Yōko Minamida
Acting
Born March 1, 1933 · Tokyo, Japan
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.
Films (108)
Song of Goodbye
2007
The Motive
2004
Salaryman Senka
1995
Ai yo, Nemuranaide
1993
Yellow Fangs
1990
This Story of Love
1987
Zero
1984
At Noon
1978
Take Me Away!
1978
House
1977
The Wild Daisy
1977
Japanese Humanity and Justice
1977
Ame no meguri ai
1977
Time of First Love
1975
Karafuto 1945 Summer
1974
The Kanto Scarlet Cherry Gang
1972
A Young Man's Stronghold
1970
Chivalrous Pride
1969
Tale of the Last Japanese Yakuza
1969
The Domain: Where The Blade Enters
1967
Portrait of Chieko
1967
The Domain: White Blade
1967
Glorious Fights
1966
Showdown of Men
1966
The Kingdom of Jirocho 4
1965
The Domain: Kanto Legends of Chivalry
1965
Ankoku gai jingi
1965
The Tattooed Lord
1965
The Soundless Cry
1965
The Domain: The Naniwa Story
1965
Prison Gambler
1964
The Domain
1964
Gambler
1964
An Outlaw
1964
Jakoman and Tetsu
1964
To Your Majesty, The Emperor 2
1964
Okashina yatsu
1963
The Gambling Monk
1963
Kyu-chan, Draw Your Sword
1963
Kiriko's Tango
1963
Love Comes with Youth
1963
I Have the Sun in My Back
1963
A Modern Samurai Village
1963
Beyond the Green Hills
1963
The Guys Who Put Money on Me
1962
Glass-Hearted Johnny
1962
The Rambler Returns Home
1962
Last Round
1962
Sun and Stars
1962
Black Dice
1962
Otoko to otoko no ikiru machi
1962
Zurari oretacha yōjinbō
1961
Wind and waves of the South
1961
Gun of Nosappu
1961
The Crimson Plains
1961
The Man with a Shotgun
1961
Quick Draw Joe
1961
Joe of Aces: Gambling for a Living
1961
Tokyo Knights
1961
Pigs and Battleships
1961
He Killed Dad
1961
Tales of a Gunman: The Man Without Tomorrow
1960
The Rambler Rides Again
1960
Bet on a Seaside Romance
1960
Lone Wolf
1960
Jungle Block
1960
Return of the Vagabond
1960
The Poem of the Blue Star
1960
The Law's Bloody Wounds
1960
When a Man Risks His Life
1959
A Turning to Hell
1959
Elegy to Youth
1959
Farewell to Southern Tosa
1959
Yuganda tsuki
1959
Umi wa kurutte iru
1959
Wounded Beast
1959
We Live Today
1959
Kamen no Onna
1959
Osaka no kaze
1958
Voice Without a Shadow
1958
Taiyō o buchi otose
1958
Stolen Desire
1958
The Awakening
1957
Mountain Pass
1957
But the Flesh is Weak
1957
The Barefoot Girl
1957
A Sun-Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era
1957
The Champion
1957
Streetlights
1957
Aishū no sono
1957
Dancing Sisters
1957
Hungry Soul, Part II
1956
Hungry Soul
1956
Tonari no yome
1956
Our Town
1956
Season of the Sun
1956
The Happy Dancers
1956
The Motherless
1955
The Doctor
1955
A Daughter's Life Guide
1955
Princess Yang Kwei-fei
1955
A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love
1955
Chikamatsu Monogatari
1954
Jūdai no yūwaku
1953
Zoku zoku Jûdai no seiten
1953
Zoku jūdai no seiten
1953
Jūdai no seiten
1953
Himitsu
1952