
Photo: キネマ旬報 / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Isuzu Yamada was a seiyū, stage actor and film actor, born on February 5, 1917 in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Isuzu Yamada died on July 9, 2012, aged 95. Awards on record include Order of Culture (2000), Person of Cultural Merit (1993), Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress (1953, 1957) and 3 more. The recorded active period was 1930 - 2002.
My Take
Seven decades on stage and screen. Isuzu Yamada, born in Osaka in 1917 and died in 2012 at ninety-five, had a career long enough that it spans nearly the entire history of Japanese cinema as an art form — from the prewar years through the postwar golden age and into the television era. What strikes me is not the length but the range. She won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress twice, in 1953 and 1957, and for Best Supporting Actress in 1956. Actors who can win in both categories are telling you something: they are not coasting on star presence, they are actually working inside the film. She was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 1993 and received the Order of Culture, Japan's highest honour for artistic achievement, in 2000. Surviving that many industry upheavals — studios collapsing, audiences migrating to television — required rebuilding her place over and over. For international viewers meeting her through classic Japanese cinema, she is worth treating as a landmark rather than a footnote.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Isuzu Yamada
- Name (Japanese)
- 山田五十鈴
- Reading
- やまだ いすず
- Born
- February 5, 1917 – July 9, 2012
- Origin
- Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- seiyū / stage actor / film actor / actor
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Snake
- Blood type
- A
- Active years
- 1930 - 2002
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2000 Order of Culture
- 1993 Person of Cultural Merit
- 1953 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress
- 1957 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress
- 1956 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actress
- Kikuta Kazuo engeki shō
- Mainichi Film Award for Best Actress
3. Works & records
Works summary
- Appearances
- 247 (1950–2001)
- By year (titles with a known year)
- 1950: 1, 1951: 6, 1952: 6, 1953: 8, 1954: 5, 1955: 8, 1956: 7, 1957: 15, 1958: 9, 1959: 2, 1960: 5, 1961: 5, 1962: 3, 1963: 2, 1964: 3, 1965: 2, 1966: 4, 1967: 4, 1968: 1, 1969: 3, 1970: 3, 1971: 3, 1973: 2, 1974: 1, 1975: 2, 1976: 3, 1977: 5, 1978: 5, 1979: 4, 1980: 3, 1981: 1, 1982: 3, 1983: 4, 1984: 1, 1985: 2, 1986: 1, 1987: 1, 1990: 4, 1993: 2, 1994: 1, 1995: 1, 1996: 1, 1999: 1, 2000: 2, 2001: 1, year unknown: 91
- Debut work
- 殺陣師段平
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| TV drama | 江戸城乗っ取り!!人質は百万人!?危うし!八百八町が火の海に | 2001 |
| TV drama | Aoi Tokugawa Sandai | 2000 |
| TV drama | ドラマ家族模様 / マッチポイント! | 2000 |
| TV drama | 怒る男・わらう女 | 1999 |
| CM | 宝酒造 松竹梅 | 1996 |
| : 鬼平犯科帳 血闘 | 1995 | |
| : 鬼平犯科帳 炎の色 | 1994 | |
| TV drama | 正月四日の客 | 1993 |
| : 鬼平犯科帳 むかしの女 | 1993 | |
| TV drama | 樅ノ木は残った | 1990 |
| TV drama | びいどろで候〜長崎屋夢日記 | 1990 |
| TV drama | むかしの女 | 1990 |
| CM | 公共広告機構 | 1990 |
| たぬき | 1988 | |
| CM | (社)全国牛乳普及協会(1987年) | 1987 |
| 女優として女として | 1986 | |
| Film | 必殺! ブラウン館の怪物たち | 1985 |
| TV drama | Hissatsu Shigotonin V | 1985 |
| Film | Hissatsu: Sure Death | 1984 |
| TV drama | Hissatsu Shigotonin IV | 1983 |
| TV drama | はぐれ三味線運命剣-蒲原の巻- | 1983 |
| TV drama | ヨメ子は天女になったので | 1983 |
| TV drama | 大奥 | 1983 |
| Film | 疑惑 | 1982 |
| TV drama | Hissatsu Shigotonin III | 1982 |
| 第2回花王名人大賞 | 1982 | |
| TV drama | Shin Hissatsu Shigotonin | 1981 |
| TV drama | 五月の街 | 1980 |
| TV drama | 女の坂道 | 1980 |
| TV drama | なさけ坂旅館 | 1980 |
| TV drama | 雪の大文字 | 1979 |
| TV drama | 神戸 元町 おもかげ通り | 1979 |
| TV drama | Onnatachi no Chūshingura | 1979 |
| TV drama | 必殺仕事人 | 1979 |
| TV drama | 四谷怪談 | 1979 |
| TV drama | 流れゆく日々 | 1978 |
| TV drama | Hissatsu Karakurinin Fugakuhyakkei Koroshitabi | 1978 |
| TV drama | 変身旅行 | 1978 |
| TV drama | 悪女について | 1978 |
| TV drama | たんぽぽ 第5シリーズ | 1978 |
| TV drama | 新春大吉 | 1977 |
| TV drama | 華麗なる大泥棒!四丁目の刑事の家の間借人 | 1977 |
| TV drama | Shin Hissatsu Karakurinin | 1977 |
| TV drama | 酒田紀行 | 1977 |
| TV drama | つくしんぼ | 1977 |
| TV drama | いごこち満点 | 1976 |
| TV drama | Hissatsu Karakurinin | 1976 |
| Tetsuko's Room | 1976 | |
| Film | Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director | 1975 |
| TV drama | 一筆啓上欺瞞が見えた | 1975 |
| TV drama | ふたりぼっち | 1974 |
| TV drama | 家名に泣く母 | 1973 |
| TV drama | さよなら・今日は | 1973 |
| TV drama | 夫婦タクシー | 1971 |
| TV drama | 妻の内緒 | 1971 |
| 山田五十鈴舞台生活35周年記念公演 | 1971 | |
| TV drama | 花は虹、柳は緑 | 1970 |
| TV drama | ぎっちょんちょん | 1970 |
| TV drama | 竹千代と母 | 1970 |
| TV drama | 本妻さん | 1969 |
4. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isuzu%20Yamada
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E4%BA%94%E5%8D%81%E9%88%B4
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q453584
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Isuzu Yamada born?
Isuzu Yamada was born on February 5, 1917.
When did Isuzu Yamada die?
Isuzu Yamada died on July 9, 2012, aged 95.
Where was Isuzu Yamada from?
Isuzu Yamada was from Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
What did Isuzu Yamada do?
Isuzu Yamada worked as seiyū, stage actor, film actor, actor.
What was Isuzu Yamada's blood type?
Isuzu Yamada's blood type was A.
When was Isuzu Yamada active?
Isuzu Yamada was active from 1930 to 2002.
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