Sumiko Sakamoto

Sumiko Sakamoto on the stage

Sumiko Sakamoto (坂本スミ子, Sakamoto Sumiko, 25 November 1936 – 23 January 2021) was a Japanese singer and award-winning actress, born in Osaka, whose heartfelt performances made her a favorite of the late film director Shohei Imamura. Imamura cast her in three of his films: The Pornographers, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, and The Ballad of Narayama,[1] winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. She won the award for Japanese Best Actress from Nihon Academy for her performance in The Ballad of Narayama, as well as a kiss from Orson Welles.[2]

She died of a stroke.[3]

  1. ^ Festival de Cannes : Film details 1983 Festival de Cannes Retrieved August 2, 2008
  2. ^ Kawaguchi, Judit. "Sumiko Sakamoto". Japan Times. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2021. Imamura cast her in three of his films, among them 'The Ballad of Narayama,' winner of the 1983 Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, in which her brilliant portrayal of an elderly mother not only earned her a kiss from Orson Welles, but also the Japanese Best Actress Award from Nihon Academy.
  3. ^ 坂本スミ子さん死去 「楢山節考」「夢であいましょう」出演 (in Japanese)