Ayako Wakao
Biography
Ayako Wakao is a Japanese actress born on November 8, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan. She began her career in 1951 when she was contracted to Daiei Studios as part of the fifth New Face group. Regarded as one of the country's biggest stars of the 20th century, Wakao has appeared in over 100 feature films, alongside numerous television movies and series, accumulating 153 known credits on the Movie Database. She was a favored actress of director Yasuzo Masumura, starring in 20 of his films, and also collaborated with Kon Ichikawa by starring or co-starring in seven of his works. Additionally, she appeared in Kenji Mizoguchi films including A Geisha and Street of Shame.
Career overview
Ayako Wakao is a Japanese actress born on November 8, 1933, in Tokyo, Japan, who became one of the country's biggest stars of the twentieth century. She began her career in 1951 when she was contracted to Daiei Studios as part of the fifth New Face group. Throughout her career, Wakao has appeared in over one hundred feature films, as well as numerous television movies and series, accumulating 153 known credits on the Movie Database.
Wakao collaborated extensively with notable directors. She was a favorite actress of director Yasuzo Masumura, starring in twenty of his films. In addition to her work with Masumura, she was a favorite of Kon Ichikawa, having starred or co-starred in seven of that director's works. Furthermore, she appeared in Kenji Mizoguchi's films A Geisha and Street of Shame.
Recognized internationally and domestically, Wakao remains a prominent figure in Japanese cinema. Her extensive body of work spans both film and television, establishing her enduring legacy as a major star of the twentieth century.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Izakaya Moheji 4 (2015) as Kihara Shino [New customer]
- Izakaya Moheji 2 (2013) as Kihara Shino [New customer]
- Ohisama (2011) as Yoko Sudo (present day)
- Spring Snow (2005)
- Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1998) as Yoshiko Tokugawa
- SMAP×SMAP (1996) as Bistro Guest
- The Tale of Genji (1991)
- Takeda Shingen (1988)
- Takeda Shingen (1988) as Oi Fujin
- Princess from the Moon (1987) as Tayoshime
- ときめきの午後 (1985)
- Tokimeki no Gogo (1985)
- Onna no Katei (1977)
- Genroku Taiheiki (1975) as Someko
- Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975) as Self
- 女の夏 (1975)
- Onna no Natsu (1975)
- 女の家庭 (1974)
- Onna no Kyūka (1974)
- Shin Heike Monogatari (1972) as Tokiwa Gozen
- 愛と愛 (1972)
- Maboroshi no Satsui (1971)
- Tora-san's Shattered Romance (1971) as Yūko
- Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970) as Umeno
- Spartan Education (1970)
- Blood End (1969) as Otsuta
- Thousand Cranes (1969) as Mrs. Ota
- One Day at Summer's End (1968) as Mariko Nozaki
- The House of Wooden Blocks (1968)
- The Time of Reckoning (1968) as Machiko Yonekura
- The Saga of Tanegashima (1968) as Wakasa
- Night Trap (1967) as Aiko Manabe
- Two Wives (1967)
- The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka (1967) as Kae
- When the Cookie Crumbles (1967)
- Shroud of Snow (1967) as Taeko Sayama
- Red Angel (1966) as Nurse Sakura Nishi
- Irezumi (1966) as Otsuya
- The Virgin Witness (1966) as Chiei, Nun
- Freezing Point (1966) as Natsue
- Shojo jutai (1966) as Aiko Takano
- Wild Geese (1966) as Otama
- The Forest of No Escape (1965)
- Seisaku's Wife (1965) as Okane
- The Story of a Blind Woman (1965)
- Strange Triangle (1965)
- Nami kage (1965) as Hinachiyo
- While Yet a Wife (1965)
- I'll Cry Alone (1965)
- Manji (1964) as Mitsuko Tokumitsu
- Modae (1964)
- Love and Greed (1964) as Namiko Kawashiro
- Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege (1964) as Yodogimi
- A Public Benefactor (1964) as Mitsuko Fukumura
- Hot Spring Doctress (1964) as Isao Shiozuki
- The Frolic of the Beasts (1964)
- An Actor's Revenge (1963) as Namiji
- Bamboo Doll of Echizen (1963) as Tamae
- Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection (1963) as Yodogimi
- The Third Will (1963) as Fumino Hamada
- Bury Me Deep (1963) as Mrs. Senzu
- She Came For Love (1963) as Toshiko Ikuta
- Girls Born in August (1963)
- Their Legacy (1962)
- The Great Wall (1962) as Chiang-nu
- Diary of a Mad Old Man (1962) as Satsuko
- Elegant Beast (1962) as Yukie Mitani
- The Temple of Wild Geese (1962) as Satoko Kirihara
- A Night to Remember (1962)
- Closing Time (1962) as Kimiko Matsuno
- Red Love, Green Love (1962) as Yukiko Oda
- Stolen Pleasure (1962) as Masuko
- Nakayoshi ondo: Nippon ichi dayo (1962)
- A Lustful Man (1961) as Yuugiridayuu
- The Radiant Prince (1961) as Aoi no ue
- A Geisha's Diary (1961) as Koen
- A Wife Confesses (1961) as Ayako Takigawa
- Vagabonds from Badgerville (1961) as Tayori
- The Ginza Three Boys (1961) as Chikami Akiyama
- Triangle Moods (1961) as Mariko Naoe
- Les Mesdemoiselles (1961) as Kasumi Fujisawa
- A Design for Dying (1961) as Rinko Tsugawa
- Marriageable Age (1961)
- A Nice Guy (1960)
- Anchin and Kiyohime (1960) as Kiyohime
- Bonchi (1960) as Ponta
- Afraid to Die (1960) as Yoshie Koizumi
- A Woman's Testament (1960)
- The False Student (1960) as Mutsuko Takagi
- The Rockabilly Lady (1960) as Mie Yashiro
- Victory and Defeat (1960) as Shizuko Abe
- Floating Weeds (1959) as Kayo
- Jirocho Fuji (1959) as Okiku
- The Most Valuable Wife (1959) as Kyoko Nonomiya
- Goodbye, Hello (1959) as Kazuko Aota
- Beauty the Enemy (1959) as Keiko Yoshino
- Enchanted Princess (1959) as Princess Kinuta / Okuro
- Roses Bloom on a Rose Tree (1959)
- Ripe and Marriageable (1959) as Shinobu Takaniwa
- The Cast-Off (1959) as Takako Sanada
- The Gaijin (1959)
- Various Flowers (1959)
- The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958) as Orin, Carpenter's Daughter
- Mother (1958) as Miss Mochizuki
- The Judo Champ (1958)
- Tokyo Eyes (1958)
- A Grain of Wheat (1958) as Numata Ichiko
- The Ladder of Success (1958)
- Musume no boken (1958)
- Firefly Light (1958) as Oryo
- Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi (1958)
- Love River (1958)
- The Betrothed (1957)
- Evening Calm (1957)
- The Blue Sky Maiden (1957) as Yûko Ono
- Daiei Studio is Bustling (1957)
- Bojô no kawa (1957)
- Love of the Princess (1957) as Kazunomiya
- Street of Shame (1956) as Yasumi
- Punishment Room (1956) as Akiko Aochi
- Tears (1956)
- A Rainbow at Every Turn (1956)
- Bridge of Japan (1956) as Ochise
- Cascading White Threads (1956)
- Asashio yushio (1956)
- Shinkon nikki: Ureshii asa (1956)
- Tsukigata Hanpeita (1956) as Yuri Mamiya
- Newlywed Diary: An Embarrassing Dream (1956)
- The Phantom Horse (1955) as Yuki Shiraishi
- Farewell Song (1955)
- A Girl Isn't Allowed to Love (1955) as Yumiko Kiryû
- A Girl Who Delivers Happiness (1955)
- Tama wa kudakezu (1955)
- Farewell, Innocence (1955) as Mizosawa Reiko
- Maiko monogatari (1954)
- Victory or Defeat (1954)
- Kokoro no nichigetsu (1954)
- A Certain Woman (1954) as Aiko, Yoko's sister
- Asakusa at Night (1954) as Namie Takashima
- The Messenger from the Moon (1954) as Yoko Kotani
- A Geisha (1953) as Eiko
- Lady Chatterley of Japan (1953) as Sakiko Takashima
- Zoku zoku Jûdai no seiten (1953)
- Zoku jūdai no seiten (1953)
- Jūdai no yūwaku (1953)
- Jūdai no seiten (1953)
- 母子鶴 (1952) as Eiko
- Himitsu (1952)
- Shi no machi wo nogarete (1952) as Setsuko Minami
- Mōjū Tsukai no Shōjo (1952)
- Asu wa Nichiyōbi (1952)