Sadako Sawamura
Acting Born Nov 11, 1908 Died Aug 16, 1996 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan 273 credits
Biography
Sadako Sawamura was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist born on November 11, 1908, in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. She passed away on August 16, 1996. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she participated in left-wing theatre groups, which led to her being arrested twice for her political beliefs and spending over a year in prison, mostly in solitary confinement. Her film career began in 1934, initially working at the Nikkatsu studio and later at Toho. Over her career, she appeared in numerous supporting roles, frequently collaborating with director Mikio Naruse, as well as working with directors Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu.
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Career overview
Sadako Sawamura was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist born on November 11, 1908, in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she became active in left-wing theatre groups. Her political beliefs resulted in two arrests and more than a year in prison, a significant portion of which was spent in solitary confinement.
Sawamura began her film career in 1934, initially working at the Nikkatsu studio and later at Toho. Over the course of her career, she appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976. Following the war, she took on numerous supporting roles, frequently collaborating with director Mikio Naruse. In addition to her work with Naruse, Sawamura acted in films directed by prominent filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu.
Known by her stage name, Sawamura amassed an extensive filmography throughout her decades-long career in the Japanese film industry. She passed away on August 16, 1996, at the age of 87.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
365日の献立日記
When Winter Comes
Daikazoku
Otei-chan · Writer
Hikarugake
Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women
おれの義姉さん
The Song from My HeartThe Street Car Game
Nunnery ConfidentialThe Young Eagles of the KamikazeA Comedy in Front of the Station: FortuneMy Brother, My LoveLemon in the Rainbow
Swift CurrentThoroughbred Women GamblersThe Rickshaw Man’s SonFlower Cards Chivalry
Night BitchOnce a Rainy DayThe Kii RiverSayonara resshaBad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms
A Fugitive from the PastSnow CountryThe Passionate SpinsterNami kageLove on the Rainbow
A Story from EchigoYouth Season ContinuedWhirlpool of FleshNight Scandal in JapanSweet Sweat
Tale of Army BrutalityDouble WeddingAt the Side of the Bridge 3Dokuritsu bijin-taiAt the Side of the Bridge 4
In Search of MotherChûshinguraFour SistersOur MarriageNippon no obaachan
Toilet ManagerSanctuaryOnna no hashiGirls of the NightZero Focus
Hito mo arukebaWhen a Woman Ascends the StairsLate AutumnThe Dangerous KissSalaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face
Echo MountainGood MorningVagabond LoversYoung LoversThe Human Wall
The Naked GeneralLittle PeachHanayome no teikōFirefly LightSouls in the Moonlight II
When It Rains, It PoursThe Beauty ExpertYoung LoversThe BetrothedUntamed Woman
Young TreeStreet of ShameGendai no yokubôThree Youngmen and a Dream GirlThe Lady Was Pawn
Next Door to HappinessYouthMother's AmbitionDetour to LoveFrame of Snow
The Cock Crows TwiceMama's DiaryLate Chrysanthemumsお月様には悪いけどOne Night of Love
Love LetterThe Blue RevolutionThe LoversMiniatureTokyo Profile
The Life of OharuMotherOka wa hanazakariZoku santō jūyakuTokyo Sweetheart
The Love Letter TrialDancing GirlThe White OrchidElegyWedding March
A Man from AkagiJiruba no TetsuBeyond the HillsGuntō nanban-senSpring Snow
Flame of My LoveIshimatsu of the ForestThe Flower That Crossed the MountainBroken DrumMy Name Is Mistress
Yakyukyō jidaiThe Fifth WitnessSen-hime gotenNerawareta onnaGhosts Die at Dawn
