Kirin Kiki
Kirin Kiki | |
|---|---|
| Born | Keiko Nakatani (中谷 啓子, Nakatani Keiko) January 15, 1943 Tokyo, Japan |
| Other names | Chiho Yūki (悠木千帆, Yūki Chiho) first stage name; Keiko Uchida (内田 啓子, Uchida Keiko) current real name |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse(s) | Shin Kishida (1964–1968), Yūya Uchida (current) |
Kirin Kiki (樹木 希林, Kiki Kirin) (born 15 January 1943) is a Japanese actress known for her work in cinema and television.
Kiki was born in the Kanda area of Tokyo as the daughter of a master of the biwa lute.[1] After graduating from high school, she started her acting career in the early 1960s as a member of the Bungakuza theater troupe using the stage name Chiho Yūki (悠木千帆).[2] She eventually gained fame for performing uniquely comedic and eccentric roles on such television shows as Jikan desu yo and Terauchi Kantarō ikka and in television commercials.[2] She changed her name to "Kirin Kiki" when, after being asked on a television show to auction off something of hers, she ended up selling her first stage name, claiming she had "nothing else to sell."[1]
While battling various ailments, including a detached retina in 2003 and breast cancer in 2005,[3] Kiki has continued to act and has won several awards, including the best actress Japan Academy Prize for Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad in 2008,[4] the best supporting actress award from the Yokohama Film Festival for her work in Kamikaze Girls and Half a Confession in 2004,[5] and the best supporting actress Blue Ribbon Award for Still Walking in 2008.[6]
Kiki married fellow Bungakuza actor Shin Kishida, but they divorced in 1968. She is currently married to the rock musician Yuya Uchida.[1] Her daughter, Yayako Uchida, is an essayist and musician; notably, Uchida portrayed the younger self of Kiki's character in the film Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad. Yayako Uchida is married to the actor Masahiro Motoki,[1] who was adopted into the Uchida family as a mukoyōshi.[7]
Selected filmography
- Zigeunerweisen (ツィゴイネルワイゼン, Tsigoineruwaizen) (1980)
- The Triple Cross (いつかギラギラする日, Itsuka giragira suru hi) (1992)
- Pistol Opera (ピストルオペラ, Pisutoru Opera) (2001)
- Returner (リターナー, Ritana) (2002)
- Kamikaze Girls (下妻物語 Shimotsuma monogatari) (2004)
- Half a Confession (半落ち, Han'ochi) (2004)
- Still Walking (歩いても 歩いても Aruitemo aruitemo) (2008)
- Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (東京タワー 〜オカンとボクと、時々、オトン〜, Tōkyō tawaa ~ okan to boku to, tokidoki, oton ~?) (2008)
- The Borrower Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ, Karigurashi no Arrietti) (2010)
- Akunin (悪人) (2010)
- Ghost: In Your Arms Again (ゴースト もういちど抱きしめたい, Gōsuto mō ichido dakishimetai) (2010)
- I Wish (奇跡) (2011)
References
- ^ a b c d "Kiki Kirin". Tarento meikan (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Kiki Kirin". Nihon jinmei daijiten (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ "Asahi shinbun shinpojiumu: Gan ni makenai, akiramenai kotsu". Asahi shinbun (in Japanese). 25 March 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Dai 31-kai Nihon Academī Shō yūshū sakuhin" (in Japanese). Nihon Academī Shō kōshiki saito. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ "Dai 25-kai Yokohama Eigasai: Nihon eiga kojin shō" (in Japanese). Yokohama Eigasai. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Burū Ribon Shō hisutorī 2008" (in Japanese). Cinema Hochi. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Motoki Masahiro". Nihon jinmei daijiten (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
External links
- Kirin Kiki at IMDb
- Kiki Kirin at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)