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Kinuyo Tanaka

Acting

Kinuyo Tanaka

Nov 28, 1909 – Mar 21, 1977228 titles 227 movies · 1 TV
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Biography

Kinuyo Tanaka (田中 絹代 Tanaka Kinuyo, 29 November 1909 – 21 March 1977) was a Japanese actress and director. Tanaka was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. She became a leading actress at seventeen years old, appearing in Heinosuke Gosho's An Embarrassing Dream in 1927. She proceeded to take leading parts in, among others, Yasujirō Ozu's I Graduated, But... in 1929, Gosho's Aiyoku no ki in 1930, and in 1931, Japan's first talkie, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine, directed by Gosho. She had a close working relationship with director Kenji Mizoguchi, having parts in 15 of his films, including leading roles in The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). Their working relationship ended when Mizoguchi countered a recommendation from the Directors Guild of Japan for the Nikkatsu studio to hire her as a director. Despite this, the production of her second film as director went ahead, but Tanaka never forgave Mizoguchi, and the reasons for his behaviour are unclear. She also played Noboru Yasumoto's mother in Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (1965). For her portrayal in Kei Kumai's Sandakan N° 8 she won the Best Actress Award at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival in 1975. Her last screen appearance was in 1976 in Kei Kumai's Kita No Misaki. Tanaka was the second Japanese woman who worked as a film director, after Sakane Tazuko (1904‐1975). Her first directing job was on the film Love Letter in 1953, and she made five further films in that role.

Also known as

다나카 키누요 · کینو تاناکا · 田中 絹代

Born

Nov 28, 1909 – Mar 21, 1977

Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan

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Photos

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4 images

Roles across career

Titles counted once; a person can act and direct on the same film (roles merged).

224

Acting credits

7

Directing

0

Writing

0

Other crew

Most critically rated

Highest TMDB score (min 100 votes)

Most commercially successful

Highest TMDB vote count (attention / reach proxy; not box office)

Career timeline

By release / first air year · movie & TV merged

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1924 2 title(s)

1925 8 title(s)

1926 13 title(s)

1927 13 title(s)

1928 15 title(s)

1929 10 title(s)

1930 13 title(s)

1931 10 title(s)

1932 11 title(s)

1933 10 title(s)

1934 10 title(s)

1935 3 title(s)

1936 3 title(s)

1937 5 title(s)

1938 2 title(s)

1939 4 title(s)

1940 4 title(s)

1941 4 title(s)

1942 1 title(s)

1943 2 title(s)

1944 3 title(s)

1945 2 title(s)

1946 3 title(s)

1947 3 title(s)

1948 2 title(s)

1949 3 title(s)

1950 3 title(s)

1951 5 title(s)

1952 5 title(s)

1953 6 title(s)

1954 3 title(s)

1955 5 title(s)

1956 6 title(s)

1957 4 title(s)

1958 4 title(s)

1959 3 title(s)

1960 2 title(s)

1961 2 title(s)

1962 4 title(s)

1963 4 title(s)

1964 2 title(s)

1965 1 title(s)

1970 1 title(s)

1972 1 title(s)

1974 2 title(s)

1975 2 title(s)

1976 2 title(s)

2009 1 title(s)

2022 1 title(s)