Victory Song
Full Filmography
273 titles- 365日の献立日記 (2019) as 献立
- When Winter Comes (1985)
- Daikazoku (1984)
- Otei-chan (1978) Writer
- Hikarugake (1977)
- Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women (1975)
- おれの義姉さん (1970)
- The Song from My Heart (1969)
- The Street Car Game (1969) as Deguchi Ume
- Nunnery Confidential (1968)
- The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze (1968)
- A Comedy in Front of the Station: Fortune (1968) as Sada Banno
- My Brother, My Love (1968) as Kayo Kitagawa
- Lemon in the Rainbow (1968) as Setsuko Sasaki
- Swift Current (1967)
- Thoroughbred Women Gamblers (1967)
- The Rickshaw Man’s Son (1967) as Taki
- Flower Cards Chivalry (1967)
- Night Bitch (1966) as Matsu Komazaki
- Once a Rainy Day (1966)
- The Kii River (1966) as Ichi, housekeeper
- Sayonara ressha (1966)
- Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms (1966)
- A Sky Full of Tears (1966) as Kikue Sugisaki
- A Fugitive from the Past (1965) as Motojima's Wife
- Snow Country (1965) as Dance teacher
- The Passionate Spinster (1965) as Riki Tonobe
- Nami kage (1965)
- Love on the Rainbow (1965) as Masako Yamashita
- Salaryman's Medal (1965)
- That Cute Girl (1965)
- A Story from Echigo (1964)
- Youth Season Continued (1964) as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
- Whirlpool of Flesh (1964) as Tomiko Sekiguchi
- Night Scandal in Japan (1964) as Tetsu Kawabe
- Sweet Sweat (1964) as Matsuko
- Eddy Currents of Life (1964) as Teacher Ikegami
- Taiyou wo Daku Onna (1964)
- Mr. Giant's Victory Flag (1964)
- I'm a Bodyguard (1964)
- Tale of Army Brutality (1963) as Toki, Yahichi's mother
- Double Wedding (1963) as Shigeko
- At the Side of the Bridge 3 (1963)
- Dokuritsu bijin-tai (1963)
- At the Side of the Bridge 4 (1963)
- Miren (1963) as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
- Police Precinct: Backing Investigation (1963)
- Crazy Operation: First Move (1963)
- The Life of Rikisha-Man (1963)
- In Search of Mother (1962) as Otora
- Chûshingura (1962)
- Four Sisters (1962) as Makiko
- Our Marriage (1962) as Mother
- Nippon no obaachan (1962)
- Glory on the Summit (1962)
- Star of Hong Kong (1962) as Sugimoto Natsuko
- Naite waratta hanayome (1962)
- Youth Season (1962)
- South Pacific Waves Are High (1962)
- Curry Rice (1962)
- A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant (1962)
- At the Side of the Bridge 2 (1962)
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka (1962) as Otake
- Born in Sin (1962)
- A Roaring Trade (1962)
- Ottamage ningyo monogatari (1962)
- Lady Sen and Hideyori (1962) as Yodogimi
- Zoku aizen katsura (1962)
- Flower in a Storm (1962)
- A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen (1962)
- Kyūjin ryokō (1962)
- Pig and Goldfish (1962)
- At the Side of the Bridge (1962)
- Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain (1962)
- Koshū (1962)
- Toilet Manager (1961)
- Sanctuary (1961)
- Onna no hashi (1961)
- Girls of the Night (1961) as Kitamura
- Zero Focus (1961) as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
- The Catch (1961) as Katsu
- Women of Tokyo (1961) as Yuki Takeuchi
- Triangle Moods (1961) as Kame
- Wakai yatsura no kaidan (1961)
- Boss Takes to the Road (1961) as Kimie Morikawa
- Hikkoshi yatsure (1961)
- Awamori-kun uridasu (1961)
- Romance Express (1961)
- The Estuary (1961)
- Door of Flowers (1961)
- Hito mo arukeba (1960) as Kin Narikin
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) as Toshiko
- Late Autumn (1960) as Fumiko
- The Dangerous Kiss (1960)
- Salaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face (1960)
- The Wandering Princess (1960) as Kazuko Sugawara
- Youth in Fury (1960) as Aki Katsura
- Hero of the Red Light District (1960)
- Towering Waves (1960) as Mrs. Tazawa
- Dare yori mo kimi o aisu (1960)
- Mahiru no wana (1960) as Kikuyo
- Storm on the Silvery Peaks (1960) as Kiyo
