Acting
Apr 28, 1930
Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
Kyôko Kishida
Acting
Biography
Kyōko Kishida (April 29, 1930 – December 17, 2006) was a Japanese actress, voice actress, and writer of children's books. Her father was Kunio Kishida, a playwright and the founder of the Bungaku-za. She became an actress in 1950, and starred in a Yukio Mishima production of Salome (1960). Her film and television drama credits number in the hundreds. Among them are four Taiga drama series on NHK television, with roles such as Aguri (the wife of Asano Naganori and Yodo-Dono (the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi). She appeared in various roles, including acting and narrating, in various Ōoku series on television. In the series Gokenin Zankurō, she portrayed the mother of the title character (played by Ken Watanabe), and narrated a Lone Wolf and Cub television series. Kishida's film credits include Yasujirō Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon (1962), The Broken Commandment (based on a novel by Shimazaki Toson), Hiroshi Teshigahara's The Woman in the Dunes (1964) and The Face of Another (1966) (both from novels by Kōbō Abe), Kon Ichikawa's The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (1987), based on the classic story, Heaven and Earth (1990), and Spring Snow, the 2005 Isao Yukisada adaptation of the Mishima novel. Anime fans know Kishida as the voice of Moomin in the original 1960s television series. She provided narration for Vampire Princess Miyu and Princess Tutu as well as the 2005 Book of the Dead. In addition, she dubbed roles for Columbo and Miss Marple, and narrated Prophecies of Nostradamus. Kishida appeared in commercials for Nestle, TDK, and Asahi Shimbun. Kyōko Kishida died on December 17, 2006 in Tokyo from respiratory failure caused by a brain tumor. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kyōko Kishida, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Feature Films (119)
Warlord Oda Nobunaga seeks to unite a fractured Japan. A young man trained in the arts of ninjitsu is manipulated by a ninja master into attempting to assassinate the warlord before he completes his task.
Ninja, A Band of Assassins
A sheltered aristocratic woman in feudal Japan, bored and unfamiliar with the world outside her estate, passes the time copying a special Buddhist sutra sent by her father who has been absent on official business for years. While gazing out her window one late afternoon, the setting sun creates a vision of a holy figure in the distant mountains.
The Book of the Dead
Based on the first novel, Spring Snow, of Mishima Yukio's Sea of Fertility tetralogy, it follows the troubled and illicit affair between two youngsters amongst the aristocracy and rich of early twentieth century Japan.
Spring Snow
After the Japanese defeat to the Russians, Kaji leads the last remaining men through Manchuria. Intent on returning to his old life, he faces great odds in a variety of different harrowing circumstances as he and his men sneak behind enemy lines.
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer
Warlords Kagetora and Takeda each wish to prevent the other from gaining hegemony in feudal Japan. The two samurai leaders pursue one another across the countryside, engaging in massive battles of cavalry and infantry. Younger and less brutal, Kagetora must find the strength to be as brutal as his opponent, but at what cost?
Heaven and Earth
Television & Series (39)
"Ako Roshi" is a group of 47 former retainers of Lord Asano. Lord Asano was forced to commit suicide after attempting to kill Lord Kira. Once the retainers hear about their Lord's death, they sacrifice their lives to regain the honor of their former master.
Akō Rōshi
Collection of short stories about women in various periods of Japanese history. Based on famous Japanese novels.
Onna: Sono Ai no Series
A locksmith who can open any kind of lock with his well-honed fingertip skills is caught up in a case in which his nephew is put in danger just because he played a role in exposing political bribery due to his special skills, and his love for his sister-in-law.
Kagi-shi
A drama about a man and woman who come to know true love after unexpected circumstances cause them to live under the same roof. Singer and songwriter Tamaki Koji returns to acting after a 8 year hiatus, to star opposite Kanno Miho in this drama. Koji plays a very kind policeman; a champion of the weak and a pacifist. Having lost his wife 4 years earlier, he has been saddled with the arduous task of raising 3 children single-handedly. Kanno stars as the unfortunate heroine with an ugly personality who grows through her encounters with this good natured middle aged man.
