About

Known credits:
144
Birthday:
1917-02-05
Place of birth:
Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Website:
N/A

Isuzu Yamada

Overview

Isuzu Yamada (山田 五十鈴, Yamada Isuzu, 5 February 1917 – 9 July 2012) was a Japanese stage and screen actress whose career spanned seven decades.

Yamada was born in Osaka as Mitsu Yamada, the daughter of Kusudu Yamada, a shinpa actor specialising in onnagata roles, and Ritsu, a geisha. Yamada debuted as a film actress in 1930 at age twelve, appearing in the Nikkatsu film Tsurugi wo koete. She soon became one of Nikkatsu's top actresses, but it was her portrayals of strong-willed modern girls in Kenji Mizoguchi's Osaka Elegy and Sisters of the Gion in 1936 at the new Daiichi Eiga studio that earned her popularity and critical acclaim. Moving to Shinkō Kinema and then to Toho, she became a star with Mikio Naruse's Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro (1938).

During the second half of the 1950s, Yamada's main attention shifted towards the stage, but she still appeared in a number of distinguished films like Naruse's Flowing (1956), Yasujirō Ozu's Tokyo Twilight (1957) and Akira Kurosawa's The Lower Depths (1957) and Throne of Blood (1957). Other directors she worked with during this decade include Keisuke Kinoshita, Kaneto Shindō and Shirō Toyoda. In addition to her theatre engagements, she appeared on television, including the long-running Hissatsu series. Her last TV appearance was in 2002.

Yamada died from multiple organ failure in Tokyo on 9 July 2012 at the age of 95. She was married four times, to actor Ichirō Tsukita, to producer Kazuo Takimura, to actor Yoshi Katō, and to actor Tsutomu Shimomoto. Her daughter with Tsukita, Michiko, became known as the actress Michiko Saga (1935–1992).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Isuzu Yamada, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

