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Fujiko Yamamoto

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Fujiko Yamamoto
Fujiko Yamamoto in 1950
Born (1931-12-11) 11 December 1931 (age 93)
Osaka, Japan
OccupationActress
Years active1953–present

Fujiko Yamamoto (山本富士子, Yamamoto Fujiko) (born 11 December 1931) is a Japanese stage, film and television actress. She was the winner of the first Miss Nippon Grand Prix in 1950,[1] and appeared in over 100 films between 1953 and 1963,[2] including works by directors Yasujirō Ozu, Kon Ichikawa, Shirō Toyoda and Kōzaburō Yoshimura.

Career

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Yamamoto was born on 11 December 1931 in Nishi ward, Osaka, and graduated from Kyoto Prefectural First High School for Girls (now Kyoto Prefectural Ohki High School).[3] She won the first Miss Nippon beauty contest in 1950. In 1953, she made her film debut at Daiei Film,[3] and became one of the studio's top actresses.[4]

Yamamoto was considered one of Japan's most beautiful women, with, in the words of film historian Catherine Russell, "noble" features that represented the classic ideal of Japanese beauty.[5] As such, she was well-suited for costumed parts in the era's popular period dramas, with her less-frequent modern roles (in films like Ozu's Equinox Flower and Ichikawa's Being Two Isn't Easy) often shot in "movie star" closeups that placed her apart from the films' contemporary storytelling.[5]

In 1963, when her contract came up for renewal, she insisted on changes. The head of Daiei, Masaichi Nagata, refused, dismissed her, and prevented her from finding work at other film studios via the Five-Company Agreement.[3] Pressure was even put on theatre companies, but could not reach television.[6] After the Daiei dismissal, Yamamoto acted in the TV series Toshiba Sunday Theatre and on Fuji TV, and appeared on stage alongside Matsumoto Kōshirō in 1964.[6] Even though she has appeared frequently on stage and on television,[3] she has not appeared in a film since then.

Selected filmography

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Awards

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  • 1958 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress (for Equinox Flower and The Snowy Heron)[7]
  • 1960 Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress (for The Twilight Story and A Woman's Testament)[8]

References

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  1. ^ "「ミス日本コンテスト」５０年に発足　社交術や教養の勉強会も". Sponichi (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Yamamoto Fujiko". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d "Yamamoto Fujiko". Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  4. ^ Richie, Donald (2001). "Ten Dark Women". In Quandt, James (ed.). Kon Ichikawa. Cinematheque Ontario. p. 247. ISBN 9780968296936.
  5. ^ a b Russell, Catherine (2001). "Being Two Isn't Easy: The Uneasiness of the Family in 1960s Tokyo". In Quandt, James (ed.). Kon Ichikawa. Cinematheque Ontario. p. 257. ISBN 9780968296936.
  6. ^ a b "Yamamoto Fujiko". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  7. ^ "ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー". Cinema Hochi (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  8. ^ "キネマ旬報ベスト・テン 1960年・第34回". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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