Kaori Momoi

Kaori Momoi is one of those performers whose voice arrives before she does — that famously unhurried, trailing delivery that half of Japan can imitate and nobody can actually reproduce. Being the most impersonated actress of your generation is really just proof that you sound like no one else. The record backs it up: Blue Ribbon Best Actress in 1980, 1989 and 1998, Best Supporting Actress in 1978, an Elan d'or newcomer prize as far back as 1974, the Kinuyo Tanaka Award in 2016, and a Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2008. She also directs, sings and writes, which tells me she was never going to be content serving as someone else's instrument. Half a century in front of a camera without ever sanding down the oddities that made her singular — that, more than any trophy, is the part I admire.

Name (English)

Kaori Momoi

Name (Japanese)

桃井かおり

Reading

ももい かおり

Born

April 8, 1951 (age 75)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Rabbit

Origin

Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan

Height

162 cm

Occupation

actor / seiyū / film director / singer / writer

Awards & achievements

• 2008 Medal with Purple Ribbon
• 1974 Elan d'or Award for Newcomer of the Year
• 2016 Kinuyo Tanaka Award
• 1980 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress
• 1989 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress
• 1998 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Actress
• 1978 Blue Ribbon Awards for Best Supporting Actress
• Golden Arrow Award

• Official sitehttps://www.kaorimomoi.com
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kaori_momoi/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaori%20Momoi
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A1%83%E4%BA%95%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8A%E3%82%8A
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q442924

Tags

• Tokyo
• actor
• seiyū
• film director

Last updated

2026-07-27

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.