Kyôko Kishida

Kyôko Kishida

Known For

Woman in the Dunes

Biography

Kyōko Kishida (April 29, 1930 – December 17, 2006) was a Japanese actress, voice actress, and writer of children's books.

Her father was Kunio Kishida, a playwright and the founder of the Bungaku-za. She became an actress in 1950, and starred in a Yukio Mishima production of Salome (1960). Her film and television drama credits number in the hundreds. Among them are four Taiga drama series on NHK television, with roles such as Aguri (the wife of Asano Naganori and Yodo-Dono (the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi). She appeared in various roles, including acting and narrating, in various Ōoku series on television. In the series Gokenin Zankurō, she portrayed the mother of the title character (played by Ken Watanabe), and narrated a Lone Wolf and Cub television series.

Kishida's film credits include Yasujirō Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon (1962), The Broken Commandment (based on a novel by Shimazaki Toson), Hiroshi Teshigahara's The Woman in the Dunes (1964) and The Face of Another (1966) (both from novels by Kōbō Abe), Kon Ichikawa's The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (1987), based on the classic story, Heaven and Earth (1990), and Spring Snow, the 2005 Isao Yukisada adaptation of the Mishima novel.

Anime fans know Kishida as the voice of Moomin in the original 1960s television series. She provided narration for Vampire Princess Miyu and Princess Tutu as well as the 2005 Book of the Dead. In addition, she dubbed roles for Columbo and Miss Marple, and narrated Prophecies of Nostradamus. Kishida appeared in commercials for Nestle, TDK, and Asahi Shimbun.

Kyōko Kishida died on December 17, 2006 in Tokyo from respiratory failure caused by a brain tumor.

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Movies Featuring Kyôko Kishida

Chloe

Chloe (2001)

as Cleaning Lady
Dora-heita

Dora-heita (2000)

as Lady of the Sister Wind
To Love

To Love (1997)

as Taeko Kano
The 8-Tomb Village

The 8-Tomb Village (1996)

as Kotake Tajimi / Koume Tajimi
Zodiac Killers

Zodiac Killers (1991)

as Old geisha Miyako (cameo)
Heaven and Earth

Heaven and Earth (1990)

as Maid-In-Waiting
Crane

Crane (1988)

as Kichibi
Actress

Actress (1987)

as Kuginukiya
The Sea and Poison

The Sea and Poison (1986)

as Ohba, Head Nurse
Spring Bell

Spring Bell (1985)

as Fusako Ishimoto
Detective Story

Detective Story (1983)

as Kimie Hasenuma
Toward the Terra

Toward the Terra (1980)

as Grandmother (voice)
The Inferno

The Inferno (1979)

as Shima Ikegata
Thumbelina

Thumbelina (1978)

as Narrator / Gekoo (voice)
Prophecies of Nostradamus

Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974)

as Narrator (Voice of the Prophecy)
Journey Into Solitude

Journey Into Solitude (1972)

as Mama, the girl's mother
A Thousand and One Nights

A Thousand and One Nights (1969)

as Miriam / Jaris (voice)
Manji

Manji (1964)

as Sonoko Kakiuchi
Homicide

Homicide (1964)

as Fumiko Ando
Brand of Evil

Brand of Evil (1964)

as Takazawa Mitsue
Her Brother

Her Brother (1960)

as Mrs. Tanuma
Yurakucho 0 Street

Yurakucho 0 Street (1958)

as Nagasaki Detective