- Ponkotsu (1960)
- Jiyūgaoka fujin (1960)
- Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes (1960) as Okane
- Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success (1960) as Okane
- Police Precinct Part 13 (1960) as Madam next to Hikariso
- Police Precinct Part 13 (1960)
- Beyond the Hills (1960) as Oiku Wada
- New Third Class Executive: Husband Education (1960) as Kaneko Tsujikura
- Echo Mountain (1959) as Takako Hirasawa
- Good Morning (1959) as Kayoko Fukui
- Vagabond Lovers (1959)
- Young Lovers (1959) as Ayako Nozaki
- The Human Wall (1959)
- The Terrible Game (1959) as Yabuki Toyo
- Souls in the Moonlight III (1959)
- The Cast-Off (1959) as Fumiko
- Pineapple Butai (1959) as Omine
- Someday I'll Know (1959) as Fusako Kaneko
- People Waiting for Spring (1959) as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
- Ripe and Marriageable (1959) as Mrs. Nakazato
- Whistling in the Morning (1959)
- Koko ni otoko ari (1959)
- Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face (1959)
- The Naked General (1958)
- Little Peach (1958)
- Hanayome no teikō (1958) as Seiko Maekawa
- Firefly Light (1958)
- Souls in the Moonlight II (1958) as Otsuno
- Beyond the Seasonal Wind (1958)
- No Advice Taken (1958)
- Bright Young Maidens (1958) as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
- Romance Freestyle (1958)
- 直八子供旅 (1958)
- One Step to Happiness (1958)
- Fearless Opposition (1958)
- Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi (1958)
- Hibi no haishin (1958)
- When It Rains, It Pours (1957) as Tane Abe
- The Beauty Expert (1957)
- Young Lovers (1957)
- The Betrothed (1957)
- Untamed Woman (1957) as Oshima's aunt
- Story of a Detective's Assistant (1957) as Mine
- Haha to ko no mado (1957)
- A Tale of Dung and Urine (1957)
- The Blue Sky Maiden (1957) as Tatsuko Ono
- The Adorable Trio (1957) as Sadako Kamiya
- Ôban (1957) as Tane, Ushinosuke's Mother
- Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen (1957) as Tane
- Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen (1957) as Tane
- Morning Whistling (1957)
- Young Tree (1956) as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
- Street of Shame (1956) as Tatsuko Taya
- Gendai no yokubô (1956)
- Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl (1956) as Taniyama’s Mother
- The Lady Was Pawn (1956)
- A Wife's Heart (1956)
- The Three Musketeers Reunite (1956)
- The Rose on His Arm (1956) as Akiyama's mother
- Love on Rainbow Island (1956) as Omatsu Hayashi
- Bridge of Japan (1956)
- The President Talks Bank (1956)
- Avalanche (1956)
- The President's Boss (1956)
- Cascading White Threads (1956)
- Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū (1956)
- Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha (1956)
- Next Door to Happiness (1955)
- Youth (1955)
- Mother's Ambition (1955)
- Detour to Love (1955) as Koto, mother
- Frame of Snow (1955) as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
- Ejima and Ikushima (1955) as 玉椿
- So Young, So Bright (1955) as Oine
- Policeman's Diary (1955)
- Beautiful Days (1955) as Imanishi's Mother
- Santōshain to onna hisho (1955)
- The Romance of Yushima (1955)
- Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei (1955)
- The Big Ambition (1955) as Sumie Shida
- Here Is a Spring (1955)
- Iroha Elegy (1955)
- Ofukuro (1955)
- The Cock Crows Twice (1954)
- Mama's Diary (1954)
- Late Chrysanthemums (1954) as Nobu
- お月様には悪いけど (1954) as 鶴田はと子
- One Night of Love (1954) as Ohama
- Geisha Konatsu (1954) as Kimiso's madame
- 乾杯！女学生 (1954)
- The Surf (1954) as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
- The Valley Between Love and Death (1954)
- Itsuko to sono haha (1954) as Fusako Tashiro
- All of Myself (1954) as Kazama’s Aunt
- The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness (1954)
- Geisha Hidekoma (1954)
- Love Letter (1953) as Bookstor's owner
- The Blue Revolution (1953)
