Michiyo Aratama is a popular Japanese film and stage actress. She has gained a lot of success worldwide thanks to her talent and hard work. Till her time of death she was active in the industry and was doing small roles here and there. Her fans and critics have supported and loved her acting as she has done many different roles in various films and TV shows. Being on the stage has been her passion and she has got a big fan following for the same. If you want to know about her you can read the following details.
Bio and Death
Michiyo was born on 15th January 1930 and died on 17th March 2001. She was born in a not-so-well-off background and worked hard to reach where she is today. Her parents always supported her and she pursued her acting career with a lot of passion. She completed her graduation from the Takarazuka Music and Dance School. Michiyo joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1945 and started working for a film debut. Her fans will be disappointed to know that she died at the age of 71 due to heart failure in 2001.
Career
Michiyo started working towards getting a film role and she was lucky to grab one. Her film debut happened in 1951. However, it was in 1955 that she left the Takarazuka Revue and signed her first-ever film. She signed her first with Nikkatsu film studios that the most prominent filmmaker of that time. She also made a contract with Toho but that expired after some time. You will not be surprised to know that she has been working with some of the most famous directors of that time.
The directors include Mikio Naruse, Yasujirō Ozu and Masaki Kobayashi. It was lucky of her to appear in some top films like The Human Condition, The End of Summer, Kwaidan, and 47 Ronin. Even though she was doing a lot of films till 1971 after that she concentrated only on stage and television work. Due to various health issues, she had to reduce her hard work and appearances from 1994.
Reference link:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0033171/
Awards
Michiyo Aratama got the privilege to win the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her films The Human Condition and Watashi WA kai Ni naritai have been great hits at the box office too. Due to her wonderful performance in the human condition, she also won the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actress. Michiyo was also awarded for the End of Summer and Minami no Kaze to nami and got best-supporting actress.
Films
- 1953: Wife – dir. Mikio Naruse
- 1955: The Heart – dir. Kon Ichikawa
- 1956: The Balloon – dir. Yūzō Kawashima
- 1956: Suzaki Paradise: Red Light – dir. Yūzō Kawashima
- 1958: A Holiday in Tokyo – dir. Kajirō Yamamoto
- 1958: Conflagration – dir. Kon Ichikawa
- 1958: Herringbone Clouds – dir. Mikio Naruse
- 1959: The Human Condition – dir. Masaki Kobayashi
- 1961: The End of Summer – dir. Yasujirō Ozu
- 1962: 47 Ronin – dir. Hiroshi Inagaki
- 1963: The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman – dir. Kihachi Okamoto
- 1964: Kwaidan – dir. Masaki Kobayashi
- 1965: Samurai Assassin – dir. Kihachi Okamoto
- 1966: The Stranger Within a Woman – dir. Mikio Naruse
Net Worth
The total net worth of Michiyo happens to be around $1 to $1 5 million. She has gained all this name and fortune from her active career till death. Michiyo was living a good and luxurious life till the time of her death.