Yōko Minamida

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Born

1933-03-01

Place of Birth

Tokyo, Japan

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.

Gallery

Gallery Image

Acting History

2007
Song of Goodbye as Kyoko Tanabe
2004
The Motive as Kinue Ishida
2002
Gokusen as Matsubara
1997
Lost Paradise as Eto Kuniko
1995
Salaryman Senka
1990
砂山の唄殺人事件
1990
Yellow Fangs as Kiyo
1989
Tears of a Swan as Atsuko Kawata
1987
This Story of Love
1984
Zero as Ine Hamada
1982
Yôi don as 栄市の母・せい
1978
At Noon
1978
Take Me Away! as Tomi Oguchi
1977
House as Hausu Karei
1977
The Wild Daisy as Fuki - Masao's Mother
1977
Japanese Humanity and Justice
1977
Ame no meguri ai
1976
Akai Shougeki
1975
Time of First Love
1974
Karafuto 1945 Summer
1972
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang as Maid
1970
Niji as 三谷かな子
1970
A Young Man's Stronghold
1969
Chivalrous Pride
1969
Tale of the Last Japanese Yakuza
1967
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967
Portrait of Chieko as Kazuko Tsubaki
1967
The Domain: White Blade
1966
Glorious Fights as Akemi
1966
Showdown of Men
1965
The Kingdom of Jirocho 4
1965
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965
Ankoku gai jingi
1965
The Tattooed Lord
1965
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965
The Soundless Cry as Tokie Matsuura
1964
Prison Gambler as Kimura Uta
1964
The Domain
1964
Gambler as Kimura Uta
1964
An Outlaw
1964
Jakoman and Tetsu as Masa
1964
To Your Majesty, The Emperor 2 as Misato
1963
Okashina yatsu as Fujiko, Shuntô
1963
The Gambling Monk
1963
Kyu-chan, Draw Your Sword
1963
Kiriko's Tango
1963
Love Comes with Youth
1963
I Have the Sun in My Back as Sachiko
1963
A Modern Samurai Village as Yasu Tajima
1963
Beyond the Green Hills as Umetaro
1962
The Guys Who Put Money on Me as Sanae Kitazawa
1962
Glass-Hearted Johnny as Yumi
1962
The Rambler Returns Home
1962
Last Round
1962
Sun and Stars
1962
Black Dice
1962
Otoko to otoko no ikiru machi
1961
Zurari oretacha yōjinbō
1961
Wind and waves of the South as Yasuko, Kazuo's foster mother
1961
Nosappu no jū
1961
The Crimson Plains as Sakie Yazaki
1961
The Man with a Shotgun as Harue
1961
Quick Draw Joe as Jane, the dancer
1961
Joe of Aces: Gambling for a Living as Yuri Harada
1961
Tokyo Knights as Koji's Mother
1961
Pigs and Battleships as Katsuyo
1961
He Killed Dad
1960
Tales of a Gunman: The Man Without Tomorrow as Sumi
1960
The Rambler Rides Again
1960
Umi no jōji ni kakero
1960
Lone Wolf as Naomi
1960
Jungle Block as Kayoko Komuro
1960
Return of the Vagabond
1960
The Poem of the Blue Star
1960
The Law's Bloody Wounds as 榎本吟子
1959
When a Man Risks His Life
1959
A Turning to Hell as Takako
1959
Elegy to Youth
1959
Farewell to Southern Tosa
1959
Yuganda tsuki as Namiko Eda
1959
Umi wa kurutte iru
1959
Wounded Beast
1959
We Live Today
1959
Kamen no Onna
1958
Osaka no kaze
1958
Voice Without a Shadow as Asako Kotani
1958
Taiyō o buchi otose
1958
Stolen Desire as Chidori Yamamura
1957
The Awakening
1957
Mountain Pass
1957
But the Flesh is Weak
1957
The Barefoot Girl
1957
A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era as Koharu
1957
The Champion as Natsuko Miyagawa
1957
Streetlights as 早川千鶴子
1957
Aishū no sono
1957
Dancing Sisters
1956
Hungry Soul, Part II as Reiko Shiba
1956
Hungry Soul as Reiko Shiba
1956
Tonari no yome
1956
Our Town as Otsuru / Kimie
1956
Season of the Sun as Eiko Takeda
1956
The Happy Dancers as Michiko Morishita
1955
The Motherless as Tomiko
1955
The Doctor
1955
娘の人生案内 as 田部三津子
1955
Princess Yang Kwei-fei as Hung-tao
1955
A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love
1954
Chikamatsu Monogatari as Otama
1953
Jūdai no yūwaku
1953
Zoku zoku Jûdai no seiten
1953
Zoku jūdai no seiten as Akiko Yasutomi
1953
Jūdai no seiten