Kumeko Urabe
Biography
Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子), born Kimura Kume on 5 October 1902 in a rural area of Shizuoka Prefecture, was a pioneering Japanese movie actress who also performed on stage and television. The daughter of a Buddhist priest, she moved among temples during her childhood and completed her education in Numazu before leaving school in 1919 to join a theatre company, touring under various stage names as an actor and dancer. In 1923 she auditioned for the Nikkatsu film studio and adopted the name Kumeko Urabe, which she used for the remainder of her career. Over her long career she accumulated more than two hundred credited appearances, including early television work in the 1957 and 1959 episodes of the series “There Are People Here.” She died on 26 October 1989 at the age of 87.
Career overview
Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子) was born on 5 October 1902 in a rural area of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The daughter of a Buddhist priest, she moved frequently with her family as her father was reassigned to different temples. She completed her schooling in Numazu and, in 1919, left formal education to join a theatre company. During this early period she performed under a variety of stage names, working both as an actor and a dancer while touring the country.
In 1923 Urabe auditioned for the film studio Nikkatsu and adopted the professional name Kumeko Urabe, which she retained throughout her career. She became one of Japan’s earliest movie actresses, appearing on stage, in film and later in television productions. Her television work included early appearances in the 1957 and 1959 episodes of the Japanese drama series There Are People Here. Over the course of her long career she accumulated more than two hundred credited performances, reflecting a sustained presence in Japanese entertainment from the silent‑film era through the early decades of television. Kumeko Urabe died on 26 October 1989 at the age of 87.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
216 titles- Hachiko (1987) as Tobacco Shop Owner
- Checkers in Tan Tan tanuki (1985)
- Lonely Heart (1985) as Fuki Inoue
- Lovely Days (1984) as Old lady
- The Cold-Hearted Sea (1984)
- Before Spring (1980) as Toyo
- Tora-san's Pure Love (1976)
- Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975) as Self
- White Runway (1974)
- Stray Dog (1973)
- Onna Ikitemasu: Sakariba Wataridori (1972) as Tsue
- Kininaru Yomesan (1971)
- Adults Games (1971)
- The Secret Ceremony (1971)
- 喜劇 右向けェ左！ (1970)
- The Final Gamble (1970)
- Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back (1970)
- Girl in College (1969)
- Twenty-One Concubines: The Life of a Pervert (1969)
- River Of Love (1969)
- Season of Tears (1969)
- The Bad Guy Blues (1969)
- I Sell My Husband (1968)
- Two in the Shadow (1967)
- Eyes, the Sea and a Ball (1967)
- Yanagase Blues (1967) as Kane Sasagawa
- Flower Cards Chivalry (1967)
- Nocturnal Lights (1966)
- Moment of Terror (1966) as Hisako Kanematsu
- Four and A Half Mats (1966) as Riku
- Game of Chance (1966) as Sugi
- Women Doing Time (1966)
- The Pretty Jade (1966)
- An Innocent Witch (1965)
- Color (1965)
- Secret Club 000 (1965)
- Dupe (1965)
- The Passionate Spinster (1965) as Tokiko Tsurukawa
- Chained Bitch (1965)
- Jakoman and Tetsu (1964) as Taka
- Yearning (1964) as Bar Madam
- Destroyer Yukikaze (1964)
- Night Scandal (1964) as Shino
- Ghost Story of Devil's Fire Swamp (1963)
