Machiko Kyō

Machiko Kyō Japanese 京 マチ子 Hepburn Kyō Machiko March 25 1924 May 12 2019 was a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s She rose to extraordinary domestic praise in Japan for her work in two of the greatest Japanese films of the 20th century Akira Kurosawas Rashōmon and Kenji Mizoguchis Ugetsu Machiko trained to be a dancer before entering films in 1949 The following year she would achieve international fame as the female lead in Akira Kurosawas classic film Rashōmon Kyō starred in many more Japanese productions including Kenji Mizoguchis Ugetsu 1953 and Street of Shame 1956 Teinosuke Kinugasas Gate of Hell 1953 Kon Ichikawas Odd Obsession 1959 Yasujirō Ozus Floating Weeds 1959 and Hiroshi Teshigaharas The Face of Another 1966 Her only role in a nonJapanese film was as Lotus Blossom a young geisha in The Teahouse of the August Moon starring opposite Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford In her eighties Kyō continued to perform in traditional Japanese theatrical productions put on by famed producer Fukuko Ishii Her final role was as Matsuura Shino in the NHK television drama series Haregi Koko Ichiban in 2000 Kyō was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Teahouse of the August Moon a great feat for an Asian actress at the time and was awarded many prizes including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Awards of the Japanese Academy Description above from the Wikipedia article Machiko Kyō licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia