Sadako Sawamura

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).

Known For

Chûshingura

Hikarugake

Good Morning

Late Autumn

The Rickshaw Man’s Son

Street of Shame

The Life of Oharu

Untamed Woman

All Movies (259)

• When Winter Comes1985
• Japan Beauty Story: A Woman Among Women1975
• The Street Car Game1969 · as Deguchi Ume
• The Song from My Heart1969
• My Brother, My Love1968 · as Kayo Kitagawa
• Lemon in the Rainbow1968 · as Setsuko Sasaki
• The Young Eagles of the Kamikaze1968
• Nunnery Confidential1968
• A Comedy in Front of the Station: Fortune1968 · as Sada Banno
• Thoroughbred Women Gamblers1967
• The Rickshaw Man’s Son1967 · as Taki
• Swift Current1967
• Flower Cards Chivalry1967
• Sayonara ressha1966
• Once a Rainy Day1966
• The Kii River1966 · as Ichi, housekeeper
• A Sky Full of Tears1966 · as Kikue Sugisaki
• Bad Reputation: Cherry Blossoms1966
• Night Bitch1966 · as Matsu Komazaki
• The Passionate Spinster1965 · as Riki Tonobe
• Snow Country1965 · as Dance teacher
• That Cute Girl1965
• Love on the Rainbow1965 · as Masako Yamashita
• Salaryman's Medal1965
• Nami kage1965
• A Fugitive from the Past1965 · as Motojima's Wife
• Eddy Currents of Life1964 · as Teacher Ikegami
• Whirlpool of Flesh1964 · as Tomiko Sekiguchi
• Sweet Sweat1964 · as Matsuko
• Taiyou wo Daku Onna1964
• I'm a Bodyguard1964
• A Story from Echigo1964
• Youth Season Continued1964 · as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
• Night Scandal in Japan1964 · as Tetsu Kawabe
• Mr. Giant's Victory Flag1964
• Miren1963 · as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
• At the Side of the Bridge 41963
• Double Wedding1963 · as Shigeko
• Tale of Army Brutality1963 · as Toki, Yahichi's mother
• The Life of Rikisha-Man1963
• Dokuritsu bijin-tai1963
• Crazy Operation: First Move1963
• Police Precinct: Backing Investigation1963
• At the Side of the Bridge 31963
• A Comedy in Front of the Station: Chinese Restaurant1962
• Naite waratta hanayome1962
• Curry Rice1962
• Born in Sin1962
• Chûshingura1962
• Zoku aizen katsura1962
• Youth Season1962
• At the Side of the Bridge 21962
• Ganko Oyaji to Edokko Shain1962
• Kyūjin ryokō1962
• A Comedy in Front of the Station: Onsen1962
• Glory on the Summit1962
• Star of Hong Kong1962 · as Sugimoto Natsuko
• At the Side of the Bridge1962
• Four Sisters1962 · as Makiko
• Pig and Goldfish1962
• Ottamage ningyo monogatari1962
• Flower in a Storm1962
• Lady Sen and Hideyori1962 · as Yodogimi
• Our Marriage1962 · as Mother
• Koshū1962
• The Prickly Mouthed Geisha and the Girl of Osaka1962 · as Otake
• In Search of Mother1962 · as Otora
• South Pacific Waves Are High1962
• A Roaring Trade1962
• Nippon no obaachan1962
• Wakai yatsura no kaidan1961
• The Catch1961 · as Katsu
• Sanctuary1961
• Boss Takes to the Road1961 · as Kimie Morikawa
• Girls of the Night1961 · as Kitamura
• Toilet Manager1961
• Awamori-kun uridasu1961
• The Estuary1961
• Hikkoshi yatsure1961
• Onna no hashi1961
• Door of Flowers1961
• Triangle Moods1961 · as Kame
• Romance Express1961
• Zero Focus1961 · as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
• Women of Tokyo1961 · as Yuki Takeuchi
• Mahiru no wana1960 · as Kikuyo
• Late Autumn1960 · as Fumiko
• Ponkotsu1960
• Towering Waves1960 · as Mrs. Tazawa
• Dare yori mo kimi o aisu1960
• Jiyūgaoka fujin1960
• Hero of the Red Light District1960
• Youth in Fury1960 · as Aki Katsura
• New Third Class Executive: Husband Education1960 · as Kaneko Tsujikura
• The Dangerous Kiss1960
• Salaryman Sampei Meijiro: A Wife's Virginal Face1960
• Police Precinct Part 131960 · as Madam next to Hikariso
• Police Precinct Part 131960
• Salaryman Idea Book: Concern for Success1960 · as Okane
• Storm on the Silvery Peaks1960 · as Kiyo
• Salaryman Idea Book: Man of Worrisome Episodes1960 · as Okane
• Hito mo arukeba1960 · as Kin Narikin
• Beyond the Hills1960 · as Oiku Wada
• The Wandering Princess1960 · as Kazuko Sugawara
• When a Woman Ascends the Stairs1960 · as Toshiko
• Pineapple Butai1959 · as Omine
• The Terrible Game1959 · as Yabuki Toyo
• The Human Wall1959
• Young Lovers1959 · as Ayako Nozaki
• Ripe and Marriageable1959 · as Mrs. Nakazato
• Someday I'll Know1959 · as Fusako Kaneko
• Koko ni otoko ari1959
• Vagabond Lovers1959
• The Cast-Off1959 · as Fumiko
• Good Morning1959 · as Kayoko Fukui
• Souls in the Moonlight III1959
• Whistling in the Morning1959
• Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face1959
• Echo Mountain1959 · as Takako Hirasawa
• People Waiting for Spring1959 · as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
• One Step to Happiness1958
• The Naked General1958
