Reisen Ri

Japanese actress (1942–2021) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reisen Ri (Japanese: 李麗仙,[1] Korean: 이여선,[2] born Lee Cho-ja [이초자]; 25 March 1942 – 22 June 2021), also credited as Reisen Lee,[3] was a Japanese actress of Zainichi Korean origin.[4][5][6] She was associated with the Angura underground theatre movement, and was the wife of playwright Jūrō Kara.

Born
Lee Cho-ja

(1942-03-25)25 March 1942
Tokyo, Japan
Died22 June 2021(2021-06-22) (aged 79)
Tokyo, Japan
OthernamesHatsuko Otsuru
OccupationActress
Quick facts Born, Died ...
Reisen Ri
Born
Lee Cho-ja

(1942-03-25)25 March 1942
Tokyo, Japan
Died22 June 2021(2021-06-22) (aged 79)
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesHatsuko Otsuru
OccupationActress
MovementAngura
Spouse
(m. 1967; div. 1988)
Japanese name
Kanji李麗仙
Hiraganaり れいせん
Katakanaリ レイセン
Korean name
Hangul
이여선
Hanja
李麗仙
RRI Yeoseon
MRI Yŏsŏn
Alternate name
Hangul
이초자
RRI Choja
MRI Ch'oja
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Life and career

A third-generation Zainichi Korean,[7] Ri was born Lee Cho-ja in Tokyo in 1942.[5] Her Japanese civil name was Hatsuko Otsuru. She graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School and studied acting in Butai Geijutsu Gakuin, where she met her future husband Jūrō Kara.[8]

She joined Kara's "Situation Theatre" in 1963[1] and gave her film debut in Nagisa Ōshima's 1969 Diary of a Shinjuku Thief.[9] In 1972, she starred in Hiroshi Teshigahara's film Summer Soldiers,[9] and in 1985, in Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.[10] In addition, she appeared on stage in Japan and South Korea.[11]

Personal life

Ri was married to Kara from 1967 to 1988, though they remained friends after separating.[1] She was friends with South Korean dissident writer Kim Chi-ha.[7][11]

In 1975, she acquired Japanese citizenship.[2][7]

Death

She died in Tokyo of pneumonia on 22 June 2021, aged 79.[7]

Selected filmography

References

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