- The Lovers (1953) as Mrs. Ushiyama
- Miniature (1953)
- Tokyo Profile (1953) as Kiyoko
- The End of the Night (1953)
- Dreaming People (1953)
- Princess Finds Her Prince (1953)
- Sisters (1953)
- The Life of Oharu (1952) as Sasaya's wife Owasa
- Mother (1952) as Osei
- Oka wa hanazakari (1952)
- Zoku santō jūyaku (1952)
- Tokyo Sweetheart (1952) as Jewelry shop proprietress
- Adolescence (1952) as Natsu, Mayumi's mother
- Forbidden Path (1952)
- Mr. Lucky (1952)
- The Woman Who Touched the Legs (1952)
- Third Class Executives (1952) as Mrs. Kuwabara
- Shanghai Rose (1952) as Miss Shen
- Kin no tamago: Golden Girl (1952)
- One Thousand Ryo Ship in the Wind and Clouds (1952)
- Four Asakusa Sisters (1952)
- The Love Letter Trial (1951)
- Dancing Girl (1951) as Mitsue
- The White Orchid (1951)
- Elegy (1951)
- Wedding March (1951) as Kumako
- A Man from Akagi (1950)
- Jiruba no Tetsu (1950)
- Beyond the Hills (1950)
- Guntō nanban-sen (1950)
- Spring Snow (1950)
- Onna no ryūkō (1950)
- First Love Questions and Answers (1950)
- Flame of My Love (1949)
- Ishimatsu of the Forest (1949)
- The Flower That Crossed the Mountain (1949)
- Broken Drum (1949) as Yasuko
- My Name Is Mistress (1949)
- Goblin Courier (1949)
- Haha koiboshi (1949)
- Three Pearls (1949)
- Onna goroshi abura jigoku (1949)
- Yakyukyō jidai (1948)
- The Fifth Witness (1948)
- Sen-hime goten (1948)
- Nerawareta onna (1948)
- Ghosts Die at Dawn (1948) as Takeko
- Kōfuku no genkai (1948)
- Twenty-One Fingerprints (1948)
- Victory Song (1945) as Captain's mother
- Monpe-san (1944)
- Miyamoto Musashi - Battle at Han'nya Hill (1943) as Osaki
- Mother Never Dies (1942)
- Onna keizu (1942)
- Green Earth (1942)
- Sky of Hope (1942) as Kiyo
- The Night Before the Meiji Restoration (1941)
- Horse (1941) as Kikuko Yamashita
- A Man's Flower Road of Triumph (1941)
- Kodakara fūfu (1941)
- Dancers of Awa (1941)
- Travels to the East (1940) as Apprentice Geisha
- Wedding Day (1940)
- Bellflower (1940) as Mother
- Hideko the Cheerleader (1940) as Tomoko, Hideko's mother
- The New Tange Sazen: The Chapter of the Two-Armed Swordsman (1939)
- Ichiyo Higuchi (1939)
- Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki (1939) as Otomi
- Osanaki mono no hata (1939) as Mother
- A Pebble by the Wayside (1938) as Sumie
- Sōbō (1937)
- Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown (1936)
- The Foster Mother
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Sadako Sawamura best known for?
Sadako Sawamura is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Nunnery Confidential (1968), A Fugitive from the Past (1965), In Search of Mother (1962), Chûshingura (1962).
When and where was Sadako Sawamura born?
Sadako Sawamura was born on November 11, 1908 in Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan. They passed away on August 16, 1996.
How many credits does Sadako Sawamura have?
Sadako Sawamura has accumulated over 273 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1936 to 2019.
What is Sadako Sawamura's background in cinema and television?
Sadako Sawamura was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist born on November 11, 1908, in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. She passed away on August 16, 1996. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she participated in left-wing theatre groups, which led to her being arrested twice for her political belief...
Sadako Sawamura by the numbers
273credits
268films
5TV series
1936–2019active years
Age in their best-rated roles
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) as Toshiko — aged about 51
- Tokyo Sweetheart (1952) as Jewelry shop proprietress — aged about 43
- Miniature (1953) — aged about 44
- Late Autumn (1960) as Fumiko — aged about 51
- Good Morning (1959) as Kayoko Fukui — aged about 50
- Street of Shame (1956) as Tatsuko Taya — aged about 47
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