- Uogashi no senpū musume (1963)
- We Are Salarymen (1963) as Shizuko Komuro (Eiichiro’s Mother)
- Teinen Taishoku (1963)
- 18 Roughs (1963) as Gin Ishii
- The Broken Commandment (1962) as Owner of the hotel
- The Body (1962)
- Parakin to Kyū-chan mōshiwakenai yarō-tachi (1962)
- Kyū-chan ondo (1962)
- Being Two Isn't Easy (1962) as Ino
- Kono ni uruwashi (1962)
- The Salaryman's Carefree Life: What a Relaxed Job This Is! (1962)
- Gakusei geisha koi to kenka (1962)
- Teppo Yasu no Shogai (1962)
- Haru no sanmyaku (1962)
- Koshū (1962)
- Nippon no obaachan (1962) as Waka
- Eriko (1962) as Oshima
- Irresponsible Rascal of Japan (1962)
- Night Mist Makes Women Cry (1962) as Yoshi Namikawa
- Love and the Shop Curtain (1961)
- Love's Family Tree (1961)
- Refresher Course for Wives (1961)
- The Woman Who Touched Legs (1960)
- When a Woman Loves (1960) as Otome
- Scarred Yosaburo (1960)
- The Legendary Hell (1960) as Osumi
- Irohanihoheto (1960)
- A Woman's Testament (1960)
- White Cliffs (1960)
- Victory and Defeat (1960) as Sato
- Storm on the Silvery Peaks (1960) as Old woman
- The Song Lantern (1960)
- Tsukinode no ketto (1960) as Otani
- Floating Weeds (1959) as Shige
- Blind Love (1959)
- Hear My Mother's Cry (1959)
- The Song of the Cart (1959)
- Goodbye, Hello (1959) as Restaurant owner
- The Makioka Sisters (1959)
- Tokyo Omnibus (1959)
- Diary of a Substitute Doctor (1959)
- Yurakucho 0 Street (1958) as Mother of A 16号
- Stakeout (1958) as Proprietress of the Hotel Hizen-ya
- Mother (1958)
- Tokyo Eyes (1958)
- A Grain of Wheat (1958)
- Hibi no haishin (1958)
- Flower's Yearning (1958) as Muraki Sawa
- The Cat Knew (1958)
- Confronting Fear (1958)
- The Precipice (1958)
- A Bridge for Two Alone (1958)
- Young Lovers (1957)
- Tokyo Twilight (1957) as Komatsu's Mistress
- Typhoon Over Nagasaki (1957)
- Snow Country (1957)
- Monkey Business (1957) as Yone
- Itohan Monogatari (1957) as Okô
- Inazuma Kaidō (1957)
- Elegy of the North (1957) as Grandma
- 続二等兵物語 決戦体制の巻 (1957)
- Fighting Letter for 29 People (1957)
- Street of Shame (1956) as Otane
- Seishun no oto (1956)
- Early Spring (1956) as Shige Kitagawa
- Asashio yushio (1956)
- Training Ship of Yearning (1956)
- Here It is Quiet (1956)
- Twice on a Certain Night (1956)
- 刑事部屋 (1956)
- 俺は死なない (1956)
- Bridge of Japan (1956)
- Dadakko Shachou (1956)
- Children Seeking a Mother (1956) as Older Woman
- Yaneura no Onna-tachi (1956)
- Sound in the Mist (1956)
- Troupers of Asakusa (1955)
- A Girl Who Delivers Happiness (1955)
- Youth (1955)
- She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (1955) as Grandmother
- The Refugee (1955)
- Fantasy of Youth (1955)
- Tomorrow I'll Be a Fire-Tree (1955) as Tomi
- A Man Among Men (1955) as Okimi
- House of Many Pleasures (1955) as Masa
- The Magistrate (1955)
- A Woman's Life (1955) as Nobuko's mother
- The Golden Demon (1954) as Tose
- Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) as Otoko Sensei no Tsuma
- 東京シンデレラ娘 (1954)
- Somewhere Beneath the Wide Sky (1954) as Shige, Ryoichi's stepmother
- A Certain Woman (1954) as Tome
- Submarine Ro Hasn't Surfaced (1954)
- Victory or Defeat (1954)
- The Story of Shunkin (1954)
- Koina no Ginpei (1954)
- An Heir's Place (1953)
- Where Chimneys Are Seen (1953) as Kayo Nojima
- Hiren tsubaki (1953)
- The Wild Geese (1953) as Otsune
- Brother and Sister (1953) as Riki - the Mother
- Bot-chan (1953) as Kiyo
- Ikiru (1952) as Tatsu Watanabe
- 母子鶴 (1952) as Onao
- 母山彦 (1952)
- Oka wa hanazakari (1952)
- Lightning (1952) as Osei
