Sadako Sawamura
Born: 1908-11-11 in Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Died: 1996-08-16
Known For: Acting
Biography
Sadako Sawamura (沢村貞子, Sawamura Sadako; 11 November 1908 – 16 August 1996) was a Japanese stage and film actress and essayist who appeared in more than 350 films between 1935 and 1976. Sawamura was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. After dropping out of Japan Women's University, she was active in left-wing theatre groups and was twice arrested for her political beliefs, spending over a year in prison with much of it in solitary confinement. She started acting in films in 1934, first at the Nikkatsu studio, later at Toho. She appeared in many supporting roles after the war, often working with director Mikio Naruse. Sawamura also acted in films by directors including Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō. Her brothers were the actors Daisuke Katō and Kunitarō Sawamura. Her autobiography Watashi no Asakusa has been translated into English as My Asakusa. She was married three times: to actor Shigeo Imamura (1931-33), actor Kamatari Fujiwara (1936-46) and subsequently to film magazine editor and critic Yasuhiko Ohashi (1968-96, though domestic partners from 1946 onward).
Filmography
2019
- 365日の献立日記 as 献立
1985
1984
1978
- Otei-chan ... (Writer)
1977
1970
1969
- The Street Car Game as Deguchi Ume
- The Song from My Heart
1968
- Nunnery Confidential
- My Brother, My Love as Kayo Kitagawa
- The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze
- Rose Buds in the Rainbow as Setsuko Sasaki
1966
- Once a Rainy Day
- The Kii River as Ichi, housekeeper
- Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms
- A Sky Full of Tears as Kikue Sugisaki
- Night Bitch as Matsu Komazaki
- Sayonara ressha
1965
- A Fugitive from the Past as Motojima's Wife
- Nami kage
- Snow Country as Dance teacher
- Love on the Rainbow as Masako Yamashita
- Salaryman's Medal
- That Cute Girl
- The Passionate Spinster as Riki Tonobe
1964
- Sweet Sweat as Matsuko
- Night Scandal in Japan as Tetsu Kawabe
- A Story from Echigo
- Eddy Currents of Life as Teacher Ikegami
- Whirlpool of Flesh as Tomiko Sekiguchi
- I'm a Bodyguard
- Mr. Giant's Victory Flag
- Taiyou wo Daku Onna
- Youth Season Continued as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
1963
- Tale of Army Brutality as Toki, Yahichi's mother
- At the Side of the Bridge 4
- Double Wedding as Shigeko
- At the Side of the Bridge 3
- Dokuritsu bijin-tai
- Crazy Operation: First Move
- The Life of Rikisha-Man
- Police Precinct: Backing Investigation
- Miren as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
1962
- Chûshingura
- Born in Sin
- Star of Hong Kong as Sugimoto Natsuko
- Four Sisters as Makiko
- Glory on the Summit
- At the Side of the Bridge
- South Pacific Waves Are High
- Zoku aizen katsura
- Kyūjin ryokō
- Curry Rice
- Youth Season
- At the Side of the Bridge 2
- A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen
- In Search of Mother as Otora
- Flower in a Storm
- The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka as Otake
- Naite waratta hanayome
- A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant
- Lady Sen and Hideyori as Yodogimi
- Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain
- Pig and Goldfish
- Our Marriage as Mother
- Ottamage ningyo monogatari
- A Roaring Trade
- Koshū
- Nippon no obaachan
1961
- Girls of the Night as Kitamura
- The Catch as Katsu
- Zero Focus as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
- Romance Express
- Women of Tokyo as Yuki Takeuchi
- Triangle Moods as Kame
- Wakai yatsura no kaidan
- Door of Flowers
- Hikkoshi yatsure
- Awamori-kun uridasu
- Boss Takes to the Road as Kimie Morikawa
- The Estuary
- Toilet Manager
- Onna no hashi
- Sanctuary
1960
- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs as Toshiko
- Late Autumn as Fumiko
- New Third Class Executive: Husband Education as Kaneko Tsujikura
- The Wandering Princess as Kazuko Sugawara
- Hero of the Red Light District
- Beyond the Hills as Oiku Wada
- Youth in Fury as Aki Katsura
- Towering Waves as Mrs. Tazawa
