Sadako Sawamura

Sadako Sawamura

1908-11-11 – 1996-08-16 (age 87) Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
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Biography

Sadako Sawamura (沢村貞子, Sawamura Sadako; 11 November 1908 – 16 August 1996) was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist who appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976.

Sawamura was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and was twice arrested for her political beliefs, spending over a year in prison with much of it in solitary confinement. She started acting in films in 1934, first at the Nikkatsu studio, later at Toho. She appeared in many supporting roles after the war, often working with director Mikio Naruse. Sawamura also acted in films by directors including Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō.

Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography Watashi no Asakusa has been translated into English as My Asakusa. She was married three times: to actor Shigeo Imamura (1931-33), actor Kamatari Fujiwara (1936-46) and subsequently to film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi (1968-96, though domestic partners from 1946 onward).

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Known For

Good Morning
Good Morning

1959

as Kayoko Fukui

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Street of Shame
Street of Shame

1956

as Tatsuko Taya

Four Sisters
Four Sisters

1962

as Makiko

The Life of Oharu
The Life of Oharu

1952

as Sasaya's wife Owasa

Untamed Woman
Untamed Woman

1957

as Oshima's aunt

Late Autumn
Late Autumn

1960

as Fumiko

Snow Country
Snow Country

1965

as Dance teacher

Late Chrysanthemums
Chûshingura
Third Class Executives
Third Class Executives

1952

as Mrs. Kuwabara

The Blue Sky Maiden
The Blue Sky Maiden

1957

as Tatsuko Ono

The Human Wall
A Fugitive from the Past
A Fugitive from the Past

1965

as Motojima's Wife

Mother
Mother

1952

as Osei

Ejima and Ikushima
Ejima and Ikushima

1955

as 玉椿

Night Scandal in Japan
Night Scandal in Japan

1964

as Tetsu Kawabe

Bridge of Japan
The Wandering Princess
The Wandering Princess

1960

as Kazuko Sugawara

Love Letter
Love Letter

1953

as Bookstor's owner