- Kanpai! Tokyo Musume (1952)
- Shi no machi wo nogarete (1952)
- A Ripple in a Morning (1952)
- Repast (1951) as Taniguchi Shige
- Wedding March (1951) as Auntie
- The Life of a Horse Trader (1951) as Onobu
- Hibari no komoriuta (1951)
- Shinju fujin: Shojo no maki (1950)
- Portrait of Madame Yuki (1950) as San
- Shinju fujin: Hitozuma no maki (1950)
- Snow-Flake (1950)
- Golden Beast (1950) as Connie Sonobe's mother
- Duel in the Sun (1950) as Boarding house landlady
- A Mother's Love (1950)
- Tsuma mo koisu (1950)
- Three Mothers (1949)
- Kenji to onnakanshu (1949)
- Arashi no naka no shimai (1949)
- The Rainbow Man (1949) as Kane Nonomura
- Koga Manshion (1949)
- Hills of a Foreign Country (1949) as Iku
- Hana no jitsugetsu (1949)
- Full Moon (1949)
- Onna goroshi abura jigoku (1949)
- Ginza Cancan Girls (1949)
- Akireta musumetachi (1949)
- Nocturnal Gate (1948)
- Women of the Night (1948) as Brothel Keeper
- First Love Story (1947)
- The Little Green Box (1947)
- The 99th Bride (1947)
- Female Prisoner #36 (1947)
- Koyoi Tsuma to Narinu (1947)
- The Monk Who Became a Raccoon Dog (1946)
- Convent Bride (1946)
- Kimi ka to omohite (1946)
- Machi no ninkisha (1946)
- 瓢箪から出た駒 (1946)
- Kare to kanojo wa iku (1946)
- Iku-san ga (1946)
- A Face Glowing at Night (1946)
- Aru yo no seppun (1946) as Takako
- Who Is the Criminal? (1945)
- Saigo no kikyō (1945)
- Genghis Khan (1943)
- The Man From Chungking (1943) as 妻とよ
- The Tiger of Malaya (1943) as Tomi
- New Snow (1942)
- Passion to Soar (1941)
- Ie naki musume (1939)
- Ah, My Hometown (1938)
- The Straits of Love and Hate (1937) as Ume
- Tsuki yori no shisha (1934)
- The Water Magician (1933) as Ogin
- The Feast of Gion (1933)
- Kokoro no jitsugetsu: Retsujitsu hen - Gekko hen (1931)
- And Yet They Go On (1931)
- The 26 Martyrs of Japan (1931) as Ohisa, Mother of Antonio
- Mistress of a Foreigner (1930) as Omatsu
- Yaji and Kita: Yasuda's Rescue (1927) as Otoku
- 日輪 前篇 (1926)
- Osumi and Her Mother (1924)
- Moken no himitsu (1924)
- Seisaku no tsuma (1924)
- Kakute ninjutsu eiga wa owarinu
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Kumeko Urabe best known for?
Kumeko Urabe is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Hachiko (1987), Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), An Innocent Witch (1965), Jakoman and Tetsu (1964).
When and where was Kumeko Urabe born?
Kumeko Urabe was born on October 5, 1902 in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. They passed away on October 26, 1989.
How many credits does Kumeko Urabe have?
Kumeko Urabe has accumulated over 216 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1924 to 1987.
What is Kumeko Urabe's background in cinema and television?
Kumeko Urabe (Japanese: 浦辺粂子), born Kimura Kume on 5 October 1902 in a rural area of Shizuoka Prefecture, was a pioneering Japanese movie actress who also performed on stage and television. The daughter of a Buddhist priest, she moved among temples during her childhood and completed her education in Numazu before leavi...
Kumeko Urabe by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Ikiru (1952) as Tatsu Watanabe — aged about 49
- Yearning (1964) as Bar Madam — aged about 61
- Hachiko (1987) as Tobacco Shop Owner — aged about 84
- Tokyo Twilight (1957) as Komatsu's Mistress — aged about 54
- Street of Shame (1956) as Otane — aged about 53
- Twenty-Four Eyes (1954) as Otoko Sensei no Tsuma — aged about 51
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