Yōko Minamida

Biography

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.

Filmografi

House1977 · Auntie Karei HausuSong of Goodbye2007 · Kyoko TanabePrison Gambler1964 · Kimura UtaNew Enoshima Elegy1953 · Inhibited Love1955 · Atarashiki ten1954 · Haru no uzumaki1954 · Hungry Soul1956 · Reiko ShibaJakoman and Tetsu1964 · MasaGendai shojo1953 · Her Secret1952 · Zenigata heiji torimono hikae: Kiniro no ōkami1953 · Mashiroki Fuji no mine1954 · 死の壁の脱出1958 · SayanThe Champion1957 · Natsuko MiyagawaKinseimei shōbu monogatari: Kettō1953 · Shinkon noroke bushi1953 · Kimi machifune1954 · Miss Teacher1955 · Four Mothers1954 · Konna bidanshi mita kotonai1954 · Haha nami1953 · Star Ranch1987 · Debt of Honor1966 · Oiku