The Sword as Sasae Onoda
- 1945 · Until Victory Day as
- 1944 · Four Marriages as
- 1944 · The Way of Drama as
- 1943 · 音楽大進軍 as Isuzu Yamada
- 1943 · The Song Lantern as O-Sode
- 1943 · Kantaro of Ina as
- 1942 · Onna keizu as Otsuta
- 1942 · The Man Who Waited as
- 1942 · Musashibo Benkei as
- 1941 · The Battle of Kawanakajima as Oshino
- 1941 · Schoolgirl Records as
- 1941 · Yukiko and Natsuyo as Natsuyo
- 1941 · Shanghai Moon as
- 1941 · The Man Who Disappeared Yesterday as
- 1940 · The Snake Princess as Oshima
- 1940 · Keshô yuki as
- 1939 · Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki as Oshiho
- 1939 · The Day Before as Osaki
- 1939 · The Fighting Firemen as Koina
- 1939 · Ichiyo Higuchi as Ichiyo Higuchi
- 1938 · Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro as Tsuruhachi
- 1937 · The Siege of Osaka as Senhime
- 1936 · Sisters of the Gion as O-mocha
- 1936 · Osaka Elegy as Ayako Murai
- 1935 · Oyuki the Virgin as Oyuki
- 1935 · Miss Okichi as Okichi
- 1935 · The Comb of Oroku as Okinu
- 1935 · The Downfall of Osen as Osen
- 1934 · Happy Daughter as Michiko Yamada
- 1934 · The Elegant Swordsman as
- 1934 · Martial Arts Encyclopedia as
- 1933 · Bangaku no issho as
- 1933 · Tange Sazen - Dai-ippen as
- 1932 · Banquet Under the Midnight Sun as Oichi
- 1932 · Professional Killer as
- 1932 · Yataro's Hat - Comings and Goings as
- 1932 · The Greatest Man in the World as Oyae
- 1931 · The Revenge Champion as
- 1931 · The 26 Martyrs of Japan as
- 1931 · In Search of Mother as Otose
- 1930 · Suronin Chuya as