• Bright Young Maidens1958 · as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
• Hanayome no teikō1958 · as Seiko Maekawa
• Beyond the Seasonal Wind1958
• Little Peach1958
• Fearless Opposition1958
• Romance Freestyle1958
• Souls in the Moonlight II1958 · as Otsuno
• Firefly Light1958
• 直八子供旅1958
• Hibi no haishin1958
• Shinkon nanatsu no tanoshimi1958
• No Advice Taken1958
• The Adorable Trio1957 · as Sadako Kamiya
• Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen1957 · as Tane
• The Blue Sky Maiden1957 · as Tatsuko Ono
• The Beauty Expert1957
• Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen1957 · as Tane
• When It Rains, It Pours1957 · as Tane Abe
• The Betrothed1957
• Untamed Woman1957 · as Oshima's aunt
• Haha to ko no mado1957
• A Tale of Dung and Urine1957
• Morning Whistling1957
• Ôban1957 · as Tane, Ushinosuke's Mother
• Story of a Detective's Assistant1957 · as Mine
• Young Lovers1957
• The Rose on His Arm1956 · as Akiyama's mother
• Love on Rainbow Island1956 · as Omatsu Hayashi
• Bridge of Japan1956
• The Three Musketeers Reunite1956
• Cascading White Threads1956
• Gendai no yokubô1956
• Midori naru hito: kōhen ai no honryū1956
• Midori naru hito: zenpen wakare no yogisha1956
• A Wife's Heart1956
• The Lady Was Pawn1956
• Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl1956 · as Taniyama’s Mother
• Avalanche1956
• The President Talks Bank1956
• Street of Shame1956 · as Tatsuko Taya
• Young Tree1956 · as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
• The President's Boss1956
• So Young, So Bright1955
• Iroha Elegy1955
• Ejima and Ikushima1955 · as 玉椿
• Youth1955
• Detour to Love1955 · as Koto, mother
• The Romance of Yushima1955
• Santōshain to onna hisho1955
• Next Door to Happiness1955
• Mother's Ambition1955
• Beautiful Days1955 · as Imanishi's Mother
• Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei1955
• Ofukuro1955
• The Big Ambition1955 · as Sumie Shida
• Frame of Snow1955 · as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
• Here Is a Spring1955
• Policeman's Diary1955
• お月様には悪いけど1954 · as 鶴田はと子
• The Cock Crows Twice1954
• The Surf1954 · as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
• The Days of Youth are Days of Sadness1954
• The Valley Between Love and Death1954
• Geisha Hidekoma1954
• 乾杯！女学生1954
• Late Chrysanthemums1954 · as Nobu
• All of Myself1954 · as Kazama’s Aunt
• Geisha Konatsu1954 · as Kimiso's madame
• Itsuko to sono haha1954 · as Fusako Tashiro
• One Night of Love1954 · as Ohama
• Mama's Diary1954
• Love Letter1953 · as Bookstor's owner
• The Lovers1953 · as Mrs. Ushiyama
• Princess Finds Her Prince1953
• Tokyo Profile1953 · as Kiyoko
• Dreaming People1953
• The Blue Revolution1953
• Sisters1953
• The End of the Night1953
• Miniature1953
• One Thousand Ryo Ship in the Wind and Clouds1952
• Oka wa hanazakari1952
• The Woman Who Touched the Legs1952
• Zoku santō jūyaku1952
• Adolescence1952 · as Natsu, Mayumi's mother
• Shanghai Rose1952 · as Miss Shen
• Four Asakusa Sisters1952
• Tokyo Sweetheart1952 · as Jewelry shop proprietress
• Forbidden Path1952
• Mother1952 · as Osei
• Third Class Executives1952 · as Mrs. Kuwabara
• Kin no tamago: Golden Girl1952
• The Life of Oharu1952 · as Sasaya's wife Owasa
• Mr. Lucky1952
• Wedding March1951 · as Kumako
• Dancing Girl1951 · as Mitsue
• The White Orchid1951
• Elegy1951
• A Man from Akagi1950
• Jiruba no Tetsu1950
• Beyond the Hills1950
• Guntō nanban-sen1950
• Spring Snow1950
• Onna no ryūkō1950
• First Love Questions and Answers1950
• Broken Drum1949 · as Yasuko
• The Flower That Crossed the Mountain1949
• Ishimatsu of the Forest1949
• Flame of My Love1949
• Goblin Courier1949
• Kōfuku no genkai1948
• Ghosts Die at Dawn1948 · as Takeko
• Yakyukyō jidai1948
• Twenty-One Fingerprints1948
• Victory Song1945 · as Captain's mother
• Miyamoto Musashi - Battle at Han'nya Hill1943 · as Osaki
• Mother Never Dies1942
• Onna keizu1942
• Green Earth1942
• Sky of Hope1942 · as Kiyo
• A Man's Flower Road of Triumph1941
• The Night Before the Meiji Restoration1941
• Dancers of Awa1941
• Horse1941 · as Kikuko Yamashita
• Kodakara fūfu1941
• Bellflower1940 · as Mother
• Wedding Day1940
• Travels to the East1940 · as Apprentice Geisha
• Hideko the Cheerleader1940 · as Tomoko, Hideko's mother
• Shinpen Tange Sazen: Sekigan no maki1939 · as Otomi
• Osanaki mono no hata1939 · as Mother
• Ichiyo Higuchi1939
• The New Tange Sazen: The Chapter of the Two-Armed Swordsman1939
• A Pebble by the Wayside1938 · as Sumie
• Sōbō1937
• Passionate Poet Ishikawa Takuboku - Hometown1936
• The Foster Mother—

All TV Shows (4)

• 365日の献立日記2019 · as 献立
• Daikazoku1984
• Hikarugake1977
• おれの義姉さん1970