Acting
Sadako Sawamura
JA cinema · 295 credits
Born
11 November 1908
Died
16 August 1996 (aged 87)
Birthplace
Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo, Japan
Also known as Садако Савамура · 大橋貞子 · 泽村贞子 · 澤村貞子 · ساداکو ساوامورا · 沢村貞子
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
Filmography
The Foster Mother
as Otsuna
The Street Car Game
as Deguchi Ume
My Brother, My Love
as Kayo Kitagawa
Lemon in the Rainbow
as Setsuko Sasaki
A Sky Full of Tears
as Kikue Sugisaki
Night Bitch
as Matsu Komazaki
The Kii River
as Ichi, housekeeper
A Fugitive from the Past
as Motojima's Wife
Snow Country
as Dance teacher
Love on the Rainbow
as Masako Yamashita
The Passionate Spinster
as Riki Tonobe
Two Bitches
as Tetsu Kawabe
Eddy Currents of Life
as Teacher Ikegami
Whirlpool of Flesh
as Tomiko Sekiguchi
Sweet Sweat
as Matsuko
Youth Season Continued
as Sawamura Sawako (Restaurant "Sawamura" proprietress and Keiko's older sister)
My Lover
as Sugiko's aunt
Tale of Army Brutality
as Toki, Yahichi's mother
Double Wedding
as Shigeko
Miren
as Hostess at 'Mitsuda'
Lady Sen and Hideyori
as Yodogimi
Our Marriage
as Mother
Star of Hong Kong
as Sugimoto Natsuko
In Search of Mother
as Otora
Four Sisters
as Makiko
Girls of the Night
as Kitamura
Women of Tokyo
as Yuki Takeuchi
Boss Takes to the Road
as Kimie Morikawa
Zero Focus
as Mrs. Sotaro Uhara
The Catch
as Katsu
Police Precinct Part 13
as Madam next to Hikariso, Actor
Beyond the Hills
as Oiku Wada
Hito mo arukeba
as Kin Narikin
The Wandering Princess
as Kazuko Sugawara
Youth in Fury
as Aki Katsura
Towering Waves
as Mrs. Tazawa
Late Autumn
as Fumiko
Mahiru no wana
as Kikuyo
New Third Class Executive: Husband Education
as Kaneko Tsujikura
Pineapple Butai
as Omine
Good Morning
as Kayoko Fukui
The Cast-Off
as Fumiko
Someday I'll Know
as Fusako Kaneko
Echo Mountain
as Takako Hirasawa
Ripe and Marriageable
as Mrs. Nakazato
The Terrible Game
as Yabuki Toyo
Young Lovers
as Ayako Nozaki
People Waiting for Spring
as Chiyo Tsukagoshi
Bright Young Maidens
as Chie Shibata, Sumiko's Mother
Beyond the Seasonal Wind
as Teru Namura
Hanayome no teikō
as Seiko Maekawa
Ôban
as Tane, Ushinosuke's Mother
When It Rains, It Pours
as Tane Abe
The Blue Sky Maiden
as Tatsuko Ono
The Adorable Trio
as Sadako Kamiya
Untamed Woman
as Oshima's aunt
Street of Shame
as Tatsuko Taya
The Rose on His Arm
as Akiyama's mother
Love on Rainbow Island
as Omatsu Hayashi
Young Tree
as Kuniko's mother (uncredited)
Three Youngmen and a Dream Girl
as Taniyama’s Mother
Ofukuro
Actor
The Big Ambition
as Sumie Shida
Frame of Snow
as Satoko (Ishiyama’s wife)
Beautiful Days
as Imanishi's Mother
Detour to Love
as Koto, mother
The Surf
as Tomi, Shinji's Mother
Itsuko to sono haha
as Fusako Tashiro
All of Myself
as Kazama’s Aunt
お月様には悪いけど
as 鶴田はと子
Geisha Konatsu
as Kimiso's madame
Love Letter
as Bookstor's owner
Tokyo Profile
as Kiyoko
The Lovers
as Mrs. Ushiyama
Third Class Executives
as Mrs. Kuwabara
Mother
as Osei
The Life of Oharu
as Sasaya's wife Owasa
Adolescence
as Natsu, Mayumi's mother
Shanghai Rose
as Miss Shen
Tokyo Sweetheart
as Jewelry shop proprietress
Wedding March
as Kumako
Dancing Girl
as Mitsue
Elegy
Actor
Broken Drum
as Yasuko
Ghosts Die at Dawn
as Takeko
Victory Song
as Captain's mother
Sky of Hope
as Kiyo
Horse
as Kikuko Yamashita
Bellflower
as Mother
Hideko the Cheerleader
as Tomoko, Hideko's mother
Travels to the East
as Apprentice Geisha
