Machiko Kyō

Machiko Kyō
京 マチ子
Kyō in 1955.
Born	(1924-03-25) March 25, 1924 Osaka, Japan
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1936–2006

Machiko Kyō (京 マチ子, Kyō Machiko, born March 25, 1924) is a Japanese actress whose film work occurred primarily during the 1950s. She starred in two of the greatest Japanese films of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu.

Life and career

Machiko trained to be a dancer before entering the film industry in 1949. The following year, she achieved international fame as the female lead in Akira Kurosawa's classic film Rashomon. She went on to star in many more Japanese productions, most notably Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953) and Kon Ichikawa's Odd Obsession (1959).

Her only role in a non-Japanese film was as Lotus Blossom, a young geisha, in The Teahouse of the August Moon, starring opposite Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford.

Kyō continues to perform in traditional Japanese theatrical productions put on by producer Fukuko Ishii. Kyō was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Teahouse of the August Moon, a great feat for an Asian actress at the time, and has been awarded many prizes, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Awards of the Japanese Academy.

Filmography

The filmography of Machiko Kyō includes 97 films:

• Rashomon (1950)
• Ugetsu (1953)
• Older Brother, Younger Sister (1953)
• Gate of Hell (1953)
• The Princess Sen (1954)
• Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (1955)
• Tōjūrō no Koi (1955)
• Street of Shame (1956)
• The Hole (1957)
• Yūrakuchō de Aimashō (1957)
• The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958)
• Sorrow Is Only for Women (1958)
• Floating Weeds (1959)
• Odd Obsession (1959)
• Jokyo (1960)
• The Face of Another (1966)

Television

(incomplete)

• Hana no Ran (1994), Hino Shigeko

Honours

• Medal with Purple Ribbon (1987)
• Order of the Precious Crown, 4th Class, Wisteria (1994)

External links

• Machiko Kyō at IMDb
• Machiko Kyō at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)
• Photo gallery: Machiko Kyo in Japanese Film-fan Magazines of the 1950s