- Storm on the Silvery Peaks as Kiyo
- Police Precinct Part 13 as Madam next to Hikariso
- Dare yori mo kimi o aisu
- Mahiru no wana as Kikuyo
- Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes as Okane
- Jiyūgaoka fujin
- Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success as Okane
- The Dangerous Kiss
- Ponkotsu
- Hito mo arukeba as Kin Narikin
- Salaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face
1959
- Good Morning as Kayoko Fukui
- The Human Wall
- Souls in the Moonlight III
- Someday I'll Know as Fusako Kaneko
- Ripe and Marriageable as Mrs. Nakazato
- Pineapple Butai as Omine
- Whistling in the morning
- The Cast-Off as Fumiko
- Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face
- The Terrible Game as Yabuki Toyo
- Koko ni otoko ari
- Echo Mountain as Takako Hirasawa
- Young Lovers as Ayako Nozaki
- People Waiting for Spring as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
- Vagabond Lovers
1958
- Little Peach
- Souls in the Moonlight II as Otsuno
- Firefly Light
- One Step to Happiness
- Bright Young Maidens as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
- 直八子供旅
- Beyond the Seasonal Wind
- No Advice Taken
- Romance Freestyle
- Fearless Opposition
- Hibi no haishin
- Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi
- The Naked General
- Hanayome no teikō as Seiko Maekawa
1957
- Untamed Woman as Oshima's aunt
- The Blue Sky Maiden as Tatsuko Ono
- Ôban as Tane, Ushinosuke's Mother
- Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen as Tane
- Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen as Tane
- The Adorable Trio as Sadako Kamiya
- Morning Whistling
- When It Rains, It Pours as Tane Abe
- The Betrothed
- Young Lovers
- The Beauty Expert
- Haha to ko no mado
1956
- Street of Shame as Tatsuko Taya
- A Wife's Heart
- The President Talks Bank
- Bridge of Japan
- The President's Boss
- Love on Rainbow Island as Omatsu Hayashi
- The Rose on His Arm as Akiyama's mother
- Avalanche
- Cascading White Threads
- Young Tree as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
- Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū
- Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha
- Gendai no yokubô
- Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl as Taniyama’s Mother
- The Three Musketeers Reunite
- The Lady Was Pawn
1955
- Here Is a Spring
- Policeman's Diary
- So Young, So Bright
- The Romance of Yushima
- Beautiful Days as Imanishi's Mother
- Santōshain to onna hisho
- Ofukuro
- The Big Ambition as Sumie Shida
- Ejima and Ikushima as 玉椿
- Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei
- Iroha Elegy
- Next Door to Happiness
- Mother's Ambition
- Frame of Snow as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
- Youth
- Detour to Love as Koto, mother
1954
- Late Chrysanthemums as Nobu
- The Surf as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
- Itsuko to sono haha as Fusako Tashiro
- The Valley Between Love and Death
- The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness
- Geisha Hidekoma
- All of Myself as Kazama’s Aunt
- 乾杯!女学生
- The Cock Crows Twice
- お月様には悪いけど as 鶴田はと子
- Geisha Konatsu as Kimiso's madame
1953
- Tokyo Profile as Kiyoko
- Miniature
- Dreaming People
- Love Letter as Bookstor's owner
- The End of the Night
- Princess Finds Her Prince
- The Lovers as Mrs. Ushiyama
- Sisters
- The Blue Revolution
1952
- Kin no tamago: Golden Girl
- Mother as Osei
- The Life of Oharu as Sasaya's wife Owasa
- Forbidden Path
- Mr. Lucky
- Tokyo Sweetheart as Jewelry shop proprietress
- The Woman Who Touched the Legs
- Adolescence as Natsu, Mayumi's mother
- Shanghai Rose as Miss Shen
- One Thousand Ryo Ship in the Wind and Clouds
- Four Asakusa Sisters
- Third Class Executives as Mrs. Kuwabara
- Oka wa hanazakari
- Zoku santō jūyaku
1951
- Elegy
- Dancing Girl as Mitsue
- The White Orchid
- Wedding March as Kumako
1950
1949
1948
1945
- Victory Song as Captain's mother
1943
1942
1941
1940
- Toyuki as Apprentice Geisha
- Wedding Day
- Bellflower as Mother
- Hideko the Cheerleader as Tomoko, Hideko's mother
1939
1938
- A Pebble by the Wayside as Sumie