
Yōko Minamida
Yōko Minamida (南田 洋子, Minamida Yōko, March 1, 1933 – October 21, 2009) was a Japanese actress. Born in Tokyo, Minamida made her screen debut in 1953 for the Daiei studio and quickly rose to stardom, working with Kenji Mizoguchi on two films: “A Story from Chikamatsu” and “Princess Yang Kwei-fei.” In 1955, she moved to the Nikkatsu studio, where she starred in Takumi Furukawa’s “Season of the Sun” (1956), a smash hit that launched the so-called “Sun Tribe” boom for films about rebellious youth looking for sex and kicks on Shonan Beach — Japan’s nearest equivalent to Malibu. Minamida acted in dozens of movies for Nikkatsu, working with Shohei Imamura, Seijun Suzuki, and other directors. In 1961 she married her co-star on “Season of the Sun,” Hiroyuki Nagato. As she acted in fewer movies after the mid-1960s, Minamida made a smooth and successful transition to TV as both an actress and MC. She also continued to appear occasionally in movies, with the last being Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “Song of Goodbye” in 2006. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in November 2008, and a TV documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband to care for her. She died in Tokyo.
103
Films
6
TV Shows
Known For
109 Credits
Gokusen
as Matsubara
2002

Niji
as 三谷かな子
1970

Yôi don
as 栄市の母・せい
1982

Akai Shougeki
1976

Tears of a Swan
as Atsuko Kawata
1989

House
as Hausu Karei
1977

Lost Paradise
as Eto Kuniko
1997

Song of Goodbye
as Kyoko Tanabe
2007

Chikamatsu Monogatari
as Otama
1954

Princess Yang Kwei-fei
as Hung-tao
1955

Pigs and Battleships
as Katsuyo
1961

Zero
as Ine Hamada
1984