Chieko Higashiyama
Biography
Chieko Higashiyama (September 30, 1890 – May 8, 1980) was a Japanese actress born in Chiba. She graduated from the girls’ school at Gakushuin, married a businessman in 1909 and lived in Moscow for eight years. In 1925, at the age of thirty‑five, she began a stage career, training at the Tsukiji Shōgekijō, a pioneering theatre noted for modern Japanese plays and Western translations. Higashiyama performed in numerous productions, most famously as Madame Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.” She also appeared in films, including the acclaimed Tokyo Story, which was later voted the best film of all time in the 2012 Sight and Sound directors’ poll. Her career is recorded with ninety‑five credited roles.
Career overview
Chieko Higashiyama was born on 30 September 1890 in Chiba, Japan. After completing her education at the girls’ school of Gakushuin, she married a businessman in 1909 and subsequently lived for eight years in Moscow. Returning to Japan, she chose to pursue a career in acting at the age of thirty‑five, beginning formal training in 1925 at the Tsukiji Shōgekijō, a pioneering theatre noted for modern Japanese works and translations of Western playwrights. Her stage work was extensive; among the productions in which she performed, her portrayal of Madame Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” is highlighted as a particularly notable role.
In addition to her theatrical achievements, Higashiyama appeared in a substantial number of films, with a total of ninety‑five credited screen appearances recorded. One of these films, “Tokyo Story,” later received recognition as the best film of all time in the 2012 Sight and Sound directors’ poll. Throughout her career she was known primarily for acting, and she remained active in the profession until her death on 8 May 1980 at the age of eighty‑nine. Her legacy includes both a significant body of stage work and a lasting presence in Japanese cinema.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Maboroshi no Satsui (1971)
- Love and Death (1971)
- The Gentle Japanese (1971)
- Sweet Secret (1971)
- Live Again Tomorrow (1970) as その
- Oyaji Daiko (1968)
- Kotoshi no Koi (1967)
- Shogun and His Mistress 2 (1967) as Eiho, nun
- The Kii River (1966) as Toyono, Hana's grandmother
- The Radish and the Carrot (1965)
- Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple (1964) as Strange Beauty
- Sing, Young People! (1963) as Okada's grandmother
- Ano hito wa ima (1963)
- Love School (1962)
- Mount Hakone (1962)
- Diary of a Mad Old Man (1962) as Hama, Tokusuke's wife
- Nippon no obaachan (1962)
- This Year's Love (1962)
- A Woman's Life (1962) as Shizu Tsutsumi
- When a Woman Loves (1960) as Relative
- Spring Dreams (1960) as Grandma
- The Wandering Princess (1960) as Nao Sugawara
- Shisha to no kekkon (1960)
- The Most Valuable Wife (1959)
- The Snow Flurry (1959) as Tomi
- The Sky Is Mine (1959)
- The Nun (1958) as монахиня Масамицу
- The Loyal 47 Ronin (1958) as Otaka (Ôishi's mother)
- Diary of an Elegant Hot Spring (1958) as Mrs. Chiyoda
- Hana no yukyo-den (1958)
- The Blue Sky Maiden (1957) as Shizue Hirooka
- Itohan Monogatari (1957) as Owasa
- Ai to chie no wa (1956)
- In Case of One Woman (1956) as Natsuko Hashiba
- Here It is Quiet (1956)
- Virtue in Spades (1956)
- Miss Teacher (1955)
- If Indeed One Loves (1955) as Kuniko's mother (segment 2) (voice)
- The Maid's Kid (1955)
- Farewell Song (1955)
- The Doctor (1955)
- A Samurai's Love (1954)
- The Princess Sen (1954)
- The Garden of Women (1954) as Schoolmaster
- The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness (1954)
- How the Bell of Liberty Rings (1954) as Yukichi's Mother Ojun
- Women's House (1954)
- The Second Kiss (1954)
- Tokyo Story (1953) as Tomi Hirayama
- An Heir's Place (1953)
- Shishun no izumi (1953) as Retired Person
- Sincere Heart (1953) as Ichi
- Yassamossa (1953)
- Aiyoku no sabaki (1953)
- Natsuko’s Adventure in Hokkaido (1953)
- Sisters of Nishijin (1952)
- Carmen's Innocent Love (1952) as Maid
- I'll Not Forget the Song of Nagasaki (1952)
- Swords and Brocade (1951)
- The Idiot (1951) as Satoko, Ayako's mother
- Early Summer (1951) as Shige Mamiya
- The Tale of Genji (1951) as Lady Kokiden
- Fireworks Over the Sea (1951) as Mitsu
- Ah, Youth (1951)
- The Woman’s Reflective Pool (1951) as Unnamed
- I Saw a Phantom Fish (1950)
- The Angry Street (1950)
- Four Seasons of Women (1950) as Mother
- Les Miserables I: God and the Devil (1950)
- Spring Snow (1950) as Mother Okasaki
- Les Miserables II: Banner of Love and Freedom (1950)
- The Flower That Crossed the Mountain (1949)
- Here's to the Young Lady (1949) as Yasuko's mother
- Broken Drum (1949) as Nobuko
- Late Night Confession (1949)
- Ningen moyo (1949)
- Hakuchō wa kanashikarazuya (1949)
- The Portrait (1948) as Nomura's Wife
- Apostasy (1948)
- Marriage (1947) as Fumie's mother
- Futari de miru hoshi (1947)
- The Love of the Actress Sumako (1947)
- Chikagai nijuyojikan (1947)
- The Girl I Loved (1946) as Mother Okin
- Battle Troop (1944)
- Port of Flowers (1943) as Okano
- Wakaki sugata (1943) as Kitamura's wife
- The Siege of Osaka (1937) as Yodo-dono
- Rikugun Daikoshin (1932)
- Reimei (1927)