Known for

Acting
2002 Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: 'Throne of Blood' Actor Self N/A
N/A
2000 Kurosawa Actor Self 59
Average
1985 Sure Death! Brown, You Bounder! Actor Oriku 59
Average
1984 Sure Death Actor 59
Average
1982 Suspicion Actor Tokie Horiuchi 59
Average
1982 Arashi Tatsunari Actor Tatsu N/A
N/A
1981 新必殺仕事人 Actor N/A
N/A
1979 Hissatsu Shigotonin Actor Otowa N/A
N/A
1978 Shogun's Samurai Actor Oeyo 59
Average
1975 Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director Actor 59
Average
1970 Woman Boss Actor N/A
N/A
1966 Minamoto no Yoshitsune Actor Joban N/A
N/A
1964 Akō Rōshi Actor Riku 69
Fair
1962 The Body Actor 59
Average
1962 The Great Wall Actor Dowager Empress 59
Average
1962 365 Nights Actor N/A
N/A
1962 Glory on the Summit Actor Taka Hirooka N/A
N/A
1962 Four Sisters Actor Tatsuko Katagiri 58
Average
1961 Buddha Actor Kalideva N/A
N/A
1961 Case of a Young Lord 9: Black Camellia Actor N/A
N/A
1961 The Orphan Brother Actor Yashio (voice) 59
Average
1961 Yojimbo Actor Orin 75
Good
1961 The Shrikes Actor N/A
N/A
1961 誰よりも金を愛す Actor N/A
N/A
1961 Daredevil in the Castle Actor Yodogami 59
Average
1960 風来物語 あばれ飛車 Actor N/A
N/A
1960 Deep River Melody Actor 58
Average
1960 The Lovelorn Geisha Actor 59
Average
1960 Hanjiro of Kusama: Bird of Passage Actor Otoku 59
Average
1960 Bonchi Actor Sei 59
Average
1960 Secret Actor N/A
N/A
1960 Goodbye to Glory Actor Otake N/A
N/A
1960 Mission Accomplished Actor N/A
N/A
1960 Princess Sen in Edo Actor Kisaragi N/A
N/A
1959 Pineapple Butai Actor Shigeyo (Mother) N/A
N/A
1959 風来物語任侠篇 Actor N/A
N/A
1959 Love in the Mountains Actor N/A
N/A
1959 The Hidden Treasure Actor N/A
N/A
1958 The Days of Evil Women Actor N/A
N/A
1958 The Spell of the Hidden Gold Actor Chizuin 59
Average
1958 The Spell of the Hidden Gold Actor 59
Average
1958 The Undefeated Woman Actor N/A
N/A
1958 Taikoki - The Saga of Hideyoshi Actor 59
Average
1958 The Shop Curtain Actor 58
Average
1958 The Seasons of Love Actor Urako 59
Average
1958 A Boy and Three Mothers Actor Natsu, the Foster Mother N/A
N/A
1957 Down Town Actor Riyo Yazawa N/A
N/A
1957 Black River Actor Landlady 59
Average
1957 The Lower Depths Actor Osugi the Landlady 61
Fair
1957 A Matter of Valour Actor N/A
N/A
1957 Tokyo Twilight Actor Kisako Soma 62
Fair
1957 The Horse Boy Actor N/A
N/A
1957 Throne of Blood Actor Lady Asaji Washizu 71
Good
1956 Flowing Actor Otsuta 59
Average
1956 Shozo, a Cat and Two Women Actor Shinako 59
Average
1956 How Sorrowful Actor N/A
N/A
1956 Farewell to Dream Actor Seiji's mother, Kiyo 59
Average
1956 Namida no hanamichi Actor 江戸紫女将そよ N/A
N/A
1956 大当り男一代 Actor お吉 N/A
N/A
1955 Ishigassen Actor N/A
N/A
1955 Such is Life Actor Oharu N/A
N/A
1955 Christ in Bronze Actor Kimika N/A
N/A
1955 荒木又右衛門 Actor 妻みね N/A
N/A
1955 Minamoto Yoshitsune Actor N/A
N/A
1955 振袖釼法 Actor 母つじ N/A
N/A
1955 Ai Sureba Koso Actor Yaeko (segment 3) N/A
N/A
1955 Growing Up Actor 58
Average
1955 The Big Ambition Actor N/A
N/A
1955 Chutaro of Banba Actor 59
Average
1955 Burden of Love Actor Some Kaita 59
Average
1954 Three Loves Actor Mother 59
Average
1954 A Billionaire Actor Hanakuma 58
Average
1954 Hirate Miki the Swordman Actor N/A
N/A
1954 Chushingura Actor Oishi Riku N/A
N/A
1953 Hiroshima Actor 59
Average
1953 Wild Lion Actor N/A
N/A
1953 At the End of the Clouds Actor N/A
N/A
1953 Miniature Actor Tamiko 59
Average
1953 A Lonely Woman in a Lonely Land Actor Sayo Yamada N/A
N/A
1953 江戸いろは祭 Actor 女房おなか N/A
N/A
1952 Modern People Actor 58
Average
1952 Tsukigata Hanpeita Actor Somehachi 59
Average
1952 Devil’s Statue Actor N/A
N/A
1952 Castle of Revenge Actor N/A
N/A
1952 The Stand in Hakone Actor N/A
N/A
1952 Become a Mother, Become a Woman Actor Harue Yasukawa N/A
N/A
1951 Satsuma-bikyaku Actor N/A
N/A
1951 Five Men of Edo Actor Okane, Chobei's wife 59
Average
1951 Fireworks Over the Sea Actor Kaoru Uozumi 58
Average
1951 Kurama Tengu: Acrobat in a lion mask Actor N/A
N/A
1951 Home Sweet Home Actor Namiko, Kosaku's wife 59
Average
1951 The Killing of Otsuya Actor Otsuya N/A
N/A
1951 The Inner Palace Conspiracy Actor Misawa N/A
N/A
1950 A Man from Akagi Actor N/A
N/A
1950 風雲金毘羅山 Actor N/A
N/A
1950 Fencing Master Actor Oharu 59
Average
1950 A Mother's Love Actor N/A
N/A
1950 The Motherland Far Far Away Actor Masako N/A
N/A
1950 Zoku kagebōshi ryūkoaiutsutsu Actor N/A
N/A
1950 Kagebōshi Actor お夏 N/A
N/A
1947 Actress Actor Sumako Matsui N/A
N/A
1946 Lord for a Night Actor 59
Average
1945 The Sword Actor Sasae Onoda 59
Average
1945 Until Victory Day Actor N/A
N/A
1944 Four Marriages Actor N/A
N/A
1944 The Way of Drama Actor 59
Average
1943 音楽大進軍 Actor Isuzu Yamada N/A
N/A
1943 The Song Lantern Actor O-Sode 59
Average
1943 Kantaro of Ina Actor N/A
N/A
1942 Onna keizu Actor Otsuta N/A
N/A
1942 The Man Who Waited Actor N/A
N/A
1942 Musashibo Benkei Actor N/A
N/A
1941 The Battle of Kawanakajima Actor Oshino N/A
N/A
1941 Schoolgirl Records Actor N/A
N/A
1941 Yukiko and Natsuyo Actor Natsuyo N/A
N/A
1941 Shanghai Moon Actor N/A
N/A
1941 The Man Who Disappeared Yesterday Actor 58
Average
1940 The Snake Princess Actor Oshima N/A
N/A
1940 Keshô yuki Actor N/A
N/A
1939 Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki Actor Oshiho N/A
N/A
1939 The Day Before Actor Osaki N/A
N/A
1939 The Fighting Firemen Actor Koina N/A
N/A
1939 Ichiyo Higuchi Actor Ichiyo Higuchi N/A
N/A
1938 Tsuruhachi and Tsurujiro Actor Tsuruhachi 59
Average
1937 The Siege of Osaka Actor Senhime N/A
N/A
1936 Sisters of the Gion Actor O-mocha 60
Fair
1936 Osaka Elegy Actor Ayako Murai 59
Average
1935 Oyuki the Virgin Actor Oyuki 59
Average
1935 Miss Okichi Actor Okichi 59
Average
1935 The Comb of Oroku Actor Okinu N/A
N/A
1935 The Downfall of Osen Actor Osen 59
Average
1934 Happy Daughter Actor Michiko Yamada N/A
N/A
1934 The Elegant Swordsman Actor N/A
N/A
1934 Martial Arts Encyclopedia Actor N/A
N/A
1933 Bangaku no issho Actor N/A
N/A
1933 Tange Sazen - Dai-ippen Actor N/A
N/A
1932 Banquet Under the Midnight Sun Actor Oichi N/A
N/A
1932 Professional Killer Actor N/A
N/A
1932 Yataro's Hat - Comings and Goings Actor N/A
N/A
1932 The Greatest Man in the World Actor Oyae 58
Average
1931 The Revenge Champion Actor N/A
N/A
1931 The 26 Martyrs of Japan Actor N/A
N/A
1931 In Search of Mother Actor Otose 59
Average
1930 Suronin Chuya Actor N/A
N/A