Ayako Wakao
Japanese actress (born 1933)
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Ayako Wakao (若尾 文子, Wakao Ayako; born November 8, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress who was one of the country's biggest stars of the 20th century.[1]
Biography
Wakao began her career contracted to Daiei Studios in 1951 as part of the fifth "New Face" group. She has gone on to appear in over 100 feature films, plus numerous television movies and series. She was a favorite actress of director Yasuzo Masumura, starring in 20 of his films. In addition to her many collaborations with Masumura, she was a favorite of Kon Ichikawa, having starred or co-starred in seven of the director's works. She appeared in Kenji Mizoguchi's A Geisha and Street of Shame.[2] She also appeared in Yasujirō Ozu's Floating Weeds.[3] Yuzo Kawashima made three films A Geisha's Diary, The Temple of Wild Geese and The Graceful Brute with her.
Wakao married architect Kisho Kurokawa in 1983. They did not have children. In 2007, both ran unsuccessful campaigns for seats in the upper house of the Japanese Parliament, before Kurokawa died in October of that year.[4]
Selected filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Shi no machi o Nogarete | Setsuko Minami | ||
| Mōjū Tsukai no Shōjo | Aiko | |||
| Tomorrow Will Be a Sunday | Momoko Yamabuki | Lead | ||
| 1953 | Teen-Ager's Sex Manual | Eiko Takanashi | Lead | |
| A Geisha | Eiko/Miyoei | Lead | ||
| Jūdai no Yūwaku | Lead | |||
| 1955 | A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love | Yumiko Kiryu | Lead | |
| The Phantom Horse | Yuki Shiraishi | Lead | ||
| 1956 | Street of Shame | Yasumi | Lead | |
| 1957 | Suzakumon | Princess Kazu | Lead | |
| The Blue Sky Maiden | Yuko | Lead | [5] | |
| 1958 | The Loyal 47 Ronin | Osuzu | ||
| 1959 | Floating Weeds | Kayo | ||
| 1960 | Afraid to Die | Yoshie Koizumi | Lead | |
| A False Student | Mutsuko | Lead | ||
| A Woman's Testament | Kimi | Lead | ||
| 1961 | A Wife Confesses | Saeko Takigawa | Lead | |
| A Geisha's Diary | Koen | Lead | [6] | |
| 1962 | The Temple of Wild Geese | Satoko Kirihara | Lead | [7] |
| The Graceful Brute | Yukie Mitani | Lead | ||
| 1963 | An Actor's Revenge | Namiji | ||
| 1964 | Manji | Mitsuko Tokumitsu | Lead | |
| 1966 | Irezumi | Oen | Lead | |
| Red Angel | Sakura Nishi | Lead | ||
| 1968 | The Saga of Tanegashima | Wakasa | ||
| 1970 | Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo | Umeno | ||
| 1971 | Tora-san's Shattered Romance | Yūko Akashi | ||
| 1975 | Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director | Herself | Documentary | |
| 1987 | Princess from the Moon | Tayoshime | ||
| 2005 | Spring Snow | Gesshuji monzeki | [8] | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Shin Heike Monogatari | Tokiwa Gozen | Taiga drama | [9] |
| 1975 | Genroku Taiheiki | Someko | Taiga drama | [10] |
| 1988 | Takeda Shingen | Lady Ōi, narrator | Taiga drama | [11] |
| 1998 | Tokugawa Yoshinobu | Yoshiko | Taiga drama | [12] |
| 2003 | Musashi | Yodo-dono | Taiga drama | [13] |
| 2011 | Sunshine | Old Yōko Maruyama, narrator | Asadora | [14] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 12th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Actress | A Wife Confesses, A Geisha's Diary, and The Age of Marriage | Won | [15] |
| 1962 | 35th Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Actress | A Wife Confesses and A Geisha's Diary | Won | |
| 1966 | 16th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Actress | Seisaku's Wife and Nami Kage | Won | |
| 1966 | 39th Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Actress | Seisaku's Wife and Nami Kage | Won | |
| 1969 | 42nd Kinema Junpo Awards | Best Actress | One Day at Summer's End, The House of Wooden Blocks, and The Time of Reckoning | Won | |
| 2006 | 60th Mainichi Film Awards | Kinuyo Tanaka Award | Lifetime Achievement | Won | [16] |
